Favorite Album - why

[burnttoast]

I know this has come up several times in the post on this and other boards but as I recall usually no one gives an argument for why they like one particular album over another.  So, state your favorite album(s) and give some reasons behind it.


Gold.  I love the way it flows and the last six songs, from "Messed Up Over You" to the end all fit together so beautifully in terms of style and lyrics I can't ever get enough of it.  It was the first SF59 album I owned and really opened my mind up to a whole new way of looking at music.  At the time I was kind of into the 90's grunge/rock style - Smashing Pumpkins, Collective Soul, Oasis, The Cranberries, Garbage, etc. and Starflyer was a "whoa this is really different" moment for me.  There were actual guitar leads and not just big noise, the album artwork makes me smile just thinking about it and the verse "The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those crushed in spirit" Psalm 34:18 was a unique (and still unique) verse to put in an album.   And, sadly, it's one of the few verses that I've totally memorized and haven't just forgotten over time.  I'm not a depressed person but those verses really resonated with me at that time and that album was always a comfort after a crappy day (especially "Messed Up Over You").  I like the way Starflyer has evolved over time but Gold will always be that old friend that I can always go back to.


Close second - Dial M.  Not because it's the newest but to me it's got the best arrangements and solid songs across the board.  There's never a song that is an "eh, I'll skip this one this time."  Lyrics are awesome and everything seems to have come together really well.  Plus having the Ghosts of the Future box set made me look forward to the album in a way that I haven't had before.  It was really cool to see how things evolved, changed and sometimes stayed the same. 

As I started writing this post I actually had Dial M first but the more I wrote about Gold the more I realized that it and not Dial M is my top SF59 album. 

[Spirit Flyer]

I think there are different phases of Starflyer—such as the first three albums, The Fashion Focus through Leave Here A Stranger and Old through Dial M. IATPB is like an album that doesn't fit with the others.  

From those different eras I like Gold, The Fashion Focus and Old/Dial M. The other thing is that each of the different eras had a different band lineup. The early band was mostly just Jason until he picked up Wayne Everett. During the Fashion Focus he picked up Cloud and began working with Gene Eugene. After Joey from Map left the band picked up Frank Lenz and Richard Swift, which made for some of the best live shows since the Wayne Everett days. Somewhere after Old, the live shows turned into Jason, Trey and live tracks, which makes the band like a solo project. Also I believe Starflyer hasn't toured since IATPB (2004???).  

I like Gold because it's the best of the first three and has more lyrical depth than Silver and is less about crazy solos than Americana. The Fashion Focus has some of the best songs from the band's whole catalog and is a turning point in the band's sound. Old features the best all-around lineup for the band and Dial M has the best songs from the recent material.

[KevanA]

I Really love them all, but I'd have to say that Leave Here a Stranger & Gold probably tie for 1st place for me.

[theoneandonly2]

My all-time favorite is Gold. The first time I heard it, everything else I had was DC Talk, the Newsboys, Petra, etc. Gold was so different. I loved the feedback and the chaotic simplicity of the songs. The songs were so moody and fitting for a teen. My favorite song off that album was (and still is) Duel Overhead Cam. I love the simple leads and the way the drums will transition for an uncomfortably length of time. Of the newer stuff, the Minor Keys EP is my favorite. I LOVE the songs on there and have listened to it so many times. I still wish sometimes that Jason would go back to the Gold and Silver days with his current vocals.

[burnttoast]

KevanA - why do you like Leave Here a Stranger and Gold so much?  I certainly don't disagree with you but the purpose of the post was to get more insight as to what drives someone to become so attached to one particular album.

[KevanA]

Sorry. I love Gold because of the mood and style of the album. It reminds me of when I was 20, going through alot of the same stuff tackled on the album. I listened to mostly metal at the time, and this & Silver helped get me into new styles. I love Leave Here A Stranger I guess because I think that album was Jason's best musically & it just gells together so well

[Spirit Flyer]

My favorite song off that album was (and still is) Duel Overhead Cam.

I have Gold on cassette and I was listening to in the car yesterday and Duel Overhead Cam is the ultimate driving song.

[Metaphizzle]

Let's see. I love dense, "wall of sound" music, which is why I prefer the current era of Starflyer (i.e. Old and everything after it) as it combines the wall of sound from the shoegazer era with the keys and improved songwriting of the pop era. I don't really have a single favorite, but the following three all rotate in and out of my favorite position at random.

Talking Voice Vs Singing Voice. Live strings arranged by Frank Lenz? Heck yes. The lush production on this album meant that even the substandard tracks were still ear pleasers. Jason hitting those relatively high notes in the bridge of "A Lists Go On" ("Is this / my life? / Maybe so.") was also

Dial M. Some of Jason Martin's best songwriting.

Ghosts of the Future. A borderline case, but I count this as an album because I listen to all the songs, in order, on my mp3 player. The previous comment about J. Martin's songwriting applies here, though the production is obviously not as polished. Even so, the extra tracks give the album a greater feel of cohesiveness, and I prefer this song order ("The Brightest of the Head" works much better as a penultimate track than as a track 2 hit single). Add to this the fact that the demo version of "Minor Keys" rocks so much harder than the finished version that it's hard to tell they're the same song.

[landisg]

Can't Stop Eating. Why? Well, "Give Up the War" is an awesome track and it sounds better in stereo than the mono album version. The Bon Voyage cover "West Coast Friendship"...I could listen that track under over and over. The line, "These are the best days of our lives...." Great line. I like the computer designed art too. I wonder if that is one of his dry cleaning trucks.