Description
Old is the seventh full-length studio album by the American indie rock band Starflyer 59, released on Tooth & Nail Records in May 2003. The album was recorded and mixed by Aaron Sprinkle of Poor Old Lu fame with Sprinkle and the band producing. All songs written by Jason Martin.
Though Jason Martin has been SF59’s sole permanent member, Old was something else: an honest to goodness “band” outing, with Martin (on guitars and vocals) joined by longtime collaborator Jeff Cloud on bass (known as the head of indie label Velvet Blue Music), drummer Frank Lenz (also providing trumpet and background vocals), as well as keyboardist Richard Swift (providing keyboards, synths, and background vocals), who would later join up with The Shins and The Black Keys. (Swift also released The Novelist, his debut under the Richard Swift moniker, the same year.)
Whereas the band’s previous album, 2001’s Leave Here a Stranger cut in mono and heavy on sunshine pop vibes, felt romantic and time faded, Old possessed a spookier tone. Its AOR and proggy sleekness makes it SF59’s most ‘70s sounding record: featuring huge Sabbath drums, Neil Young harmonicas, Iggy Pop snarls, San Fran and Pink Floyd guitars, Lou Reed dark jangle, Joy Division synthetics… Old respectfully commands it all into memorable, wonderfully innovative pop songs. In the words of the All Music Guide: “Starflyer 59 doesn’t get much hype, but they are one of the best guitar pop bands around and this album is a solid addition to their impressive body of work.”
There’s something warm and fuzzy about Starflyer 59 that I’ve always loved. With ‘Old’, that feeling has never felt as dark and comfortable. In recent years, the band have lightened the load of fuzzy guitars in favor of a more straightforward pop rock bliss while retaining the un-emotive vocals of Jason Martin and signature guitar distortion and tone. For one who has listened to Starflyer’s ‘Americana’ album (the one with the red cover), ‘Old’ is similar in its clear departure to the brighter side. The song craft on this album is some of the best the band has created. It is clearly their best album to date. The first half-minute of ‘Old’ delivers, with an amazing and seductive guitar riff, flowing into familiar Starflyer territory. «Underneath» feels something like a sort of funky slow dance I could imagine would be quite fun to actually move with. A standout on the disc is «Major Awards», a slightly sarcastic piece: “There’s a big time coming/ I think I’ve just run out… / No major awards/ That’s not fair.” Really! It isn’t fair. Starflyer 59 is one of the longest running alternative rock bands in the industry, making some of the most critically acclaimed intelligent music in the genre. There’s something magic about the way Starflyer has always been able to make meaningful songs that always feature the brilliant guitars and celebrated small bits that have made the band so special. To top it off, the added studio effects and composition couldn’t be as precise with Starflyer 59 themselves and producer Aaron Sprinkle at the helm. If you’ve never bought Starflyer 59 music, ‘Old’ is the one you should buy first, as it highlights the best of the band as they exist currently. This record is sure to bring new fans to Starflyer 59, as old fans to rejoice. [Dustin Helgeson, Cross Rhythms, March 2004]
Sonically, this album is completely different from all other Starflyer efforts on at least two counts. One, the production is much tighter. It almost sounds sterile compared to previous efforts, such as Everybody Makes Mistakes or the Can’t Stop Eating EP. In comparison to the manufactured pop reproducing across the radio dial, however, it sounds positively lo-fi. Two, the de rigeur layers of reverb and delay surrounding Jason Martin’s voice on previous releases are almost completely gone. Take that as you will, but it works extremely well on this album, giving the vocals a more direct, straightforward feel. This is not a siren from the nether-world, it is the undisguised sound of a public address announcement where your name is dropped.
This is a juggernaut of an album with song subjects revolving around growing old and the ridiculous, sometimes nasty things we do to ourselves and one another in the process. The songs aren’t self-righteously preachy, it’s not about that. The lyrics read like the internal conversations and mental notes that meander through your head as you maneuver your daily life. The conscience pangs are projected pal, these are clinical observations of the many ways that we screw up our lives and hurt one another. A lot. And not for very good reasons, either, unfortunately.
Jason Martin (guitars, vocals, song writing) is a pop genius. His should-be-patented mix of California-cool melodic art-rock and swaggering British guitar-pop is infectious and dangerously close to perfection. Jeff Cloud (bass), Richard Swift (keyboards, synths, background vox), and Frank Lenz (drums, trumpet, background vox) shift easily from stomping, big-rock beats and chugging guitars to ambience-centered breakdowns and instrumental movements. It knits together seamlessly and sounds so, so effortless in SF59’s able hands.
This record doesn’t sound like anything else going on right now. It follows an orbit unto itself. Its rotation swings it not only outside of mainstream radio music, but another step removed from what most indie bands are doing these days. Because of that, it carries a little more visceral sonic impact than the average record. Not through sheer volume or reckless force, though, through aural seduction, intelligent production, and surgical precision.
It’s not that SF59 have latched on to something totally new. There’s absolutely nothing new under the sun, as they note themselves. But they distill all their influences into every single note played on this album while simultaneously striving to reach another level, to map out the last scrap of untrodden territory. Somehow, the effort renders them completely original and utterly luminous. All while documenting what it’s like to grow old. Absolutely outstanding. [rconrad, Delusions of Adequacy, August 2003]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/old/723746862)
CD tracklist:
01. Underneath – 4:35
02. Major Awards – 2:53
03. Loved Ones – 3:03
04. Passengers – 3:05
05. The Lights On – 3:07
06. New Wife, New Life – 3:35
07. Old – 5:22
08. A Kissing Song – 2:54
09. Unbelievers – 5:31
10. First Heart Attack – 4:57
Note: Released on CD by Tooth & Nail Records. Also released as a Limited Edition 12-inch vinyl Picture Disc LP by Burnt Toast Vinyl, pressed in 500 copies.
Starflyer 59: (L-R) Richard Swift, Jeff Cloud, Frank Lenz, and Jason Martin.
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