After his time as the Velvet Underground’s guitarist and bassist, Sterling Morrison left New York for Houston of all places, and became a tugboat captain. Galaxie 500 singer Dean Wareham seems to like that idea, too. Simplicity is a staple of Galaxie 500s music, but it never becomes boring. Reverb-soaked vocals and dreamy, distant chords are cut by gorgeously melodic riffs that make you nostalgic for something that you can’t quite place. “Tugboat” is a hazy, blissful, sincere song. It makes me think of aspen trees in the fall, and I don’t know why the fuck that is. And maybe thats why this whole album is so amazing. Galaxie 500 evoke vivid imagery without saying much at all. And given the sound of indie rock in the late 80s, Galaxie 500’s Today is far ahead of its time. The band carved out a comfy little niche in the overdriven walls of sound erected by Sonic Youth, J Mascis and others, and in many ways redefined what guitar music could be.
