The Galileo 7 proudly proclaim There Is Only Now, and the record is nothing if not now. From humble beginnings ten years ago as a DIY outlet for Allan Crockford’s songwriting ambitions (he was rarely afforded such luxuries as bass-wielding anchorman of The Prisoners, James Taylor Quartet, Prime Movers, Solarflares et al) The Galileo 7 has evolved into a powerhouse live act delivering the kind of lysergically-inclined technicolour garage-rock rarely witnessed these days.
Following a period of fluctuation, the present line-up stabilised around Crockford (vocals, guitar), Paul Moss(bass, vocals), Viv Bonsels (keyboard, vocals) and the busiest man in garage, Matthew ‘Mole’ Lambert (drums, vocals); there are a lot of vocals in the mix here and the record is all the brighter for it. There’s a new-found energy, breathing fresh life into Crockford’s songs as they delve ever more skilfully into a pool populated with Dandyish psychedelic pop, British Invasion muscle, new-wave sparkle and that ever-present Medway magic.
“I wanted to make an album a lot quicker this time,” Allan explains. “The last one took nearly two and a half years. This one has been written and recorded in less than a year, which is pretty good going for us. This time we were rehearsing and recording the songs pretty much as soon as I’d written and demoed them, and I think it has a unified feel that I really like.”
The approach to capturing the group’s hot sound on tape remains the same. “The tracks would go down on 8-track tape then be transferred onto my digital multi-track, then put on the computer at home for all the overdubs and mixing. I’d like to record in a ‘proper’ studio for a month with an engineer, lovely 2-inch tape and vintage compressors, but this is a budget operation!”
It’s a more panoramic and eclectic selection than we’ve heard before from The Galileo 7. The pastoral psych-pop moments are more colourful, the crash-bang-wallop gear more dynamic, the riffs sharp enough to take your eye out. “I don’t know if ‘challenging’ is the right word,” Allan continues, “but in the context of this kind of ‘garage’ sub-genre we all get lumped into, it’s almost like we’re taking a risk by doing something a little different, quiet, slow, odd, proggy, whatever. We’re just a pop group, in the original sense of the word, so if I accidentally write something a bit different we’ll have a go at it.”
For the first time all four members are featured as lead singers. “I wanted everyone to sing at least one song on this album, mainly because I get sick of hearing my own voice for 40 minutes. I’m probably the least accomplished vocalist in the band. I think having different vocalists and some ‘different’ songs on the album makes this album a better listen as a whole – it was definitely easier to come up with a decent track listing that varied the pace and feel.”
There Is Only Now is possibly The Galileo 7’s most satisfyingly determined record yet; its sonic peaks and troughs bound together by four people singing and playing in unison, and from the heart. And doing it loud.
TRACKLISTING
1 – Everything Is Everything Else
2 – Too Late
3 – There Is Only Now
4 – Slipping Away
5 – Let Go
6 – The World Looks Different Today
7 – Looking Up
8 – The Last Hours Of Aldous Huxley
9 – Crooked Smile
10 – I Dream Of Sleep
11 – Dandy in Aspic
12 – (I’ve Got Them Old) Microcosmic Blues (Again)
LIVE DATES
June 7th – Under The Bridge, London (w/ The Flamin’ Groovies)
June 8th – Chinnerys, Southend (w/ The Flamin’ Groovies)
There Is Only Now is released on Damaged Goods on 21st June
Bucketfull Of Brains 