Starsailor

Only five years ago did NME and every British rag declare Starsailor as the best new band in Britain. Unfortunately, in this short time span the Chorley-based Englanders have already found themselves fall out of fashion. Considering their second and best album, 2003’s Silence Is Easy, managed to rope in Phil Spector to produce a couple of tracks, the band should still be profiting from that attention, but with album number three they seem to be closing the book on their career. On the Outside is the sound of a band discovering their creative juices are running dry, and without even one real standout tune, I mean bone dry. Their past two efforts have offered some effective singles amongst some flattering filler; however, Outside is for the lack of a better phrase: all filler, no killer. Single "In the Crossfire” has the punch of an oft fourth single, while the rest of the album has nothing that could be deemed radio-worthy. Instead, what’s left is a desperate James Walsh struggling to transform that whiney voice into something remotely uplifting to balance the poorly chosen heavier guitar sound. Starsailor obviously can no longer cut it in a world where more talented peers like Coldplay can still sell millions with a slighter record.