Galaxies

From the beginning of "Across the Ocean," the opening track of Galaxies' Letters From Sea, it sounds as though Dillon Groeneman recorded the album while on a ship. And it's not just the sound samples that make it feel that way, but also the sense of peace and isolation that...

By Tom Murphy

May 22, 2012

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From the beginning of "Across the Ocean," the opening track of Galaxies' Letters From Sea, it sounds as though Dillon Groeneman recorded the album while on a ship. And it's not just the sound samples that make it feel that way, but also the sense of peace and isolation that you get, similar to when you're floating at sea with no land in sight. The sparkling bell tones and organic textures of "Sailing (Free)" give way to an electro-pop dance beat worthy of Anthony Gonzalez, while "Good (Night)" and "Don't Be Far" find Groeneman striking wistful melodies reminiscent of All Is Dream-era Mercury Rev, with glitchy percussive treatments sprinkled around the songs' edges. A simultaneous sense of needing to escape life's demands and a yearning to return to something tangible are nearly unspoken forces that underlie the songwriting. Groeneman's delicate, fastidious arrangements balance and reconcile these impulses with consistently charming results.

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Tom Murphy is a writer, visual artist and musician from Aurora, Colorado. He was a prolific music writer for Westword and a documenter of the Denver music scene.

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