The Galileo 7

Some albums have a sound that is fixed in time and become very dated because of it but some are absolutely timeless and thankfully this is one of the latter. It really could have been recorded in 1966, 1978 or 1996 and could have been made in Carnaby Street or Detroit or a suburban bedroom in Swindon what a great way to start a new decade in the 21st century!

Galileo 7 are the creation of Allan Crockford and it has all the trademarks of the Medway Delta – short punky/garage songs with full-on enthusiasm and wide-eyed brio but it is cut through with a psychedelic tone that definitely takes it away from the norm. XTC did something with their Dukes of Statosfear incarnation that had a slightly similar feel but the songs here are tighter and more poppy than that.

Viv Bonsel’s reedy organ sound and Crockford’s guitar give the band their sound but it is Crockford’s songs that really make this a bit special – ‘Orangeery Lane’ has a Small Faces feel circa ‘Ogden’s’ while ‘The Sandman Turns Away’ has a great poppy chorus and choppy rhythms. The title track is all cockney aggression a power-pop chords but my favourite track is ‘Some Big Boys Did It (and then ran away)’ with its’ big bass line and thumping drums kicking the song along like a train.

14 tracks and 14 kickass singles – if these don’t start your year off with a smile then you need some therapy.

To quote the band themselves “ reversing into the future without a rear view mirror. Or brakes. And a dodgy clutch.”