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Galaxie 500

From Alfawiki
Galaxie 500
IndustryMusic
Founded1987
FounderDean Wareham, Damon Krukowski, Naomi Yang
Defunct1991
FateDisbanded
SuccessorLuna (Dean Wareham), Damon & Naomi (Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang)
Headquarters
Cambridge, Massachusetts
,
United States
Area served
United States, United Kingdom
Key people
Dean Wareham, Damon Krukowski, Naomi Yang
ProductsStudio albums: Today, On Fire, This Is Our Music; Compilations; Live albums; Singles
Number of employees
3 (band members) (1987–1991)

Galaxie 500 was an American indie rock group established in 1987 and active until 1991. During their career, they released three studio albums: Today (1988), On Fire (1989), and This Is Our Music (1990).

The band consisted of guitarist and lead vocalist Dean Wareham, drummer Damon Krukowski, and bassist/vocalist Naomi Yang.

Origins and initial recordings

Dean Wareham, Damon Krukowski, and Naomi Yang first crossed paths at the Dalton School in New York City in 1981. Their musical collaboration began while attending Harvard University. Prior to Galaxie 500, Wareham and Krukowski had played together in punk-influenced student groups before reuniting in 1987 to form the band, with Yang joining on bass. The band's name was inspired by a friend's Ford Galaxie 500 automobile.

They performed shows around Boston and New York City, eventually recording a demo which they sent to producer Mark Kramer of Shimmy Disc. Kramer agreed to produce their work, leading to the release of the "Tugboat" single in February 1988, the "Oblivious" flexi-disc, and their debut album Today, issued on the Aurora label. Following a UK tour in 1988–89, they signed with Rough Trade and released their sophomore album, On Fire. This record, characterized as "lo-fi psychedelia evoking Jonathan Richman supported by The Velvet Underground", is often considered their signature album. It reached number 7 on the UK Indie Chart and was highly praised by critics in the UK, while receiving mixed feedback in the United States due to Wareham's vocal style.

Galaxie 500 recorded two sessions for John Peel's show on BBC Radio 1, later compiled into the Peel Sessions release. Their rendition of Jonathan Richman's "Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste" placed at number 41 in the 1989 Festive 50 countdown.

Final releases and dissolution

After releasing their third album, This Is Our Music, Galaxie 500 disbanded in spring 1991. Following an extensive US tour, Wareham returned to New York and departed as plans for a Japan tour were developing. He later reflected, "It was simply time for Galaxie 500 to end... Columbia Records showed interest in signing us, but due to difficulties during the previous album's production and interpersonal tensions, continuing was not feasible." Their concluding performance took place on April 5, 1991, at Bowdoin College for campus radio station WBOR.

Initially, all of Galaxie 500's albums were released through Rough Trade independently in both the US and UK. After Rough Trade declared bankruptcy in 1991, Krukowski and Yang acquired the master recordings at auction and reissued them as a box set via Rykodisc in 1996. This collection included all three albums along with rare tracks.

Activities following breakup

Following Galaxie 500's end, Wareham engaged in production work with Mercury Rev, released a solo single titled "Anesthesia" in 1992, and went on to form the band Luna. At the same time, Krukowski and Yang recorded under the name Pierre Etoile before continuing as Damon & Naomi, collaborating with producer Kramer and joining the group Magic Hour. They also established the avant-garde publishing house Exact Change.

In June 2010, Wareham announced a fall tour under the banner "Dean Wareham plays Galaxie 500," featuring performances exclusively of Galaxie 500 material.

Musical style and influences

Galaxie 500 was an indie rock group recognized for their straightforward instrumental approach, which was elevated by ambient production techniques to produce a "reverb-heavy, languidly paced, and minimalist" sonic atmosphere. Critic Jim DeRogatis commended their unwavering "hypnotic, sleepwalking style." Andrew Earles characterized their sound as a slow to moderate tempo fusion drawing from influences such as the Velvet Underground, the Feelies, and UK proto-shoegaze pioneers Spacemen 3, all interpreted through a dream pop lens. Jenn Pelly from Pitchfork highlighted how their music’s disorienting ambience and understated vocals positioned them as emblematic figures of outsider dream pop. Principal inspirations include The Velvet Underground, Jonathan Richman, and Spacemen 3.

Legacy

Jason Ankeny of AllMusic described Galaxie 500 as "potentially as pivotal to indie rock as the Velvet Underground was to rock and punk," emphasizing their enduring influence on shoegaze and slowcore genres. Their impact can be traced in bands like Low (band), and they have been cited by artists such as Liz Phair, Xiu Xiu, and Neutral Milk Hotel. A notable example is Neutral Milk Hotel’s track "Naomi," which pays homage to Galaxie 500’s bassist Naomi Yang.

The song "Tugboat" has been extensively covered by musicians including The Submarines, British Sea Power, the Welsh ensemble Joanna Gruesome, among others, frequently appearing in tribute concerts and Record Store Day releases. In 2012, "Tugboat" featured in the movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower, underscoring the band’s lasting cultural significance.

Band members

Studio albums

Compilations

Live albums

Singles

  • "Tugboat"/"King of Spain" (Aurora, 1988)
  • "Oblivious" featured on a limited vinyl compilation with Chemical Imbalance magazine
  • "Blue Thunder"/"Hail" (split with Straitjacket Fits) (1989)
  • "Blue Thunder" EP (Rough Trade, 1990)
  • "Rain"/"Don't Let Our Youth Go to Waste" (Caff, 1990)
  • "Fourth of July"/"Here She Comes Now" (Rough Trade, 1990)
  • "Snowstorm" (live)/"Pictures" (live) (2004)
  • "Temperature's Rising”/“Crazy" (Yeti, 2013)
  • "Shout You Down"/"I Wanna Live” (20-20-20, 2024)

Promotional videos

  • "Tugboat" (1988)
  • "Blue Thunder" (1989)
  • "When Will You Come Home" (1989)
  • "Fourth of July" (1990)

DVDs

  • Don't Let Our Youth Go to Waste (2004)

Further reading

  • McGonigal, Mike. Temperature's Rising: An Oral and Visual History of Galaxie 500. Oregon: Yeti Publishing, 2013
  • Wareham, Dean. Black Postcards: A Rock & Roll Romance. New York: Penguin, 2008.
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