Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Has some impressive tracks, but an overall disappointment., June 11, 2007
Fronted by ex-Stars member Stephen Ramsay and his significant other Catherine McCandless, Young Galaxy is one of the latest indie acts to come from the consistently amazing Arts & Crafts label. In the band's debut LP, Young Galaxy creates a truly cosmic/spacey sound that lends itself perfectly to their name. While clearly drawing from influences in the classic rock genre, the band also seems to fall into the trap of relying too heavily on what is now an overused and extraordinarily basic indie rock sound. The result is an album that proves the band to be a talented group of individuals, but also one that hasn't quite hit their stride just yet.
Young Galaxy's debut, self-titled LP begins with what is arguably the strongest song on the album, "Swing Your Heartache." The song is an agonizing and bleak meditation on the life, filled with such "uplifting" lyrics as "We believe in time that you will see the frontier is misery." Though the song may falter a bit during the uninspired and cliche-ridden bridge, hearing the band harmonize "Come on babe, swing your heartache" never really gets old, even once the song crosses the 6-minute mark.
"No Matter How Hard You Try" is a largely-incomprehensible song with layer upon layer of instrumentation that at times can seem a bit overpowering. The vocals seem buried under everything else going on, and the song ultimately fails because of it. On the contrary, "Lazy Religion" is almost minimalistic in comparison. The song features airy guitars, synths, and pianos that bring out the vocals. A subtle harmony is utilized throughout the song that's particularly potent when the chorus rolls around ("I don't mind. Take what you want. It's a lazy religion"). The song is another high note for the album.
Unfortunately for Young Galaxy and those who will listen to this album, "Young Galaxy" features more lows than highs. The major flaw of the album is it's lack of "Wow" moments. The lyrics here are rarely poignant or meaningful, the music is utterly bland throughout, often sounding like a mix of every other so-so indie band out there today! I've listened to "Young Galxay" several times through and each time I walk away completely unaffected, unmoved, and entirely disappointed. Young Galaxy has talent, as clearly demonstrated in "Swing Your Heartache" and a few others on the album, but for a band on the Arts & Crafts label, my expectations were not met. "Young Galaxy" is a respectable first effort, but in the end it is still a disappointment.
Recommended for anyone interested in checking out a talented band with a bright future ahead of them, even if this album may contradict such a statement.
Key Tracks:
1. "Swing Your Heartache"
2. "Lazy Religion"
3. "Sun's Coming Up and My Plane's Going Down"
4. "Embers"
5 out of 10 Stars
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautifully intimate and affirming space rock album!, June 11, 2008
Young Galaxy is the space rock band project of Stephen Ramsay and Catherine McCandless. They are the co-songwriters and lead vocalists in the ensemble, but it isn't really a duo. It's a six-piece and they are a band to watch. The other players are Stephen Durand, Susan Beckett, Stephen Kamp, and Pat Sayers. The album also features contributions from Arts & Crafts label mates The Dears and Stars, as well as Besnard Lakes, Patrick Watson, and A Silver Mt. Zion. Ramsay and McCandless formed the band and began recording in 2005. They released a single in 2006 then toured with The Dears. Earlier this year they released their self-titled, full-length debut.
At least one of the reasons Young Galaxy was formed was that due to Stephen Ramsay's relentless touring with Stars, he and girlfriend, Catherine McCandless were not able to spend time together. Like fellow Canadians The Dears and other bands that are, or contain, duos such as Viva Voce, they found the best way to spend time with loved ones was to form their own band together. And on this debut full-length release one can feel the love. Not just their love for each other, but you get the distinct impression that this band loves you.
Not that this is a "love" record, whatever that would be. But there is a deep sense of the organic and the spiritual in this record. And there is something intimate and personal shared between band and listener throughout. This sense smolders beneath the slow space-rock grooves and within literate lyrics. What music has inspired and influenced them is difficult to pinpoint. It calls to mind Slowdive and Galaxie 500, but also Roxy Music and Robbie Robertson. Even the album artwork conjures images of earth, water and stars along with a surreal open door into a dream world or the infinite.
Most of the tracks are electronically driven with doses of minimal guitar and atmospheric keyboard/synthesizer textures. The obvious exception to this is the acoustic and soulful "Embers," sung simply and exquisitely by McCandless. Both Ramsay and McCandless are compelling lead vocalists and when they sing together in harmony or in octaves as in the opening track, "Swing Your Heartache," it is beautifully haunting and sometimes sublime. On the surface, the song "Embers" seems not to fit with the rest of the material. But upon further hearings of the album, especially lyrically, the record would be incomplete without it.
If this album is uneven in places, it makes up for it by being astoundingly promising in others and bodes well for the future of Young Galaxy. This record utilizes images of the infinite and spiritual but is grounded in the earth in often vivid, intimate, human simplicity. Though no mere critic can say that you must own this record, it can be said that the world would be a better place if everyone listened to what Young Galaxy has to say here. Sonically and lyrically, there is something deeply refreshing and hopeful budding in this debut.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
No Idea What Cale E. Reneau Is On About, October 23, 2007
Just read Reneau's review and had to ask myself 'What!?'.
I always felt like the Stars and much of the output on the Arts & Crafts label was mildly interesting without holding up to repeated listening. This however is a solid effort.
I love the production by Besnard Lakes' Jace Lasek. Like the BL's Are the Dark Horse Album there is an eerie 60's sunshine pop element throughout. There's also gorgeous bits of 80's rock pomp especially in McCandless' vocal turns. This strange decade bridging reminds me of songs like Dream Academy's Life in a Northern Town.
The worst track on the album has to be 'Swing Your Heartache.' The lyrics while not necessarily philosophically offensive are over prominent suggesting a believed profundity. Like when Anakin tells us his mom says 'what's wrong with the universe is nobody helps each other out' you'll be sticking your fingers fast and far down your throat. Wayne Coyne and occassionally Conor Oberst are good at pulling this kind of thing off but it misses the mark here. Perhaps if the rest of the album surfed the same wave it would feel less so. The next weakest track is 'Embers' where you'll wander abruptly into formulaic cheeseball alt-country replete with ghost trains and deep blue oceans. 'Lazy Religion' is a nod to the let's pretend we're hippies and smoke some doobage crowd same as 'Swing Your Heartache' only musically stronger and more lyrically restrained.
The rest of the album I quite enjoy. Especially tracks 2,3,5,8,9 & 11. (Too lazy to type out.) The densest songs are typically the best. Again disagreeing completely with Reneau.
I think what's best about this album is it's pop. Great pop. Too often the indie world neglects or ignores the importance and power of pop music forsaking it to largely uncaring corporate machinery. It's got plenty prog but it boils down to pop in the end.
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~ The Most Serene Republic
~ Kevin Drew
~ Band of Horses
~ Fleet Foxes
~ Bon Iver
by Young Galaxy 
