There may be some among your friends who want to dismiss Vancouver electronic combo Young Galaxy as nothing but a throwback to ’80s-era synth-pop froth. And the band does favor spacey arrangements that sound slight and derivative during the fi rst go-round. But listen to Catherine McCandless’ fine-sandpaper vocals and the lyrical playfulness on standout cut “Ready To Shine” (“Shaking my bell, you can bring me up/Breaking my shell, you can bring me up”)— that’s where it’s at on Falsework, the band’s fi fth album, the second half of which pushes its music into fuller, lusher terrain.
Falsework might have benefited from a more braided sequencing, in fact; the first four songs are aggressively minimalist, and don’t at all hint at the coming expansion of textures and tempos in the remaining six. Lopsided as you could argue it is, though, Falsework is an accomplished piece of work, a synth album with an actual heart driving its programmed beats.
—Eric Waggoner
