The Galileo 7 - Are We Having Fun Yet?

Debut album Are We Having Fun Yet? cruises into the first track, 'Never Go Back' with a psychedelic riff that Jimi Hendrix would have been proud of. All seems very promising during the Medway band's opening notes on 'Never Go Back'. The song then kicks into the band's self-proclaimed style of power-pop. The organ offers a full pop sound bursting with energy, but with it the sound has changed drastically from the song's initial moments.

The Galileo 7 sound like they have been freshly picked out of 1968, with a mesh of familiar tones from that era. For those who fondly remember bands such as The Kinks and The Clash, you would be hopeful of what this album has to offer. Lead vocalist Allan Crockford has long been renowned for establishing the psychedelic garage rock pop sound in the Medway area, but The Galileo 7 will need to consider another album if they are to propel themselves into the spot light.

But what is it about Are We Having Fun Yet? that stops it being album of the year? There are some imaginative, fast paced riffs within every song. 'Feed the Meter', an instrumental, has a solid tune and variety to it, which would be perfect as a tape cassette jammed into your Camaro. But although many of the tracks have solid guitar riffs with a dusting of pop influenced organ, many of the songs come across as too bland and undefined. The problem with the album is that there is no one stand-out song. All songs come with an abundance of energy and excitement, but this can sometimes translate as the chords being rushed and congested. Just as one bar settles, the rhythm moves to a completely contrasting riff, making it difficult for any of the songs to be quickly recognised.

'Run Baby Run' is a particularly melodic song with good use of backing vocals, but it epitomises the album in the way that there isn't an ounce of originality. The whole album seems rather outdated with Allan Crockford sounding a cross between Ray Davies and Johnny Rotten's favoured brother. The one who, despite being completely fictional, decided that Johnny's punk path was a little too extreme and thought best stick to the middle of the road. There's also a pinch of Noel Gallagher's cousin in there, but he's also fictional.

There is a distinct lack of adventure in the song-writing. Each member is clearly very experienced and competent at playing their music but, unfortunately, have made their experience the foundations for their writing, with no search for a sound beyond.

So, are we having fun yet with this album? That depends. Would you eat at the same restaurant everyday for the rest of your life? Only if you like dependability and a lack of originality.