CHOICE CUTS JUNE 2003
The Latest & Greatest in Indie Music & Beyond
ALBUM OF THE MONTH
Artist: STARFLYER 59
Album: Old
The Scoop: Looking through the press for Starflyer 59-they've flown mostly under the radar, but their prolific batch of consistently rewarding material has gotten some nods from sorta-bigwigs like Alternative Press and Magnet--it becomes clear that this Southern California band is tagged even more than usual. The two qualifiers that music writers love to add are "shoegazer" and "Christian." While both are technically accurate, neither does much of anything to explain the band's sound. It's true that Jason Martin's enchanting voice is probably ripe accompaniment for gazing at one's shoes, the crunchy prog-rock of "Underneath," Old's opener, makes it clear that this isn't mere pretty sleepytime music. And, yes, Martin is unabashed about his Christian beliefs, but I myself, as an atheist with perhaps oversensitive antennae for religious propaganda, detect nary a whiff of Christian music in Starflyer 59's work. Old, as its title likely implies, isn't always cheery fare. Martin, who once wrote songs with titles like "Fell in Love at 22" now writes songs with titles like "First Heart Attack." We get old, we lose our loves; some to death, some to events much less tangible. Starflyer 59 have their predecessors, yes, but they have few contemporary equals. Their discography may lack a Lifted or Turn On The Bright Lights, but song-for-song, year-by-year, Starflyer 59 is one of indie music's star pupils.Highlight Tracks: "First Heart Attack" and "Underneath"
For More Info: Visit http://www.starflyer59.net or the label site at http://www.toothandnail.com
Artist: THE ANOMOANON
Album: Asleep Many Years In The Wood
The Scoop: "Heartbreaking" is one of those critical adjectives that has been overused to the point of rendering it almost weightless. But when Ned Oldham sings "Your memories turn everything into a game," it comes perilously close to provoking a literal breaking of your heart. The beauty of that song ("Bluebird of Happiness") and of Asleep Many Years In The Wood is that Oldham understands that there is happiness in heartache, heartache in happiness, and a baffling speedball of disappointment and delight always waiting around the next corner. A simple construct, perhaps, but one that lots of life-tackling songwriters nonetheless forget. Whereas Oldham brother Will (a.k.a. Bonnie "Prince" Billy) has achieved an iconic status of sorts by chasing some very dark shadows and eschewing traditional songwriting, Ned's approach usually is more along the lines of Jay Farrar and Neil Young sans Crazy Horse. A must-have for alt-country and contemporary folk fans.
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