galaxie 500, “copenhagen”

When push comes to shove, Galaxie 500’s Copenhagen might be my favorite record ever. Aside teenage obsessions (say what’s up Gallagher brothers, Beatles and the entire 1994 DGC roster), it’s certainly the record I’ve listened to the most. Galaxie 500’s final release, recorded at the end of a European tour, is a live album, and the best record they ever made. It also, conveniently enough, went up on eMusic yesterday, along with the rest of the Galaxie 500 catalogue. You should download it. Immediately.

Loosed from Kramer’s hazy shimmer — which obviously suited them very well — and built on a setlist devoid of many of their hits, Copenhagen is Dean, Damon and Naomi — who, after, went on to form Luna and Damon and Naomi, respectively — at the height of their skills. Dean Wareham’s voice is loose, his guitar sharpened to an edge we never heard on the records. Damon Krukowski’s drums are almost transparent, these polite, folded sheets of cymbals that provide a mis-en-scene as much as they do a rhythmic structure. And finally Naomi Yang, the secret hero of this record, whose bass is arguably the most dominant force on Copenhagen, due to both the mix (heavy on the low) and her aggressive performance.

Every song is incredible. Every one. “Fourth of July” is the most celebrated Galaxie 500 song on here, and it’s a particularly fierce rendition of it. And then there’s “Sorry,” my favorite, a mid-tempo ballad on which Naomi in particular shines. Her bass and Dean’s creaky voice harmonize and flirt across the whole thing. Oh and “Spook.” And the cover of the Velvets’ “Here She Comes Now.” And Yoko’s “Listen the Snow Is Falling.” And Jonathan Richman’s “Don’t Let Our Youth Go to Waste.”

The record is about mood to a large extent. As a writer, it’s what I turn to when I’m feeling blocked. As a person it’s what I put on when I’m melancholy or particularly thoughtful. It’s a record that will focus you inward, anchor you. So consider this an endorsement, then. And if you don’t like it, that sucks but I don’t care. It’ll stay a favorite of mine forever. No matter what.