W&H are still overjoyed by Domino's Triffids re-issues but the ever-vigilant label are already on the trail of more seminal re-issues: this time in the shape of the influential American dream-pop trio GALAXIE 500.
Formed by friends Dean Wareham (guitar/ vocals), Damon Krukowski (drums) and bassist Naomi Yang while the trio were still at college in Massachusetts in the mid-1980s, Galaxie 500 named themselves after a vintage car and quietly set about inveigling themselves into our hearts via a series of remarkable records in the late '80s and early '90s. They played ethereal, vulnerable guitar music which was subjected to the occasional fit of sonic pique and were beautifully recorded by indie super-producer Kramer (Butthole Surfers/ Bongwater) who became their de facto 'fourth' member during their sessions at Noise New York.
These Domino re-issues are a serious boon for fans as they also gather together extensive early demos, all the band's John Peel session recordings and a superb live set recorded at the band's final European date on 1st December 1990. This latter was originally issued as a stand-alone live album 'Copenhagen' by Rykodisc and is a fitting testament to the group's live prowess on its' own terms.
All of these are more than enough to have long-time fans salivating, yet it's still the band's three studio albums which form the cornerstone of their legacy. Début LP 'Today' (1988) supplies the blueprint for Galaxie 500's introspective, Velvets-inspired sound, though there's a healthy pop sensibility at work on tracks like 'Flowers' and the almost perky 'Parking Lot'. Funnily enough, though, the album's key track is arguably their marvellous, drone-rock reworking of Jonathan Richman's 'Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste' which is powered along by Krukowski's tribal pounding and shards of searing feedback.
1989's 'On Fire' remains a huge fan favourite and is often recommended as THE G500 record. It's certainly their slowest and most skeletal-sounding and features numerous key tracks like the wonderfully soporific 'Decomposing Trees' and 'Blue Thunder', a Rock'n'Roll 'car' song with a reflective difference. There are a further brace of inspired covers too: a fractured take of George Harrison's 'Isn't It A Pity' (with Kramer on cheap organ), New Order/ Joy Division's 'Ceremony' and The Red Krayola's 'Victory Garden'.
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1990's 'This is our Music' is arguably their most upbeat, 'pop'-influenced album (everything's relative, of course) and features the strident, crescendo-bound single 'Fourth of July' and yet another inspired cover in the shape of Yoko Ono's 'Listen, The Snow is Falling'. It's framed by an angelic vocal from Yang and a surprisingly vicious second section where the band get close to real, tangible rocking out. Whoa!!
After a successful European tour and their first major US headlining tour to promote 'This is our Music', Wareham announced his attention to leave and Galaxie 500's legacy was instantly frozen in time in 1991. It seemed horribly premature back in the day as the final album was as vibrant as ever and suggested Galaxie had plenty more to offer, but with hindsight this apparently rash move has ensured their legacy has merely grown in stature.
All three members of Galaxie 500 have continued to enrich the musical universe. Wareham formed the under-rated Luna while Krukowski and Yang continue to treat us to their gentle acoustic magic as Damon & Naomi. Their presence is still most welcome, but even if they never played another note, they have bequeathed us something very special during their all-too brief existence as Galaxie 500. This was and still is their music and they have every reason to be proud of it.
Domino Records online
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