Description
The Last Laurel is a five-track CD-EP by the American indie rock band Starflyer 59, independently released on Badout in 2004. The first track, “Softness, Goodness”, is listed as a rough mix version from the forthcoming Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice LP, available spring 2005 on Tooth & Nail Records.
Jason Martin cannot put out a bad record. Even the bizarre attempt of diverting to the pre-Fashion Focus era with I Am The Portuguese Blues only proved that whatever he touches turns to gold. Yet for the small minority that worried about what would come of Starflyer 59 after the brilliance of 2002’s Old, the answer lies in a 14-minute EP entitled The Last Laurel. Presented in a modest (yet ultra cool) card stock sleeve with a stamped “Limited Pressing” on the cover, you can’t help but feel that your ears are about to hear something special. The anticipation is bittersweet in a way, because The Last Laurel marks the absence of bassist Jeff Cloud for the first time since The Fashion Focus. It also marks the first time the band has released an album/EP that is not on Tooth and Nail Records (minus the Plugged EP put out by Velvet Blue Music).
You get the sense that it is the end of one era and the dawning of something new, and you can’t help but ask yourself, “Will this era be half as good?” The answer to the question is in the opening «Softness, Goodness», a rough-mix version of a song that will appear on next years’ full-length. Starflyer 59 is now a two-some. Martin has teamed up with drummer (and full-fledged musician) extraordinaire Frank Lenz, and the result is beautiful. The vocals are sure and crisp, yet keep a bashful hushed and breathy tone, and Lenz adds wonderful harmony with his infectious tenor. The guitars have a slight twang and give subtle nods to Americana and Everybody Makes Mistakes. This is the only track linked to the up coming full-length. The remaining 4 tracks failed to fit the format. But thank God Martin released these gems. Some would argue (myself included, to some extent) that Starflyer 59 makes better EP’s than albums. And considering the long list of must-have EP’s like She’s The Queen, Le Vainqueur, Fell In Love @ 22 and Can’t Stop Eating, it’s tough to deny their greatness.
The Last Laurel is the best recording Martin has released since Leave Here A Stranger, and overall, this EP probably points back to that recording the most. Yet I think that as much as this record points back to previous influences and eras, it mostly points to the future. So what is the future? Somber pop songs with an overtly dreamy bent. The wall-of-noise is brought back in a tamed and matured kind of way. Simply put, Starflyer 59 has grown up, got married and had kids. The dynamic works smarter, not harder. «For Us» is decidedly spaced out, waltzing ballad, yet it reminds me most of previous work like «I Was 17». «The Man Who Will Lead» has a Fashion Focus rhythm with roots in the 60’s. And «Thin As A Needle» is a subtle brooding number reminiscent of the Old recording. In one word, The Last Laurel EP is …breathtaking. Okay, so that’s a compound word. Just shut up and listen! [Garrett Johnson, Grace Hotel, 2005]
CD-EP tracklist:
01. Softness, Goodness – 4:06
02. The Man Who Will Lead – 3:06
03. Thin As A Needle – 2:48
04. The Lucky Ones – 2:16
05. For Us – 1:39
Note: Packaged in a plastic sleeve. Released online by mail-order or directly from the band.
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