Leave Here a Stranger

Leave Here a Stranger

When reading through the song titles on Starflyer 59's new album, <I>Leave Here A Stranger</I>, they resolve themselves into a list of common "found" phrases that sensitize a reader in the same way, oddly, that SF59's music sensitizes a listener. Throughout the band's shoe-gazer, emo, and punk-pop periods, and now as it settles into an everything-old-is-new-again space with an '80s-influenced retro-pop album, listening to the band's music has been a game of spotting the musical allusion. Is that a Pixies cover? A rare My Bloody Valentine B-side? Singer-songwriter Jason Martin has an unusual ability to pull from the pop canon while missing most of the pitfalls of such referencing. This time he rifles through his <I>Breakfast Club</I>-era albums to create 10 swirly, orchestral, mid- to down-tempo songs that recall nothing so much as early MTV, or the music that played at public swimming pools and skating rinks circa 1985. Martin's vocals are high in the mix, turning soaring violin, harp, and keyboard into a whispery texture when he sings. A testament to the songs' power comes when he stops singing, and skillfully focuses attention on the music. Noticing every crescendo, bridge, and chorus? Of course you are. Because this music deserves it. <I>--Sarah A. Sternau</I>