This album is very different from their earlier work. While Starflyer's unique guitars are still there, the keyboards are now out front and dominant. The entire album, with the exception of the song "Too Much Fun," has a lighter feel to it.
When I first tried to review this album, I didn't like it. Even though the style was nice for a song or two, I grew tired of it. Instead of an album of unique and individual songs, I felt like I had instead one long (and boring) song.
But after spending a lot of time trying to understand what makes people so crazy about Starflyer and this album in particular, I began to understand. However, this understanding wasn't objective, but rather subjective. I still feel that the songs sound very much alike, but at the same time I now have a feel for the emotion that is conveyed in "the grand symphony."
I found this rather indescribable emotion most prominently in the first song on the album, "I Drive A Lot." The lyrics and the music are perfectly married to create an audio picture of a guy driving his car on a winter day. He is driving no where in particular, but he just wants to get away for awhile. Maybe he just needs to think, or maybe he needs to not think at all. Maybe he's hurting or just plain heart-broken, but the question of why he is driving is left unanswered.
In an objective fashion, I shouldn't like this album. It breaks many of the rules that I use to review albums. Yet, in a subjective fashion, I feel like this album can't be dissected. It can only be felt.
So to take the easy way out, I'll just say it scores 5 stars for emotion, and 1 star for accessibility, which averages out to an even 3.
3/5
Other coverage for this album
Opus 2002Reviewed by Jason MoreheadIf one were to chart the musical territory that Starflyer 59 has crossed since releasing Silver in 1994, one would have a very interesting map. With Silver they dived headfirst into the (by then) waning shoegazer scene. Think thick walls of guitar and breathy vocals straight off of a My Bloody Valentine album mixed with the dream-rock of Catherine Wheel and Swervedriver. Gold saw Jason Martin and…7ball #21Reviewed by Dan MacIntoshWith The Fashion Focus, Jason Martin of Starflyer 59 has put his focus squarely upon sonic variety. While the preceding album, Americana, stuck primarily with various surf rock guitar influences, this new release builds upon the elements Starflyer experimented with previously, adding a healthy dose of synthesizer, more pronounced back-up vocals and a lot less guitar feedback clouding the mix.…HM Magazine #74Reviewed by Brian Vincent McGovernIt sure was weird hearing the keyboard strings from the start of the very first track, and the occasional Beach Boy vocal added to it. If walls of guitars are the reason you like this band, Jason Martin & Co. have a little surprise for you. Starflyer has always had a way of taking something otherwise mellow, and crunching it together with rock & roll to concoct their own brand of music. And…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Corey WeltonStarflyer 59's most recent effort, The Fashion Focus, is the latest chapter in Starflyer's history of experimental Christian rock. My first experience with the band was the "silver" album, their debut self-titled CD. I quickly became quite fond of their characteristic dream-pop, distorted sound that was a delight to the subconscious. Perhaps I was just expecting more of the same, or perhaps I had…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Josh SpencerIn college I'd always pop in a Starflyer 59 album whenever I wanted to fall asleep. Despite the sludge-heavy guitars, I'd be out cold halfway through. Don't get me wrong--I loved the band--but the same sleepy melodies in every song simply lullabied me into dreamland. How ironic, then, that their mellowest album to date has been the only one to keep me awake all the way through. I figured…Similar sounding releases
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