Starflyer 59
Leave Here a Stranger
Tooth and Nail Records
2001

Here's what Jason Martin (Starflyer 59's guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and backbone) is up against: eight years ago the mysterious blank-silver cover of Starflyer's self-titled debut appeared on the music-store shelves. The album, commonly referred to as Silver, became an instant favorite, established Martin and company as a musical force to be watched, and proved once and for all that feedback is an instrument. Starflyer used the album's droning wall-of-sound guitars, ambient background noise, and airy vocals to launch a decade-long career which produced five more full-length efforts, three EP's, two vinyls, one live disc, a boxed set, and a cult following that rivals the likes of Phish. In sum: Martin faces the burden of living up to his own musical career.

Fortunately, Martin has always had two things going for him: 1) a formula that works; 2) an ability to keep that formula fresh through re-invention. Starflyer's latest effort, Leave Here a Stranger, represents Martin's ability to tap these two resources to their full extent.

Leave Here a Stranger represents another iteration of the formula Martin established with 1998's Fashion Focus. At that point in his career, Martin completely abandoned the wall-of-sound guitars of his earlier efforts and turned to a more simplistic model: subtract the distortion and feedback, subtract the rock-anthem style guitar riffs, add a little tremolo and concentrate more on melody. Starflyer's latest effort continues this theme. Martin's guitar work remains in its more simplistic form: two guitars, one playing a clean progression, a second playing a riff that is so ridden with reverb that it could easily appear in a spy film. Similarly, Martin's addictive sense of melody maintains its position as one of Starflyer's defining characteristics. Martin, who was raised on the British-rock of My Bloody Valentine and Blur, readily displays his non-American influences. The result: while the American music scene is suffering not only from the non-melodies of the metal and hardcore genres but also from the hokey imitation melodies of boy-bands and supermodels, Martin has managed to produce a sound that is simultaneously mature and catchy, distinctly British and distinctly un-derivative.

However, the album, while it undeniably falls into the tradition established with The Fashion Focus, also represents yet another re-invention of Starflyer 59. Leave Here a Stranger represents Martin's effort to breathe new life into the formula. The album comes off as less dark than previous efforts: its dominant feeling is bouncy and amiable. Though songs like 'I Like Your Photographs' fall in line with the heartbreaking love songs of Gold, the album as a whole feels bright and celebratory.

Leave Here a Stranger may also be seen as a return to the big rock of Starflyer's earliest work. The wall-of-sound is long gone, but even so, Martin's latest effort possesses the thickest sound Starflyer has produced since adopting their more stripped down model. What Martin lost by dropping the distortion and the feedback he has fully recovered by adding more dominant organ/piano parts, strings, and other sound effects that were absent in previous efforts. The result is a full-bodied sound that should satisfy those Starflyer fans who are suffering from nostalgia for the rock-anthems of Gold and Americana.

The album, however, is not without it's weaknesses. The first half almost degenerates into a similarity that is a too close for comfort. Martin's formula of tremolo-ridden guitar becomes familiar very quickly, though gems like 'I Like Your Photographs' and 'Night Music' help to mix up the sound a bit.

But this single weakness is easily forgiven. Through his cycle of formulation and re-invention, Martin has yet again managed to live up to his reputation as a songwriter. The album represents an old formula presented in a new, brighter, and thicker form. The title offers the perfect image. Martin has re-invented himself: he has left and become a stranger. However, no matter how many times Martin takes to wandering, he always returns to where he began, only to find the place fresh, as though for the first time. (Nolan K.)