Electro-pop (e-p) is an interesting creature. The seminal e-p record was 2003’s Give Up from The Postal Service. It was a somber reflection on life matched with 8-bit bleeps-and-bloops, synthesizers, and danceable beats. Owl City moved the genre on to more accessible grounds with 2009’s Ocean Eyes using ultra-sugary lyrics about lightning bugs and dentistry. It is on from this backdrop that I will introduce Galaxies- an electro-pop project headed up by Colorado musician and Act So Big Forest cohort Dillon Groeneman.
With regards to the aforementioned spectrum between sobering and sugary, Galaxies falls somewhere in the middle- which I would say is a good thing. The trouble with overly-morose electro-pop is that the lyrics undermine the fun instrumentation and my issue with overly-sweet lyrics is that they’re cheesy. Galaxies manages to find balance between serious and fun with song like “Lost at Sea” and “At The Zoo With You” (along with other songs about zoos and animals). My favorite song is certainly “Kite Song,” which features beautiful airy female vocals.
Instrumentation is where Like A Lion really shines. In addition to synthesizers and samples, Galaxies uses live drums, ukulele, and guitar. The album’s BandCamp page claims it has been “years in the making,” a statement which shows a dedication to polished and cohesive sound. At the end of the day I would say that Like A Lion really shows Galaxies’ potential and ability, so give it a listen- you can stream this entire record online at www.minesblog.com/music.
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