Starflyer 59 -- Everybody Makes Mistakes

7/10

Starflyer 59's fifth full-length release, Everybody Makes Mistakes, comes right out of the gate with the big, anthemic "Play the C Chord." The song sounds huge, riding a big, percussive and deep electric guitar line by frontman, Jason Martin, and a big beat by drummer, Wayne Everett. "Play the C Chord" also has a driving acoustic guitar in the verse, giving the song impressive dynamics and emotional range. Also, it sounds really cool.
"No New Kinda Story" immediately follows suit, with a bit more keyboard filling out the song, giving it a strangely classical feel. The short piano and strings ballad, "20 Dollar Bills" gives a lovely, cathartic climax to this opening trio of songs, and the album might as well be over. Mission accomplished. But it isn't over.
Starflyer 59's previous album, The Fashion Focus, release barely a year before this one, went on far too long. Jason Martin remedies that here by only lending Everybody Makes Mistakes nine tracks, but at its core, despite being leaner, Everybody Makes Mistakes still has the same issues as its predecessor. The five tracks immediately after the opening trio of songs feel a bit aimless and lack any sort of pattern of thought or cohesion in their album placement. They're okay songs, some more minimalistic ballads, some bouncier, more guitar-based upbeat ones, though none particularly stand out. Then the album suddenly ends with the stunning beauty, "The Party," a quiet, meditative, gorgeous piano-based song. It even ends on a lonely drum machine beat, only to come back after several minutes of silence in an even more stunning, saxophone-led instrumental incarnation.  "The Party" is one of the greatest album denouements I've ever heard.
Unfortunately, an incredible beginning and ending alone don't make for an incredible whole. It's quite clear here, and on The Fashion Focus, that Martin is experimenting, searching for a sound.  He created something singular and amazing on his first trio of albums, but clearly with these two follow-ups, he's trying his hardest not to get pigeon-holed. He's traded in that wall of guitar, but he hasn't firmly grasped onto anything else yet. He's a talented songwriter with an unmistakable vibe, but with these fourth and fifth albums, he seems unsure of how to put that vibe to use, despite The Fashion Focus and Everybody Makes Mistakes' combined plentiful strong moments. Truthfully, one collective album featuring both albums' strongest, most thematically-aligned tracks would be among the strongest works of Martin's career. As it is, The Fashion Focus and Everybody Makes Mistakes play like the two curiosities in Starflyer's 15-album discography. In retrospect, I probably should have reviewed them together.


1999 Tooth & Nail Records
1. Play the C Chord 4:16
2. No New Kinda Story 3:49
3. 20 Dollar Bills 2:13
4. No More Shows 2:38
5. Just Try 3:06
6. My Name 3:14
7. A Dethroned King 4:48
8. Going Places 4:25
9. The Party 12:08