Young Galaxy doing it their way

Young Galaxy was signed to Canada's biggest indie label, toured with dozens of high-profile acts and even secured funding for their sophomore release before deciding to give everything away and do things on their own terms.

“Who's going to care more about you or work harder on your behalf than you, yourself?” said Stephen Ramsay, one half of the husband-and-wife fronted indie-rock group. Now based out of Montreal, I spoke to Ramsay on the phone as he and the rest of the band took a tour break at his parents' place in Nanaimo, British Columbia. They'll be making their way eastward to London on November 3, and he had the afternoon free to talk about all things music - especially business.

“You have more bands than ever before and fewer careers than ever before. And I would say 90 per cent of bands do not make their best music on their first or second record.”

He was referring to the lack of investment in new artists these days. With CD sales dwindling and budgets tighter than ever before, record labels expect hits, even from debuts.

That didn't happen when Arts & Crafts released Young Galaxy's self-titled record, a collection of subdued dreamy pop songs recorded well before the band's first live concert. When it came to the follow-up, the label provided a less-than-enthusiastic recording budget, prompting their split.

And Young Galaxy isn't the only band facing such issues.

“[Years ago], there was a give and take inherent to the relationship [between label and artist] by virtue of developing their abilities over the course of four or five records. Nowadays, even if you get more than a one or two album deal, they're structured in a way where there's no reward for you. They're maybe putting up the money to record with, but it's not going to put you on the road, where you need to be in order to be successful. It's the unfortunate byproduct of the dwindling sales of the industry. But it's not to be blamed on the fans themselves. This is the inevitable place.”

Though Ramsay's tone might indicate otherwise, he is actually far from bitterness, and his relationship with Arts & Crafts has been one filled mostly with positivity. Before Young Galaxy was formed, he was even a touring guitarist for A&C darlings, Stars.

Still, the ups and downs of Young Galaxy's history has been well documented, particularly in their new, self-funded effort, Invisible Republic. It's a huge step forward for Young Galaxy, and the veil of effects and dream-like synths has been lifted, leaving a slew of experimentation in writing, rhythm and performance.

As Ramsay put it, “People listen to music one, two, three songs at a time. They don't necessarily buy an album anymore, and we wanted each song to stand on their own right, and maybe if you listen to one song off the record you might not even necessarily think it was the same band, let alone from the same album.”

From Pathos, which features a waltzy piano in three quarters to Long Live the Fallen World, the album's opener (and perhaps most aggressive song, with big guitars and a heavy Kraut-rock outro), Invisible Republic is an album with something for everyone.

It's out in Canada now through Fontana North distribution, but Young Galaxy are keen to remain DIY for the time being, no matter the difficulty.

“Something we've come to realize about ourselves is that we don't generally, as human beings or as a band, take the easy route, and that's maybe just a reflection of the kind of people we are more than anything,” Ramsay said. “It's hard. Life is not easy, but that doesn't make it bad. Life can be hard and also very beautiful and I think that's the nature of it.”

And while line-up changes and administrative problems are temporary, health issues, like the ones singer Catherine McCandless faces, have given the band a new appreciation for life itself.

“Catherine has Multiple Sclerosis and one of the things we learned about it is that you can't really come to appreciate or really value the things you take for granted until you're directly threatened. I think it's true of anything in life.”

And though the band's careers are anything but secure, they remain grateful for the chance to make and share music. “There's difficulty in business and in trying to make it as a musician and then there's real hardship. There's starvation and disease, you know what I mean?”

Check Young Galaxy out live at Call the Office November 3, or in a record store near you.