Post by thesoundmonitor on May 1, 2004 7:36:08 GMT -5
GALACTIC COWBOYS
Galactic Cowboys
(DGC)
Born from the demise of The Awful Truth Galactic Cowboys’ 1991 self-titled debut merged two disparate genres into one cohesive unit creating a sub-genre many have dared to emulate. Based in Houston, Texas the quartet drew inspiration from their ranch as much as they did from three-part harmonies of local heroes and cohorts King’s X and their passion for militaristic metal riffs a la Metallica’s Master of Puppets. Put all this together with a child-like interest in science fiction fun and you have a debut that while not a worldwide hit, garnered critical and musician acclaim and opened the minds of many a stale metaller.
Produced by Sam Taylor – known for his work with the aforementioned King’s X – the album chops and changes from Dane Sonnier’s monstrous southern blues riffs, to thrash metal passages, to ultra-heavy industrial-styled rhythms courtesy of bassist Monty Colvin and drummer Alan Doss all held together by the conviction in Ben Huggin’s smooth vocal lines and backed by those Beatlesesque harmonies. Indeed, it was (and still is) extremely refreshing to see ‘vocals’ listed after each band members’ name, and to hear it done so tastefully is even nigh endangered.
The big choruses coupled with gigantic riffs found within opener ‘We’re Not Amused’ is indicative of the following nine tracks, all bearing their own GC trademark, while track 2 ‘My School’ introduces pensive loneliness - a theme revisited throughout the disc. In addition to this introspective search for a place in the world, the band also deals lyrically with socio-political issues such as environmental destruction (‘Kaptain Krude’)and the process of animal slaughter (‘Kill Floor’). But the Cowboy’s charm really lay in their comical demeanour by placing a tongue firmly in cheek and having a laugh. This is evident not only in cute tales of living in outer space (‘Ranch on Mars Reprise’ – which the original version is oddly enough found on their follow-up album, Space In Your Face) and the general tribulations of space travel (‘Pump Up The Space Suit’), but also in the more serious tracks. ‘Kaptain Krude’ for example deals with environmental issues by creating the character of a drunken captain of an oil tanker, who asleep at the helm crashes, leaking crude oil into the ocean and destroying marine life. At the tail-end of the tune a Muppet – like voice nonchalantly announces “There goes the Greenpeace”.
Musically the tracks range from the short, funnier tracks, to the epic introspective tunes, constantly shifting from intensively heavy grooves to acoustic, ballad arrangements. For example where is a ‘Kaptain Krude’ opens with a heaving, slow grind riff reminiscent of early Entombed, ‘Speak To Me’ is welcomed into the world by an acoustic rock ballad arrangement.
The quirky sleeve layout adds to the overall genius of the album, utilising mock faxes and letters as the format for lyrics, with in-jokes and obscure references to their circle of friends.
And while the band worked hard to recreate the magic found here, they unfortunately were never able to recapture the spirit of their debut. Following Space In Your Face the band was dropped from Geffen after failing to achieve commercial success, but were soon picked up by Metal Blade who released three more GC albums, before they split in ’99, leaving a legacy of harmonies, gargantuan riffs and good cowpoke fun.
By Warren Wheeler
Artist site: www.galacticcowboys.com/
Galactic Cowboys
(DGC)
Born from the demise of The Awful Truth Galactic Cowboys’ 1991 self-titled debut merged two disparate genres into one cohesive unit creating a sub-genre many have dared to emulate. Based in Houston, Texas the quartet drew inspiration from their ranch as much as they did from three-part harmonies of local heroes and cohorts King’s X and their passion for militaristic metal riffs a la Metallica’s Master of Puppets. Put all this together with a child-like interest in science fiction fun and you have a debut that while not a worldwide hit, garnered critical and musician acclaim and opened the minds of many a stale metaller.
Produced by Sam Taylor – known for his work with the aforementioned King’s X – the album chops and changes from Dane Sonnier’s monstrous southern blues riffs, to thrash metal passages, to ultra-heavy industrial-styled rhythms courtesy of bassist Monty Colvin and drummer Alan Doss all held together by the conviction in Ben Huggin’s smooth vocal lines and backed by those Beatlesesque harmonies. Indeed, it was (and still is) extremely refreshing to see ‘vocals’ listed after each band members’ name, and to hear it done so tastefully is even nigh endangered.
The big choruses coupled with gigantic riffs found within opener ‘We’re Not Amused’ is indicative of the following nine tracks, all bearing their own GC trademark, while track 2 ‘My School’ introduces pensive loneliness - a theme revisited throughout the disc. In addition to this introspective search for a place in the world, the band also deals lyrically with socio-political issues such as environmental destruction (‘Kaptain Krude’)and the process of animal slaughter (‘Kill Floor’). But the Cowboy’s charm really lay in their comical demeanour by placing a tongue firmly in cheek and having a laugh. This is evident not only in cute tales of living in outer space (‘Ranch on Mars Reprise’ – which the original version is oddly enough found on their follow-up album, Space In Your Face) and the general tribulations of space travel (‘Pump Up The Space Suit’), but also in the more serious tracks. ‘Kaptain Krude’ for example deals with environmental issues by creating the character of a drunken captain of an oil tanker, who asleep at the helm crashes, leaking crude oil into the ocean and destroying marine life. At the tail-end of the tune a Muppet – like voice nonchalantly announces “There goes the Greenpeace”.
Musically the tracks range from the short, funnier tracks, to the epic introspective tunes, constantly shifting from intensively heavy grooves to acoustic, ballad arrangements. For example where is a ‘Kaptain Krude’ opens with a heaving, slow grind riff reminiscent of early Entombed, ‘Speak To Me’ is welcomed into the world by an acoustic rock ballad arrangement.
The quirky sleeve layout adds to the overall genius of the album, utilising mock faxes and letters as the format for lyrics, with in-jokes and obscure references to their circle of friends.
And while the band worked hard to recreate the magic found here, they unfortunately were never able to recapture the spirit of their debut. Following Space In Your Face the band was dropped from Geffen after failing to achieve commercial success, but were soon picked up by Metal Blade who released three more GC albums, before they split in ’99, leaving a legacy of harmonies, gargantuan riffs and good cowpoke fun.
By Warren Wheeler
Artist site: www.galacticcowboys.com/