GALORE PRESS/ reviews

Here you’ll find a sampling of the swell adjectives that have been thrown our way over the past while…words like ‘boogie,’ ‘crunchy party rock’ and ‘foot-stompin’, hand clappin’ appear with some regularity…just as we like it! Thanks to the scribes for the kind words, and if you’ve stumbled upon a review of Galore (good or bad – but preferably good!) send it along to contact@galoremusic.com…

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Ah, the good ol' days. Albums came in two sides, with five songs on each, and the whole thing could fit on one side of a Maxell C-90. People spoke of bands in antiquated rock 'n' rollisms like "hit parader." And most importantly, the greatness of glam rock was measured not in platform-boot lengths or layers of foundation, but in the size of the impression the riffs left on your arse. The fact that Galore prefer T-shirts and jeans to lipstick and silver lamé only reinforces the righteousness of their Spiders-from-Mars raunch and "Bang a Gong" boogie. The weighty, moody aspects of Galore's 2000 debut, Pilot Light, have been dropped for all-out teenage kicks and kisses, and the foursome play it so loose that even the power ballads are delivered with a soulful ease. And somehow, somewhere deep inside frontman Barry Walsh's throat, Paul Stanley, Elvis Costello and Jeff Buckley have found a way to cohabit peacefully. (****)
 -Stuart Berman, Eye Weekly, Toronto ON, Sept. 26/ 02

Parader starts off well, with the driving “Little Hit Parader,” and a whole bunch of other songs share a similar frenetic pace…there’s no denying that Walsh has done what he intended to do because there are songs on Parader that have authenticity on their side — they sound as if they were recorded back in the ’70s — and the majority of them are finely-written pop songs.
 - Michael Edwards, Exclaim!, Dec. 2002

East Coast rock obsessives among you may recognize Barry Walsh as the former frontman of Halifax’s late 90s almost–made–its Cool Blue Halo, a gent whose knack for penning formidable melodies produced two of that city’s most memorable slices of Big Star power–pop (“Sweetie Said” and the immortal “Too Much Kathleen”). Walsh has since relocated to Toronto, grown a sizeable afro, adopted the moniker Galore and, with the help of some veteran Toronto scenesters, has been busy fermenting some excellent Raspberries Glam. Foot–stompin’, hand–clappin’ rockers like album opener “Little Hit Parader” and the catchy T–Rex strut of “Pretty One” confirm that Walsh is indeed one of this country’s most underrated songwriters, able to invent engaging melodies with seemingly effortless ease…Highly recommended.
 - Neil McDonald, Echo Weekly, Hamilton, ON

Wow!! Their EP was good, but this full length kicks ass, folks! Melding, welding and attaching all the right grooves (literally), pompy-glam pop rock of the early 70`s and heavenly swagger, Galore is a pop album for rock fans. Fans of The Shazam and The Churchills, check this out. On the less recent side of the fence, fans of T. Rex, Mott The Hoople and "Ziggy" Bowie listen more loudly! Kind of like Big Star playing early 70`s Rolling Stones. Galore is a giddy, snappy gala of glorious rock `n roll. Old Not Lamers will remember a great Canadian band, Cool Blue Halo from the mid-90`s and Galore is led by Barry Walsh who fronted that fine, fine band. Always crisp, always upbeat, always bursting with smoldering hooks and celestial vocals, this is my kind of treat…classic rock-pop bliss.
 - Bruce Brodeen, Not Lame.com

While the listener might correctly predict the exact chord changes, melody, and bridge of most of these songs, the fine craftsmanship and general pop smarts make this debut quasi-album quite enjoyable. Steeped in the sensibilities of Big Star, Sloan, and Matthew Sweet, the album seems to be split in halves, the former being short and terribly sweet while the latter lends more towards sweeping rock balladry. The highlights are the crunchy party rock of "Pocket Rocket" and the slow building of "Shine Too Hard." Lead singer Barry Walsh has honed his vocals into a smooth crisp delivery with the occasional falsetto. If there is any negative about the offering, its briefness leaves the listener wanting more.
 - Jason McNeil, All Music Guide (for ‘Pilot Light’ EP)

'Parader' is Canadian rockers Galore's debut full length release (although they have previously released an EP). Even from the packaging it's easy to see that the band are in love with retro styling, with the songs being divided into 'Side A' and 'Side B' despite being on CD. And musically they're in love with glam stars like Marc Bolan with the big shout out choruses of songs like 'Pocket Rocket' and 'Pretty One'…This is certainly a step above recent retro bands such as the hugely overrated The Strokes, The Hives, and probably any one of a hundred other bands beginning with 'The' that you care to mention.
 - Powerplay Magazine (UK)

So damned retro they stubbornly refer to sides A and B still, despite having released this on CD, Galore invoke hazy images of the swinging 70s that your average disco night at Dukes will gladly gloss over. Glitter-drenched classic Glam after Bolan and Bowie fused to the gleefully crazed pianos of 'Exile On Mainstreet' era Stones, Parader shamelessly shakes its stuff like it’s a classic already. Released just in time for summer these are the kind of sunkissed pop songs to provide the perfect soundtrack to balmy evenings and hot lazy days. Even on the more downbeat ballads, which constitute around 40% of the record, Galore produce sumptuous and catchy pop melodies to stay with you ‘til the end of summer.
 - Bubblegum Sluts fanzine, UK