| CD Review - Starter - Falling From These Eyes/Dance For Mia |
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Wednesday, 09 July 2008 |
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| Review by Katrina Pierce |
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As one of the most prominent and hard-working bands on the Lincoln scene, it’s likely that any self-respecting live music fan in the vicinity have come into some sort of contact with Starter. Their weekly tours of the city’s drinking establishments, all in the name of band/fan networking, has probably led even more locals to encounter the foursome.
And now with the launch of their new single on iTunes, Starter’s aim for 2008 is surely to spread their sound outside the confines of our safe little city and beyond, to the iPods of the world (I would say generic MP3 players but let’s be brand specific).
‘Falling From These Eyes’ - possibly Starter’s most melodic tune to date - begins their campaign of musical PR. A cool gust opens the track, leading to a well-constructed intro, furnished with frontman Eddie Langley’s gentle mating-calls of “oo-ooh oo-ooh oooooh”. The whole sound of the track is instantly recognisable as cool, tight and well-produced. The metallic effects added in production are defined enough to have an impact yet sufficiently subtle to not detract from the syntax of the tune. A good call as it could have so easily turned tackily electro. With well-crafted, simplistic lyrics and the spot-on musicianship that Starter always demonstrate, this is perhaps their most advanced and most potential-filled track yet.
B-side ‘Dance For Mia’ is made up of growling drawled lines of lyrics, the clever use of dynamics and layers as well as Rob Hunt’s hooky riffs. The “aah aah oh oh”s surface just seconds into the track after a pleasing cacophony of Mikey Nicholson’s cymbals and Lee Wiles’ bassline. Whoever this Mia bird is, she must be smashing if she can incite personal dances – and you are to dance if “you want her to love you, tonight”. However, Eddie proclaims to see through her “superficiality” so maybe she ain’t all that she’s cracked up to be. Despite this ubiquitous lass’s shortcomings, this is an energetic and superbly put together song. The stop/start/quiet/loud set-up really works and as with ‘Falling From These Eyes’, the reserved use of desk effects is just enough to be effective.
The influence of The Stereophonics becomes more apparent as Starter’s career progresses, mostly due to the resemblance between Eddie and Kelly Jones’ voices as both sound as if they gargle with sharp sand – and that’s not a new comparison.
As a couplet of songs, these set a new precedent of how locally produced songs can sound, and should sound. OK, the vocals may not always be 100% spot on but if note-perfect is what you’re after, go listen to Celine Dion and avoid those who write their own scores. This four-piece now work together very well, and you can’t help but admire their determination and tenacity in the pursuit of getting their work heard.
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This page was last updated Tuesday, 22 January 2008
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