Galactic - From the Corner to the Block

I first fell in love with Galactic in 8th grade on the way to summer camp. Their debut album, Coolin' Off, is awesome. I didn't know it then, but I know now that it is an homage to the original funksters, The Meters. Either way, it's a totally decent funk R&B record and I still give it a spin once in a while. I further fell in love with Galactic drummer Stanton Moore with the release of his first solo album All Kooked Out! when it was released. I was just getting into the New Orleans style of drumming and it is an amazing record. The fact that the basslines were played by tuba and renowned weirdo Skerik played his fool head off on the album certainly helped.

Having worked in a local music store (instruments, not CDs) for a couple of years now, I've seen all sorts of New Orleans musicians flow in and out. From George Porter and Mem Shannon, both of whom appear weekly, to Ani Difranco and some of the Neville Brothers (a more rare occurance), they all stop by.

More recently, I've met Stanton Moore and some of the other members of Galactic. For the most part, I will say that they are humble..for the most part. The album they released in 2003, Ruckus, was the first thing that made me scratch my head. There were loops, beats, and other generally confusing things on the record. It was the first time I was let down by a Galactic album.

The most recent one, From the Corner to the Block, is another one of these Galactic albums that involves a kind of general confusion on the theme of the record. It's premise is Galactic funk under MCs laying down their respective gifts of gab. Being such a huge fan of Tribe Called Quest and Jurassic 5, I figured I would dig the New Orleans rhythms under the eloquent stylings of many a guest rapper, but how wrong I was. First of all, the funk is lacking. The syncopations are not what they should be, the melodies are lacking, and the rapping, while perhaps strong otherwise, gets lost over the music. Why they decided to innovate instead of seeking out their roots I'll never know. This is the first time I can safely say that not even their usually killer live shows can save this one.

Rating: Skip it.