Galvezton was formed in Galveston, Texas by songwriter Robert Kuhn. The Z in place of the S in the band’s name is presumably to avoid online confusion with Glen Campbell’s big hit.
Kuhn is an outdoor kinda guy - a traveller and keen surfer -but his activities took a major hit when he was critically injured in a van crash. This accident almost wiped him out physically and financially.
The album is a survivor’s mission statement with its title signalling a determination to keep going and a refusal to give up. In that sense alone it is deserving of praise.
It kicks off with an impressive sense of purpose. Driving beats of guitars and synths fuel the opening two tracks: Li and Dragons. The second is easily the record’s stand out tune thanks to its hypnotic, motorik groove.
Unfortunately, the momentum is not wholly maintained in the remaining seven tracks. It is as if Kuhn the journeyman decided to turn off the main highway down some dustier, minor roads.
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Low Way is a twisted cowboy tune that takes him “down the creek” and the vague sense of Suicide-style menace of Shake Attack isn’t enough to revive the intensity.
By the closing track, b>Walk On, it is as if motorised transport has been forsaken completely as a long walk takes him from the city to the desert in search of freedom.
There’s a vulnerability in Kuhn’s vocals which are spoken more than sung; like a jaded Lou Reed. Paradoxically, this comes over best in the more upbeat songs but there are not enough of these to make the record really sparkle as it might have done.
Galvezton’s website
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