I really like this album: all the tracks are good, the singles are brilliant and the guy's singing is fantastic.
Alcholic (their most famous song) is one of the best songs of last year: haunting is the only word I can think of. The other singles you'll know, and there'll be no surprises - there's nothing massively different from what you'd expect if you've heard the singles.
The best way to describe the music if you've never heard Starsailor is melancholy. The songs are all very "proper", though, not really like Radiohead (a similarly introspective group): there's no tracks with minutes of samples and noise. Also, there's a more relaxed feel about it than, say, Coldplay.
To be honest I don't know much about the band or their background, but it is obvious that the singer (James Walsh) is the dominant force. His voice is very powerful: he's very in control of his singing and yet able to sound tormented when he wants to. It suits the mellow, slightly downbeat tone of the music perfectly. 'Tie Up My Hands', 'Way to Fall', 'Love is Here' and 'Coming Down' show this off well.
It's not all doom and gloom. 'Lullaby' and 'Good Souls' are both steady, well put together, and gently uplifting. 'Fever' has a laid-back, organ-led feel that I always associate with driving (I'll be taking this album to California with me in March).
Why is there a catch? I just worry that because I've listened to it about 20 times and 'Alcoholic', 'Lullaby' and 'Good Souls' are still my favoutite songs, will I still be listening in a few weeks? I'll report back here.
Overall, a very good album. You won't be rocked out by it, but at the same time it's intelligent and musically stylish.
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Well done on the extra info. It was borderline H/VH so I went with the VH, it was certainly much improved on the first version you wrote. Karen :O)
danieletheridge 29.01.2002 07:24
>I'm with Wigglypuff. Cheers... [dan]
brianlfc 29.01.2002 03:12
Welcome to Ciao, not a too bad opinion, but as has been mentioned, you should really include a bit more on the tracks on the album, let me know if you add anything and I'll re-rate...Brian
AlthoughLove Is Here, Starsailor's anxious, soulful folk and urban blues nuanced inaugural ... more
album will be less of a culture shock to any scene-follower who experienced, say, Tom McRae's debut from 2000, it will certainly jolt the core beliefs and common...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Although Love Is Here, Starsailor's anxious, soulful folk and urban blues nuanced ... more
inaugural album will be less of a culture shock to any scene-follower who experienced, say, Tom McRae's debut from 2000, it will certainly jolt the core beliefs and commo...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 1 to 3 weeks...
Jan 28th, 2002
(Jan 29th, 2002)
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