That not one but two separate bands ended up naming themselves after
Galaxie 500's brilliant declaration of love seems only right. The earlier one, from Toronto, never released a full album during its existence, but the self-titled compilation on Egg brings together everything the band did in one handy place -- including, perhaps inevitably, the
Galaxie 500 cover they did (in this case a notably louder-than-the-original "Cold Night" from the Elefant Records double-disc tribute). Before that on the disc are the five songs from the one stand-alone release they put out in their lifetime, the Not Going Anywhere EP. Bright, peppy guitar indie pop numbers that flirt with a variety of styles, they show that the duo not only had the wherewithal to make solid full-band arrangements, but had enjoyable songs period, though certainly not all are bona fide classics. The rest of the selections are previously unreleased. Cameron Gray and Michael Caricari's vocals are perhaps a bit too restrained -- there's sinking into the mix and then there's almost barely there, as the start of "Not Going Anywhere" itself shows -- but it's not constantly so, and sometimes they're just right for the song. The contrast between the more aggressive noise on songs like "Smelly Ears" and "Uptight" -- the latter being the secret highlight on the disc, thanks to its slow burn of an epic guitar line -- and the singing makes for more unexpectedly enjoyable results. The liner notes, from a friend and collaborator and addressed to Gray, are enjoyably personal remembrances of each song (regarding "Up and Down" -- "Is this the tune that you don't like? I really think this one is great!"). ~ Ned Raggett