Substack: 'They sound like Galaxie 500'

Just a quickie here and I plan to probably give July (and maybe August) a rest from the Tuesday posts, hopefully I’ll build up a stock of interesting content by the time we’re back from Krankenhaus (but… no promises).

I’ve just been having another dig around the Mailing List archives and quite often a band gets mentioned because of their perceived similarity to Galaxie 500. So, I thought it might be fun to dig a few of those bands out and see.

It is of course worth noting that what some people hear is not what I hear, and sometimes “sounds like” really means “if you like them you might like this” and doesn’t really mean that they actually sound like the band they’re being compared to.

The Mailing List archive is late 90s and early 00s heavy so the bands mentioned will be from way back then.

Aden

Chris mentioned Aden in a post from September 1997.

Does anyone know anything about the pop band Aden? They will be opening for Ashtray Boy this fall, and Mr. Niimi of AB told me they sound a lot like Galaxie 500. I don't know anything about them and have not yet had time to search just yet.

Chris on The Galaxie 500 Mailing List (9th September 1997)

Aden were from Chicago and Wikipedia suggests that they were influenced by “1970s soft rock such as Steely Dan”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3ywPMv6rkE

Don’t think I can hear Galaxie 500 there although it’s probably closer to that than to Steely Dan.

David Kilgour & The Heavy Eights

John suggested that we should listen to this one although he rather sat on the fence on its soundalike-ness

For example i hear G500 type guitars in the David Kilgour and the Heavy Eights album, theres even some la, la, las and some very Deanesque angst ridden lyrics. But they are not really anything like galaxie 500.

John on The Galaxie 500 Mailing List (28th October 1997)

David Kilgour formed The Clean with his brother Hamish (sadly no longer with us) in the early 80s and after their break-up in the 90s has been releasing music as either himself or as David Kilgour & The Heavy Eights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrLNCCLuz9M

I really like this, and I can see it appealing to someone who would like Galaxie 500 - but then I can’t help but think most of that Flying Nun/Dunedin/NZ scene would push those buttons.

Metropolitan

Max suggested Metropolitan…

Has anyone heard of the band Metropolitan? They're from Washington DC and they have a sweet noisy/indie/garage rock thing happening, not unlike Galaxie 500 or Sonic Youth.

Max on The Galaxie 500 Mailing List (19th July 2002)

https://metropolitan.bandcamp.com/album/down-for-you-is-up

I have to say that I think they are quite unlike Galaxie 500, maybe closer to Sonic Youth… maybe.

Super 5 Thor

Tom heard that Super 5 Thor had been compared to Galaxie 500

Has anyone heard of this band Super 5 Thor? I stumbled across a web site for them and there are a bunch of reviews by writers who are basically gaga over them. They are being compared to VU, Galaxie 500, Luna, Spiritualized, etc... If they are that good, I'd like to know if anyone on this list has heard or heard of them. If so is it worth it to buy the cd?

Tom on The Galaxie 500 Mailing List (20th January 1998)

Another post had a bunch of reviews of their first album including this one from (mailing list member) Josh:

Fans of VU, the Feelies, and especially Luna may have found their morethanworthy successor. The quiet, almost hushed vocals combine with a melting guitar slide a la Dean Wareham and Tom Verlaine. It's only a matter of time before this hell of a driving soundtrack for young urbanites churns in your head.

Joshua Mills - Strobe Magazine - June/July 1996

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LMAMINaf5s

I actually have this album - it’s a CDR with a hype sticker on the sleeve which claims it’s “Space pop, heavily influenced by Galaxie 500 and some of the brighter moments of the Jesus and Mary Chain. I think Elaine sent it to me back then, and I do really like it… and yes maybe there is the occasional hint at Galaxie 500.

Velour 100

Chris again… not so impressed with Velour 100

Has any one else noticed the lp, Fall Sounds, by a really dorky pubescent looking band, Velour 100? I don't know anything about the music (or care, for that matter), but we are talking big GALAXIE RIPOFF! I mean, how stupid and unoriginal can they be?

Chris on The Galaxie 500 Mailing List (4th January 1997)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_Pta6Qrxjk

He goes on to point at the similarity of the band’s name and the similarity of the album’s sleeve to Galaxie 500’s Today.

Personally I do think he’s being way to harsh, I can hear much more than a “big GALAXIE RIPOFF” and I do rather love what I’m hearing. Chris was one of the list’s stars but we often didn’t agree!

Sugar Plant

Sugar Plant always would get a mention in these comparison discussions, although I think based entirely on their first album Hiding Place, which I think probably did wear it’s G500 love on its sleeve. In fact the Japanese issue of the album wore it even more proudly since it included a lovely cover of Sorry. That cover later turned up on the Elefant Records ‘Snowstorm’ tribute album.

Their later albums had them clearly finding their own way… and are all worth listening to.

As for Sugarplant, "after after hours" came out in 97, this was the first album of theirs where they sorta changed to a spacey acidinduced sound from their prior releases "hiding place" and "cage of the sun" which were more VU and G500 sounding.

Brett on The Galaxie 500 Mailing List (1st March 1999)

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To be honest there were a lot more although hunting through the list archives isn’t easy so I’ll stop there. I will add that during the early run of the annual survey one of the questions was “I Like Galaxie 500 what else would I like?” here’s a list of all 219 artists mentioned in 1997.