Starflyer 59

Item: The Last Laurel
Author: Jonathan Avants

The Last Laurel

(2005)

Reviewed by Jonathan Avants

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Label Republic of Texas RecordingsThe Phantom Tollbooth2005

alternative rock indie rock shoegaze

A deft mixture of romantic harmonies, quirky pop song writing, and clean, laid back rock and roll, The Last Laurel is a showcase to the true natural follow up to Starflyer's excellent 2003 release, Old. Where the 2004 full length record, I Am the Portuguese Blues, reminisced of the Starflyer of yesteryear, TLL takes the best parts of many of Starflyer's previous releases, blends them together, and comes out as something fresh and new. Even though it was meant to be just a showcase of what's to come, TLL stands on its own as a fine accomplishment.

The beginning track is a rough mix of a song from the upcoming full length in March. And it's amazing. The guitars wail, the orchestration cries, the drumbeats thrum together in a slow, rhythmic pulse, and then Martin's deep voice and Lenz's falsetto sing together in perfect harmony- "death is the middle/ softness, goodness keep in mind/ just to have a watchful eye...." We're in for some great stuff come March.

"The Man Who Will Lead" mixes subtle harmonies with a slow paced, campfire cowboy feel. The song is simply lovable--singing of distant trails, olden tales and searches for golden times, with keys recreating the sound of a church organ playing gently in the background. The song makes you feel like you're lying out in the high desert, looking up at the stars in the deep of night. "Thin as a Needle" kicks things up a notch with a steady rock and roll beat, but with a similar song writing style as the previous track, with smart melodies accentuated perfectly by Martin's choice of lyrics--"you used to look like/ the biggest son/ five, four, three, two, one...." A cowbell rings in the background in tune with the drumbeats, and a sharp percussion snap that sounds like a whiplash opens up the chorus. It's grin inducing--a great moment of amicable humor through instrumentation. "The Lucky Ones" and "For Us" are both quirky, charming pop songs that reminded me slightly of the material from The Fashion Focus, but with the maturity of the song writing found in Old.

The production effects in the record are relatively minimal. Though the pace and some pieces of the song writing on the record are similar to the thickly produced Leave Here a Stranger and the viscous pop of Everybody Makes Mistakes, the songs on TLL breathe much, much easier. While all said records evoke a sort of "night music" feel, TLL keeps you awake with a cool and collected rock sound and contemplative, emotionally amiable lyrics, where the heavily artistic LHAS and EMM created heavy eyelids.

Fans of Starflyer--get this record. Newcomers--if you want a strong yet cheaply priced introduction to this great band, you should seriously consider picking this EP up (it is available at shows and on Starflyer's online site). TLL has the mature rock sound of Old, the romantic sounds of Everybody Makes Mistakes and Leave Here a Stranger, and the quirky song writing of The Fashion Focus. TLL is more than just an EP--it's a step forward, a sign of progression. It's a great record, and possibly Starflyer's best EP to date.

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