Galaxie 500

Galaxie 500 didn't last long. They formed in Boston, released three albums between 1988 and 1990, got great notices in the press, and then dissolved. Lead singer and guitarist Dean Wareham went on to Luna and the rhythm section of Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang formed Damon & Naomi. Today might be the best song-by-song album of Galaxie 500's three. Wareham's voice stays in a cracked upper register that can either be yearning or transcendent, and his guitar sustain seems to go on for days. Yang's bass playing, like that of Peter Hook, is the band's emotional center, and Krukowski's drums are as much about texture as they are about time-keeping. Rare is the band where three voices this distinctive come together to make a fourth, equally distinctive thing. Everything about On Fire, from the iconic cover art (the sleeve, like all three of their records, was designed by Yang) to the just-under-mid-tempo beat that drives every song, comes together to support the whole. It feels immersive, the rock album as ambient record, and it's the definitive slowcore statement. This is Our Music has a few of Galaxie 500's best tunes and the richest production. But the live album, Copenhagen, turns out to be the ideal closing chapter. That small crowd is into it. They never made it big, but during their short run, Galaxie 500's often quiet and always beautifully rendered music had a profound impact on a few people, including this writer. – excerpted from a Pitchfork review by Mark Richardson