Search - Galactic :: From the Corner to the Block (Dig)

Not the old Galactic

S. Beeler | Okemos, MI | 09/25/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"If you are a Galactic fan from days long gone and were hoping to find some of that same sound in this new recording, you may be disappointed. I was. I hear remnants of the old Galactic in there, but the vocals obscure what still sounds good to me. I give Galactic credit for branching out and growing. But from a old fan's perspective, if what you are looking for is something along the lines of Coolin' Off or Ruckus, you will not find it here."

Not Their Best Effort

Smitty | Alexandria, VA | 10/01/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album takes more than one spin in your player in order to enjoy. Although hip hop isn't my favorite music style, I find the lyrics on this album to be mostly an annoyance - not because it is hip hop, but because it is drowning out the musicians. If you are looking for old Galactic, avoid this album. Actually, if you are looking for old Galactic, build a time machine. Galactic does not seem to be going back to their roots, but instead planting more creative seeds."

Galactic blends funk and hip hop!

Ben FELTEN | France | 04/21/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Last week in Boston I (somewhat unreasonably, don't tell my wife) splurged on a whole load of CDs when visiting Newbury Comics. One of these records is Galactic's latest album From the Corner to the Block. Having finally found the time to listen to it (don't you find it annoying that you can't load a CD on your iPod from a computer other than your primary? Guess I remember now why I'm not a big Steve "no-DRM" Jobs fan!), I wanted to share my first impressions with you.



I've talked about Galactic here in passing already, but I haven't reviewed any of their records (my favorite of which is and remains the awesome We Love 'em Tonight: Live at Tipitina's). In a way, From the Corner to the Block is both a result of the trend the band has been following lately and it's shift in audience, and a landmark release. Most of the songs feature singers from the hip-hop/urban scene, as opposed to the blues/soul vocals of resident vocalist Theryl 'Houseman' De Clouet. Since I don't know that scene, I can't tell you if these guys are famous or upstarts or considered good or bad. What I can tell you is that the combination of Galactic's legendary laid-back groove and hip hop vocals is a winner.



From the Corner to the Block rocks harder than previous Galactic releases I've heard, Stanton Moore's drumming is as sharp as ever, Ben Ellman's harmonica is a little more present than in previous releases (or maybe there's less of his sax playing) but overall, what makes this album is that marriage of groove and hip hop. One of the things I tend to dislike about most hip hop I've heard is the insistence on being backed by beatboxes and synths. Not only because I don't like them, but because they give the music a mechanical quality which is, to me, incompatible with groove.



Hip hop artists backed by musicians (as opposed to machines) like Saul Williams, Abd al-Malik here in France, Nya with Erik Truffaz or the harmonica-laden Ironie du Son from Switzerland make for a much groovier combination in my opinion. And this is what works for me here too. Boots Riley in particular has a delivery that works really well with Galactic's groove and when I saw them live in Paris he impressed me the most.



Check this out, whichever side of the fence you're from, it's well worth your while."