It seems somewhat strange to say that this, Starflyer 59's fourth release, is their second album, but so it is. After a barrage of EP's, Jason Martin has gifted us with another fine, full-length, audio recording.
Starflyer's first self-titled record, now known commonly as Silver, burst onto the Christian scene just over a year ago and shocked everyone into sitting up and paying attention. This lush yet searing, pretty yet frightening release was unlike anything ever before seen in the Christian market. This one is Martin's way of saying "Look, I can do it again."
Gold is a step forward from previous releases in virtually every department. Martin produced this one himself, and it looks good on him. To quote a friend, "this guy knows how to record his guitars." The guitar sounds are many and varied, the instruments find their proper places, and the vocal levels have been raised just enough that you can actually understand the lyrics this time. And what are those easily distinguishable lyrics saying to us? Well, don't expect any major theological treatises-they're not there. I honestly don't think there is a single song on the album which speaks directly about God; instead, there are songs about girls-many songs about girls-girls and the lack thereof.
Stylistically, Gold is a fairly smooth merge of the driving, overdriven sounds of Silver and the mellow, stripped-down surf pop that poked its head out on She's the Queen. Picture a blend of Swervedriver and some of the Pixies' quieter stuff, and you'll have a pretty good idea what's going on here. The largest single change on this album is simply that Martin plays solos. Several of them, actually. The big smears of sound have largely been replaced with sparse, mildly discordant, occasionally somewhat eerie solos. The end effect of this is an album which doesn't flow quite as well as Silver (which almost felt like one great big song), but which is filled with a lot of individual songs of better quality.
About the only thing I have to complain about is that some of the song titles seem a little juvenile. It's a small complaint.
Other coverage for this album
Opus 2000Reviewed by Jason MoreheadI first heard Starflyer 59 the summer before my freshman year in college. I read a review of Silver in CCM magazine, comparing it to My Bloody Valentine and Swervedriver. As soon as I listened to it, I knew everything the reviewer had said was true, and then some. Ever since, I have been hooked on this often talked about brainchild of Jason Martin. Martin has had an interesting evolution,…Salt #29Reviewed by GargantuanIf you're an insomniac & you don't have this disc by now, then stop reading this & go purchase now!Similar sounding releases
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1996Plugged
1997Americana
1999Fell in Love at 22
1994She's The Queen
2001Leave Here a Stranger
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