As the Nineties came to a close and Radiohead achieved a sort of dominance in British rock, there was a moment in which every new melodic, hyper-sensitive, guitar-driven rock band coming out of Britain was declared the New Radiohead: Travis, Doves, Elbow, Idlewild, and the Mother of All Wannabes, Coldplay. And now, every new melodic, hyper-sensitive, guitar-driven rock band coming out of Britain is declared the new Coldplay.

Enter Starsailor, who debuted with their unspectacularly ear-catching album “Love is Here” in 2001, all jangly guitars, layered, theatrical arrangements, and quivery tenor vocals singing oblique lyrics that only occasionally flirted with meaningfulness. It was a pleasant album, but it really made no promises, and one could have been forgiven for dismissing the band as a future footnote of turn-of-the-millennium Britpop.

Their recently released sophomore disc “Silence Is Easy” further cements the band’s footnote status. Generally more upbeat (see the bouncy opener “Music was Saved”) than the previous album, “Silence is Easy” is nevertheless happily inconsequential, and despite the presence of a full string section on most tracks, and a couple of songs (including the Let-It-Beatlesque title track) produced by Phil Spector, there is something refreshingly unambitious about the album.

The lyrics especially, are often minimal and repetitive and simple, and in some cases, simply incomplete. Two of the album’s better tracks, “Fidelity” and “Some of Us” feel as if they are missing a verse or two. On the other hand, “Shark Food”’s lyrics feel more like mantra than verse…

Sunshine in the glory skies when the broken men open up their eyes
Sunshine in the glory skies when the day is long, the clouds are high

…repeated six times (I counted) on the very same melody line. Then a small break and…

We’re stepping through the door, We’re shooting from the heart
But if we get it wrong, they’ll feed us to the sharks

…repeated four times. And then the song ends. The lyrics are vague enough that they could mean just about anything. Perhaps it’s anti-war. Maybe it just sounded good in the studio. At any rate, though it is initially compelling, after repeated listens, it’s all just a little too amorphous to really connect on a truly emotional level.

And that’s Starsailor’s greatest fault. The music is pretty. (The gorgeous harmonies in the chorus of “Four To the Floor” make a strong case for the band as the 21st Century Little River Band.) The studio craft is impeccable. The performances feel dramatic. But its drama without much of a purpose.

Adorable, charming, pleasant, Starsailor make great dinner party music, and if they are, in fact, merely a footnote to turn-of-the-millennium Britpop, they’re a pretty damn glorious footnote. This album (and “Love is Here”) may not change your life, but it’s no worse than Coldplay’s latest, and it buries Travis in the first two minutes.

- - - - -

“Silence Is Easy” by Starsailor
Capitol Records
Released 1/27/04

Producers: Danton Supple & Starsailor, Phil Spector
47 min.

SONGS: Music Was Saved – Fidelity – Some of Us – Silence Is Easy – Telling Them – Shark Food – Bring My Love – White Dove – Four to the Floor – Born Again – Restless Heart – Could You Be Mine? – At the End of the Show


Recommended: Yes