''Galactic Conquest'' is the second full-length album by the Christian
pop punk
Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...
band
Eleventyseven
Eleventyseven (stylized eleventyseven) is an American pop punk band from Greenville, South Carolina which was formed in 2002. They chose the name "Eleventyseven" because "it's the one that looked cool the next morning". The band was originally sig ...
. The album was released on September 4, 2007, through
Flicker Records
Flicker Records is a Christian music record label based in Franklin, Tennessee. It was founded by members of Christian rock group Audio Adrenaline. The label mainly focuses on rock/pop rock artists, though it also created a subsidiary, Big Ho ...
.
In December, 2017, ten years after release, a limited edition vinyl pressing and release of ''Galactic Conquest'' occurred.
Critical reception
The album received a wide variety of reviews ranging from positive to very negative.
New Release Tuesday praised the album, stating, "Overall, a must-have for anybody looking for original Christian music. The style is great, and Eleventyseven have really found their niche." I mean, nobody else does it, and they do it perfectly. I would love to see the style throughout their next album, but this is one of my favorites for the year."
Kevan Breitinger of CCMCentral optimistically stated "The punk pop genre has been known, let’s face it, to lend itself to sophomoric behavior, repetitive beats, and a notable lack of imagination. But Eleventyseven’s sophomore release, ''Galactic Conquest'', is decidedly un-sophomoric....Eleventyseven wrings as much out of it as anyone else in the mix, often a bit more. ''Galactic Conquest'' goes a long way in bringing soul to the genre."
On the flipside, Scott Fryberger of Jesus Freak Hideout said, "It's kind of sad nowadays that artists will put out music without much effort, knowing that there are kids out there who will buy it. I guess Eleventyseven is an amazing alternative to the filth and garbage that kids are listening to in the mainstream, like
Soulja Boy
DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1990), known professionally as Soulja Boy (formerly Soulja Boy Tell 'Em), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to prominence with his self-released 2007 debut single, "Crank That ...
or
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian Rock music, rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta, Hanna, Alberta. Throughout its history, it has consisted of lead guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, rhythm guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan ...
, so I must give them props for that. And if it's what kids like, then Eleventyseven is doing a good job of keeping them entertained. But for those of us wanting some pop/punk with depth and maturity, steer clear of this, and go with
FM Static
FM Static was a Canadian Christian rock duo based in Toronto, Ontario. The band was formed in 2003 as a side project for Thousand Foot Krutch. The band consisted of Trevor McNevan and Steve Augustine. The original lineup included John Bunner o ...
or
Run Kid Run. You'll most likely be more satisfied with them."
Finally, Andy Argyrakis of Today's Christian Music negatively stated, "The group's sugar-coated sounds and watered-down lyrics lack the full-fledged punch needed to fully land on any level....And while the project has a few more glimpses of saccharine satisfaction (thanks in part to producer
Ian Eskelin
Ian Eskelin (born October 17, 1969), is a record producer, songwriter, solo artist, and founding member and lead singer of the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band All Star United, and president of recording and publishing company Radiate Music ...
of
All Star United
''All Star United'' is a Christian rock band that was formed by solo artist Ian Eskelin in 1996. The band is known for clever and sometimes sarcastic lyrics, as they frequently use their songs as vehicles to lampoon perceived excesses in Wester ...
fame), Eleventyseven still has plenty of room to develop before a Galactic Conquest is even remotely possible."
Singles
The song "Love In Your Arms" was released as the band's first single for this record, making it as high as the No. 6 spot in
ChristianRock.Net's weekly Top 30. The second song "It's Beautiful" also hit the Top 15, charting at No. 13 on the October 6, 2007
R&R chart.
Track listing
Personnel
Eleventyseven
*Matt Langston - lead vocals, guitar, co-producer on track 11
*Caleb Satterfield - bass
*Johnathan Stephens - drums
Additional production
*
Ian Eskelin
Ian Eskelin (born October 17, 1969), is a record producer, songwriter, solo artist, and founding member and lead singer of the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band All Star United, and president of recording and publishing company Radiate Music ...
- producer
*
Travis Wyrick
Travis Wyrick is an American music producer and owner of Lakeside Studios in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is particularly known for his work with bands such as P.O.D., Pillar, 10 Years, Nine Lashes, and Disciple, and artists such as TobyMac and ...
- producer (on Japanese edition bonus track 13 & 14 only)
*Will McGinniss - executive producer
*
Mark Stuart - executive producer
*Mike Payne - additional guitar on track 3, acoustic guitar on track 6
*Tim Lauer - keyboards and
string arrangement
The string section of an orchestra is composed of bowed instruments belonging to the violin family. It normally consists of first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. It is the most numerous group in the standard orchestra. In ...
on track 6
*Aaron Shannon - recording,
additional programming,
mixing on track 11
*Ben Phillips - drums recording
*Barry Weeks - vocal engineering, additional vocal production
*JR McNeely -
mixing
*Steve Blackmon -
mixing assistant
*Dan Shike -
mastering
*Heather Hetzler - A&R production
*Josh Heiner -
art direction
Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games.
It is the charge of a sole art director to super ...
,
styling
*Tim Parker -
design
A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...
,
art direction
Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games.
It is the charge of a sole art director to super ...
*Dave Hill - photography
* Love Sponge Strings
** Kris Wilkinson
** David Davidson
** David Angell
* Anthony Lamarchina Galactic Choir
(on track 4)
** Matt Payne
** Mike Payne
** Matty McRee
** Marty Wheeler
** Troy Vest
** Zach Morris
Chart performance
Music videos
*
(opening intro to the video contains the song "Happiness" in the background)
Notes
*The song "Conan" is a tribute to late-night talk show host,
Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, actor, and producer. He is best known for having hosted Late-night talk show, late-night talk shows, beginning with ''Late Night with Conan O'B ...
.
Within the first line of the song,
Max Weinberg
Max Weinberg (born April 13, 1951) is an American drummer and television personality, most widely known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and as the bandleader for Conan O'Brien on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' an ...
is also mentioned.
*"Program Terminated" (the final track on the basic album track listing) has a hidden track, after a short silence, entitled "The Starship Unicorn". The song was released later as a separate track on the
iTunes
iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
version of the album.
*The Japanese edition of the album also comes with the music videos to the band's songs "Myspace" and "Love In Your Arms".
*In the music video for "Love in Your Arms", the band
Flatfoot 56 cameo as the bullies that beat up the band at the beginning and end of the video.
References
{{Authority control
2007 albums
Eleventyseven albums
Flicker Records albums