Dust Galaxy - Dust Galaxy
Record Label: ESL Music
Release Date: November 6, 2007
Dust Galaxy is the solo project of Rob Garza, also known for his time in the band Thievery Corporation. Garza's new project defies classification, as it melds aspects of post-rock, psychedelic, American roots music, folk, and a myriad of other stylings into one offering. For the 11-track debut album, Garza enlisted the aid of over ten other musicians to lay down the tracks. The result is an entertaining, if uneven experience.
The album kicks off with the mostly instrumental "Sun In Your Head," which provides a good introduction to what listeners will be hearing for the rest of the album. Odd instrumentation and inaudible whispers lead into the catchy, dance-y beat of "Limitless," which is easily my favorite track on the album, and is also the most accessible. "It's All Yours" features twangy guitars and has an overall American roots feel to it. "River of Ever Changing Forms" is another standout track, with Arabian sounding instrumentation backing Garza singing the most bizarre lyrics on the album ("I'll be the light through your rain / your Salvador / your Bodhisattva").
Track like "Mother of Illusion" and "Overhead" sound like they could have been Year Zero b-sides, while the groovy "Sons of Washington" plods along with an excellent bass line, which compliments Garza's voice magnificently. However, the album seems to taper off a bit towards the end, as the bottom half tends to drag a bit, and the tracks are not as memorable as the front half.
While this album features some of the best bass and drum work I've heard in a while, for the most part I can't help thinking that Garza's voice occasionally doesn't fit with the music. His raspy vocals don't really work on slow tracks like "Down" and "Crying to the Night." However, this is a potentially minor distraction in an otherwise groovy and creative album. The Arabic/British/American roots influences ensure that listeners will experience something different in each song.
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