Starflyer 59's first two albums, Silver and Gold, were innovative for their time. They were both, while hard to classify, indie rock masterpieces. Some songs came blasting through at you with loud, thick guitars, while others took a quieter, more dreamy approach. Each song, however, was carried by frontman Jason Martin's unique, breathy vocals. These albums defined the genre of "shoegaze," and continue to be hailed as masterpieces of guitar rock.
Starflyer's third album, Americana, continued in the vein of noisy guitar rock and monochromatic album covers (the album was their first to be titled), but unlike the "shoegazy" albums of before, this time around, the band went for a more straightforward rock sound.
The first two songs, "The Voyager" and "The Hearttaker", are straightforward rock, complete with pulsating guitars and Martin's trademark vocals. "Harmony" takes a turn, however, and sounds like it was taken straight from a surfpop album, with a more breezy and beautiful sound. The album's two slow songs, "You Think You're Radical" and "Help Me When You're Gone," are almost downright depressing, but are beautiful to listen to. The album ends with the upbeat rocker "Everyone But Me", which includes a fun surprise outro that completes the album nicely.
All in all, Americana may take repeated listens to settle in, but after a while, I found myself spinning this album on repeat on many drives. A great album to add to the collection of any Starflyer 59 fan, but also a great alt-rock album in general.
- Review date: 1/28/17, written by Daniel Lockerbie for Jesusfreakhideout.com
Mandisa Passes Away at Age 47 Fri, 19 Apr 2024 17:30:00 EST |
Eddy Puyol Keeps Music on Mission with "Nothing Changed But My Stage Name" Fri, 19 Apr 2024 16:50:00 EST |
Bishop Greg Davis Drops "It's All Working" EP Fri, 19 Apr 2024 16:40:00 EST |
Apollo LTD Releases First Album In Three Years, "Hello Human" Fri, 19 Apr 2024 16:20:00 EST |
Consumed By Fire Release "First Things First" Commentary Album Fri, 19 Apr 2024 16:00:00 EST |
The Lore Family Release "God Said You're Gonna Make It" Single Fri, 19 Apr 2024 15:50:00 EST |
Darin and Brooke Aldridge Release "Talk of the Town" Fri, 19 Apr 2024 15:40:00 EST |
DAD TIRED FOUNDER JERRAD LOPES EXPANDS POPULAR MINISTRY WITH DEBUT CHILDREN’S TITLE Wed, 10 Apr 2024 17:07:46 +0000 |
“Anything Goes” by Andrew Kerhoulas of Brother K Thu, 04 Apr 2024 02:54:00 +0000 |
Demi-Leigh Tebow to release debut book this August Mon, 18 Mar 2024 21:20:38 +0000 |