NEW YORK (EMI/Capitol press release) - Starsailor's
Silence is Easy, the follow-up to the band's critically acclaimed 2002 debut, Love is Here, will be released in the U.S. on January 27th, 2004. The eagerly awaited release recently entered the U.K. album charts at No 2.
Going from a modest existence in Wigan, England to being named "Britain's best new band" by the NME and selling over a million copies of their debut album internationally in just a few short months, the group and principle songwriter James Walsh faced a period of adjustment when the clamor quieted and they began to write the songs that would become Silence is Easy.
"The last album was written from the perspective of four people who had crap jobs and went to the same pub every week, so it was very aspirational," says Walsh. "Now we have our own places, I have a baby, we've all been around the world and the songs draw from all of our experiences."
For the band, writing and recording Silence is Easy was a process of finding their feet musically and personally after the whirlwind surrounding the debut and exploring their new confidence and writers and performers. For the listener, the album is the revelatory kick of a great band's deeper talents further unfolding.
Album opener "Music Was Saved" instantly reveals the band's new powers - lush, passionate, and much more rocking then anyone would have suspected. Like many songs on the album, it's as much about coming through the mire - getting knocked down, coming back stronger - as it is an shameless love letter to music itself.
Produced mostly by the band and engineer Danton Supple, Silence is Easy also features two tracks produced by the legendary Phil Spector, his first production in 23 years. The Spector-produced title track is, predictably enough, a literal wall of sound - big in ambition and scope, full of heavenly sounds, and a cathartic declaration from a band that used to get accused of crying in their beers. And "White Dove" is a sweet slice of acoustic guitars, floating strings, and Walsh's unmistakably soaring vocals.
The album's musical palette is remains broad throughout. "Four to the Floor" has a slow-burn dance shuffle and dramatic strings that would do a 007 film soundtrack proud. The driving strum of "Bring My Love," with its piano punches and plucked strings, packs an ocean of sentiment into just over two minutes. The shimmering "Shark Food," produced by John Leckie (Radiohead/Stone Roses), weaves a tender trap of sweet melody and pointed words. And fearless, sweeping ballads like "Fidelity," "Some of Us," and "Telling Them" conjure the most intoxicating moments from the debut album, bringing familiarity and joy to anyone who fell head-over-heels for them the first time around.
"This album is much more confident than the first one," says Walsh. "We were a lot more willing to push things and we had a clear idea of how all of the songs should sound. I think that confidence is there for all to hear."
Starsailor is James Walsh (vocals/guitar), James Stelfox (bass), Barry Westhead (keyboards) and Ben Byrne (drums).
Silence is Easy tracklisting
1. Music Was Saved
2. Fidelity
3. Some Of Us
4. Silence is Easy
5. Telling Them
6. Shark Food
7. Bring My Love
8. White Dove
9. Four to the Floor
10. Born Again
11. Restless Heart
