Galaxie 500 | Artist
Galaxie 500 was an American alternative rock band formed 1987 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by New Zealander Dean Wareham (vocals, guitar), Damon Krukowski (drums) and Naomi Yang (bass). The trio met as students at Harvard University and later joined up in New York to form a band which they named after a friend's car. The band recorded the singles "Tugboat" and "Oblivious", and their debut album, Today, on the small Aurora label. They toured the UK in late 1988 and in 1989, where they signed to Rough Trade records. Their second album, On Fire, received critical acclaim, being described as "lo-fi psychedelia reminiscent of Jonathan Richman backed by The Velvet Underground". The single "On Fire" reached number 7 in the UK Indie Chart, but was less well received by the US music press. The band split up in 1991 after the release of their third album, This Is Our Music. Krukowski and Yang began working as a duo, plus they became members of the band Magic Hour. Dean Wareham formed the band Luna, plus he has released several solo albums, and works in the duo Dean & Britta with Britta Phillips. Since 1991 Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang have worked as duo Damon & Naomi and have released several excellent albums, including Damon & Naomi With Ghost (2000) and A Sky Record (2021). All three of Galaxie 500's studio albums are excellent, as are the live albums Copenhagen (1997) and CBGB 12.13.88 (2025), plus the Peel Sessions archival release from 2005. The band's sound employed simple instrumental techniques that were enhanced through an atmospheric production style. The sound has been described as "reverb-saturated, woozily slow-paced and minimal." In his book Gimme Indie Rock, music journalist Andrew Earles described the band's sound as "a usually slow to mid-tempo amalgam of the Velvet Underground, the Feelies, the U.K.'s proto-shoegaze/drone rock icons Spacemen 3, The Dream Syndicate, and Television gently pushed through a hazy dream-pop filter." The band member themselves cite The Velvet Underground and Jonathan Richman as key influences. Galaxie 500's music had an influence on many later indie music groups, including Low. Their music has been covered and referenced by several well-known artists. In Liz Phair's song "Stratford-on-Guy", she sings, "And I was pretending that I was in a Galaxie 500 video." In Xiu Xiu's song "Dr. Troll", Jamie Stewart sings, "Listen to On Fire and pretend someone could love you." On Neutral Milk Hotel's debut album, On Avery Island, the song "Naomi" was written about Naomi Yang.
Artist Website: damonandnaomi.com galaxie500.bandcamp.com
Featured Albums: Galaxie 500
Related Artists: Luna (US), Magic Hour, Damon & Naomi
