When Galaxie 500's Today was released in 1988, it set off a chain reaction of quiet explosions still being felt. Never before had a record so emphasized the calming elements of rock music, transforming what at first seems like a collection of bridges into fully realized songs. and one can draw a straight line from here to the many groups they influenced, like Low, Belle and Sebastian, and Bon Iver. Today is full of idiosyncrasies. The trio of Damon Krukowski, Dean Wareham, and Naomi Yang were recent harvard grads who intuitively eliminated any histrionic tradition to rock songs, leaving core emotion (not for nothing did they include a cover of Don't Let Our Youth go to Waste, by the kings of feeling, the Modern Lovers). It was produced by Mark Kramer, who was best known for his work with cataclysmic slop rock pioneers such as Bongwater, Ween, and King Missle. The bands hometown of Boston was just coming out of its love affair with Mission of Burma and pouncing upon the spasmodic electricity of the pixies. despite, or perhaps because of, all these elements, Today thrived. More than 30 years after its initial release, its title is still no misnomer. the music, recorded with what many thought at the time was too much reverb, sounds present, alive, and indeed a product of today. Songs like Flowers, Temperatures Rising, and of course Tugboat (the bands debut single) stand the test of time and exist in an eternal now
