Rock has exploded since our chubby Starsailor friends released their debut, Love Is Here, almost two years ago. The garage rock scene went ballistic, nu-metal met with a wonderfully painful demise and the scene is decidedly different than it was in October 2001. Where does that leave the boys from Chorley and their sophomore album, Silence Is Easy? In fairly good stead, actually. A visibly baby fat-diminished James Walsh and his posse have injected new life into their dadrock Verve-lite and opener ìMusic Is Saved,î with its ìI Am The Resurrectionî-like urgency, is clear proof. Walshís distinctive-yet-irritating vocal warble has been minimized on Silence and stripped-down, vocal-heavy tunes like ìFidelityî are all the better for it. The hubbub surrounding Phil Spector and his pending court case overshadows the magic the Wall Of Sound-producer weaved on the first single/ title track, fleshing out the occasionally-flat ëSailor sound. John Leckie twiddles the knobs, too, effecting some of his past success (Stone Roses, Radiohead) on the melodica-led ìShark Food.î Instrumentation is the key to the appeal of Silence, with strings adding further depth to many tracks and a more up-front bass presence kicking things up a notch, especially on the discotastic ìFour To The Floor.î Starsailor have been studying up while away and whether theyíre easier now or not, have passed this set of A-levels with flying colors.

Starsailor
Capitol

1. Silence Is Easy
2. For Starsailor, Silence Is Easy, But Touring Is Easier
3. Paint The Silence
4. Silence
5. Live Starsailor Tracks Available Online