For Young Galaxy, the year 2007 started with a lot of buzz.
The talk was about what this dreamy duo of Stephen Ramsay and Catherine McCandless would bring to the Arts & Crafts label, where labelmates Broken Social Scene, Feist and Stars were already flourishing.
The answer was a fresh yet familiar self-titled album, complete with thoughtful lyrics and pleasing harmonies. And as the year rolled on, the songwriting and romantic team of Ramsay and McCandless continued to draw admirers both in Canada and abroad.
They have just returned from an eventful European tour — which Ramsay describes as “amazing” despite an odd, Dutch holiday encounter.
“We were met at the airport by our tour manager JC Dyborn, who is literally a giant. He makes me look like a 10-year-old with a beard,” Ramsay jokes.
“Then we walk out the door and see all these Dutch people in black face, dressed as Dutch Christmas character Black Peter. It was surreal.”
Back home in Montreal, the band is preparing to do a few one-off shows in Ontario and parts of the U.S. But they’re also getting back in the studio, using the experience of a year full of “peaks and valleys” to be prolific and poetic.
“We want to get in the habit of being creative, so we are going to churn the hits out daily,” Ramsay says. “Like Elton John and Bernie Taupin did in the ’70s.”
The creations likely won’t come out sounding like Your Song or Tiny Dancer, but Ramsay says he does hope to create something a bit different than fans heard on the first release. Call it a fitter sound for a New Year.
“We are trying to create more space in the music, make it more muscular and less soft. The new songs spend a lot of time on the treadmill, shedding the fat.”
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Young Galaxy plays at Zaphod Beeblebrox tonight, with supporting act Hollerado. Doors open at 8 p.m. and tickets are $10 in advance at www.ticketweb.ca or by phone at 1-888-222-6608.
kim mannix vermette
kim.mannixvermette@metronews.ca
After covering hard news for a few years, Kim discovered her real passion – writing about the wonderful world of music, theatre, visual arts and literature.
