Starsailor
On the Outside
(EMI)
Remember Travis? Starsailor sure does. That’s whom critics compared the British band to when they released their debut Love is Here behind the strength of the still-gorgeous “Good Souls” in 2001. Five years and a forgotten second album (Silence is Easy from 2004) later, Starsailor returns with On the Outside, a good record with grab-your-collar choruses and an added dash of political consciousness. The guitar-driven anthems about love, faith and conservative culture are as well-written as anything that’s been done recently by Oasis, and heatthrob lead James Walsh has a stunning voice. But will anyone care? Sadly, in the age of Franz and The Strokes, the name of the record may predict exactly where Starsailor will remain.
—Johnston Farrow