Galangas - Points of View

Galangas

​Points of View
self-released; 2020

​4.1 out of 5 - TOP ALBUM

By Matt Jensen

Ruben J Dodds (guitar/vocals), Nicholas Yates (guitar/organ/synths), Chris ‘Nikl’ Williams (guitar,synths), Jorge Bela Jimenez (bass) and Martyn Lillyman (drums/percussion) are Galangas. The band recently released their second EP Points of View. They explain, “Influenced by World Beat, Afro Caribbean and the sounds of the ’70s & ’80s, each track leans on these rhythmic sensibilities and packages them up with the Galangas’ trademark ‘disco pop’ wrapper.” I’m a big fan of the Talking Heads and I think some comparisons are also in order there.

The EP contains three songs all of which I thought were cohesive, well performed, well written and just a pleasure to listen to from beginning to end. I loved the vast array of instrumentation. There was a lot to listen to but it never felt too busy. The ’70s vibe felt strong to me but I was getting some spaghetti western vibes as well. For some reason I kept on thinking about the movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

They get going with the title track “Points of View.” I was on board right away with their percussion, slick clean sounding guitar tone and really catchy vocals. I was bobbing my head to the groove. I’m old enough to remember when this type of music or at least something similar was considered dance music and not just EDM.

The band has more success with “Daze In Daze Out” and oh man the groove they bust out here is just so smooth. There is a lot to dig into once you hear the details, from the subtle and nuanced snare rolls to the subtle horns.

They close with “Lemons & Limes” which is arguably the most infectious song. The hook felt memorable upon first listen. The song is slightly mischievous and felt closely related to spy/thriller music from the ’70s. I was thinking of the theme song from The Pink Panther.

I also need to give a shout out to the engineer. I’m an engineer myself and kudos to the very retro style aesthetics. Suffice it to say I’m going to guess they ran the instrument through a lot of analog gear.  This is a killer EP. My only complaint was that I wanted more. I’d love to hear a full length in the not too distant future. Highly Recommended.

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