Starflyer 59

Item: Old
Author: Tyler Baber

Old

(2003)

Reviewed by Tyler Baber

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL Amazon Music Spotify YouTube Music

Label Tooth & Nail RecordsDecapolisJune 2003

alternative rock indie pop indie rock shoegaze

Starflyer 59 is a middle child rock band. For ten years Jason Martin and posse have been diligently cranking out album after album for a relatively small (if not elite) group of fans, making them quite overlooked. The band has a history of classic middle child syndrome, with people projecting on the band the identities of older musical siblings like shoegaze ancestors or the classic Christian alternative Martin grew up on such as Daniel Amos. Critics and listeners have often mistakenly assumed that Starflyer was just trying to get attention by having similarities to their older counterparts and have dismissed the band as nothing exciting. Perhaps more often Starflyer gets lost in the shuffle of new bands, fighting for attention from listeners and the people who promote for the record label, who are more often than not the musical equivalent of young children: hyperactive, attention seeking and anxious to please ears that are looking for a cheap thrill. Yes, like any middle child Starflyer 59 has had no choice but to try to step out of the shadow of older siblings while establishing an identity separate from the trend-riding younger ones. A daunting task, no doubt.

So ten years pass and, with their previous album Leave Here a Stranger, it seemed Starflyer 59 had finally found its musical niche making formulaically quirky indie pop rock based on minimalist lyrics, simple song patterns and reverb driven guitars. It was perfect middle child music; it was special and enjoyable and only for the type of people who appreciate middle children. It never aimed at becoming everyone's favorite band or putting out radio singles or fun summer anthems or selling non-musical merchandise. It was simply well crafted pop music different from what the rest of the world considered pop.

Finally I'm getting to the actual record review. With the release of Starflyer 59's most recent album, OLD, the band is already rebelling against what seemed to be their perfect spot in the musical world. Gone are the shy, nervous vocals and blaring reverb driven guitars of the Silver days. Gone are the albums full of mellow songs constantly accused of sounding the same by untrained ears, such as Everybody Makes Mistakes. "Underneath," the very first track of OLD, is a great example of the changes that have taken place. With vocals louder than most of the instruments and portions of the song driven by percussion and keyboards as opposed to guitar, it is beautifully obvious that Starflyer 59 is not content with being just a middle child.

Of course the past hasn't been abandoned, there are still classic Starflyer riffs in songs like "Unbelievers" that throw back to the days of Americana and contemplative songs of insecurity, such as "Old," that could have easily been pulled off the Fell in Love at 22 EP. However these songs too bear the marks of a newer, more exciting Starflyer 59. These marks have names, and the names are Richard Swift and Frank Lenz, the newest additions to the band taking the seats of keyboardist and percussionist, respectively.

Swift's keys perfectly accentuate Martin's guitar unlike any musician in the band's past has been able to do. They do more than harmonize, they all but take over. Lenz's drumming adds cadences and rattles where they are least expected.

It seems that years of trying to find a lineup that completes a "Starflyer 59 sound" may have finally paid off. OLD is a tour de force in the Starflyer discography and will have fans hoping that the band is all the closer to breaking completely free of middle child syndrome.

A-