The Galileo 7 - Staring At The Sound Review

 

State Records CD / Vinyl

Allan Crockford is a name that may not be immediately familiar to you, but the bands he's played with ; the Prisoners, The Solarflares, The James Taylor Quartet, Thee Headcoats - will presumably ring a few bells.

A veteran of the Medway scene, he's served an admirable apprenticeship playing in these bands ( and plenty of others ), but the Galileo 7 proves that he's much more than a first call sideman.

As an outlet for Crockford's songs the Galileo 7 is atypical of what we've come to expect from the Medway sound - there's certainly a dash of punkish energy that makes it's presence felt every now and then, especially on "The Man Who Wasn't There", but more often than not it's shot through a vintage psychedelic prism with the likes of "Staring at the Sound" and "Anne Hedonia" being prime Brit-Psych nuggets with instantly memorable melodies which fans of mod-psych outfits like the Action and the Syn will obsessively salivate over. 

It's the sort of album I could easily imagine appearing on the Deram label circa 1967, if more of the Deram singles bands had been given the opportunity to lay down a full length, although the benefit of hindsight has allowed the Galileo 7 to pick and choose the best parts of this aesthetic, and leave the toytown and vaudeville elements so prevalent in albums of the era on the cutting room floor, resulting in a much more lean, concise and consistent album than his (presumed) influences generally managed.

Extra points for the apt cover as well, which looks exactly the way that "Staring at the Sound" sounds.

You can buy "Staring at the Sound" directly from the band's website here.

Check out "Anne Hedonia" here: