Starsailor
's sophomore effort,
Silence Is Easy
, was hotly anticipated largely upon the announcement that the melodic and earnest quartet from Chorley, England, would be working with legendary producer
Phil Spector
. It also didn't hurt that
's debut release,
Love Is Here
, was generally received upon its release as one of the best British
rock
albums of 2002. Built around the songwriting and lead vocals of
James Walsh
, the band fit nicely alongside similarly minded mellow Brits
Doves
and
Coldplay
. Mixing
alternative rock
aesthetics with a melodic
pop
sensibility,
finds the band in pretty much the same place as before with slightly better songwriting, a more mature vocal performance by
Walsh
, and tastefully grandiose production. It's also clear from the cover art alone -- a pristinely epic photo of the band by water that veritably screams
Heaven Up Here
-- that
Echo & the Bunnymen
is, along with
Spector
, a main influence here. It makes sense:
the Bunnymen
's use of strings, horns, and chugging beats always seemed like a direct outgrowth of
's
Brill Building
"Wall of Sound" aesthetic. The bookend-like influence on
feels serendipitous. Even
's delivery, which bordered on the relentlessly nasal on
, here reveals the flush of
Ian McCulloch
's bluesy baritone. The 11 tracks here, including the two
-produced numbers, are heartfelt, melodic rockers with some string backgrounds that fit well into the overall aesthetic of cinematic
romanticism. ~ Matt Collar