The band's sound has varied considerably over the years. Loud and lush shoegaze, heavy guitar rock, dream pop, chamber pop, new wave, synth pop, post-punk, garage rock, pop rock, soft rock, lounge music and blues rock all play significant roles in SF59's ultimate sonic palette.
While Martin has written all of Starflyer 59's music and is the principal musician, the band has included numerous contributors over its life. For the better part of 15 years, beginning in the mid-00s, SF59's lineup stabilized with Steven Dail on bass and Trey Many on drums. In recent years, drumming duties have been handled by Charlie Martin, Jason's son, who was 16 when he recorded on SF59's 2019 album, Young In My Head. Other notable contributors over the years have included Jeff Cloud, Richard Swift, Frank Lenz, Josh Dooley, Wayne Everett, and others.
Starflyer 59 was signed to Tooth & Nail Records, their original and current label, after Jason Martin gave a demo to Brandon Ebel when the two met at a music festival in 1993. Shortly afterwards, Ebel contacted Martin and offered him a record contract. By the end of the year, Starflyer 59's debut album, Silver, was recorded and released. In 1995, Starflyer 59 released their sophomore album, Gold. Both of these albums are actually eponymous releases, but are colloquially known by the colors of the plain, monochromatic album art.
Starflyer 59's next album, Americana (1997), continued with the minimalist cover art, but marked the first of many significant sonic shifts for the band. While Americana is still loud, heavy and guitar-forward like the previous releases, layered ambient shoegazing is replaced by crunchy, catchy blues rock-inspired riffs and more traditional song structures. Several changes to the band lineup were also made for this album. Bass player Andrew Larson departed, replaced by Eric Campuzano (The Prayer Chain). In addition, Wayne Everett (The Prayer Chain) became the band's studio drummer, a role previously held by Martin. High tensions in the studio during the recoding of the album led Campuzano to leave the band before it began touring to support the new album. Replacing him was Jeff Cloud, who had been Starflyer's touring manager.
The release of The Fashion Focus in 1998 signaled a major change in the direction of the band's sound, largely due to the influence of Gene Eugene. Where previous albums had emphasized guitars and loud, shoegazing rock and roll, The Fashion Focus was a significantly softer album, drawing its main influences from pop rock, loung music, arty indie rock and synthesizer music. Everybody Makes Mistakes, released the next year, continued in the same direction as The Fashion Focus.
On Nov. 21st, 2000, Starflyer 59 released Easy Come Easy Go, a two disc set that contained songs from throughout their career up to that point. 2001 saw the release of Leave Here A Stranger, Starflyer's next full length album. It saw the band's sound continue to soften. After the untimely death of Gene Eugene, Martin called on long-time musical hero Terry Scott Taylor to take over production of the new album. In an effort to be different, Leave Here a Stranger was recorded in mono. In addition to Martin and Cloud, Leave Here a Stranger featured Josh Dooley on keyboards and Joey Esquibel on drums.
Beginning in 2003, Starflyer 59 would release one full length album every year for three years, all of them self-produced. The first of these albums was Old. Old features heavier guitars than Leave Here A Stranger; however, the music was still significantly softer than the band's early work. In 2004, I Am the Portuguese Blues was released. With this album, Starflyer 59 returned to the heavy guitar format that was so prominent on their early albums, as well as the monochromatic album covers that had characterized these albums. I Am the Portuguese Blues was not a true follow-up to Old, but instead was a set of older songs that Jason Martin had written for a follow-up album to Americana. The material was originally shelved when the band shifted gears and instead recorded The Fashion Focus. This was a treat for fans of Starflyer 59's older material, but confused many newer fans and critics who were familiar with Starflyer 59's more recent pop-friendly work.
2005's Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice saw the band change their sound yet again, to a style that seemed a more natural follow-up to Old than I Am the Portuguese Blues had been. For this album, Starflyer 59 was cut down to two members: Jason Martin and drummer Frank Lenz. It would be the first studio album since Americana to be recorded without bassist Jeff Cloud. Despite having only two band members, the songs on Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice have a full sound. This is largely due to the inclusion of guest string players on many of the albums tracks.
Also in 2005, Starflyer 59 re-issued digitally re-mastered versions of Silver and Gold with bonus tracks. The re-issue of Silver came with the tracks of the band's follow-up EP, She's The Queen. Gold was reissued with the "Goodbyes Are Sad" 7 inch single and three of the four tracks from the Le Vainqueur EP.
In September 2006, Starflyer 59 released their latest album My Island. My Island is yet another evolution in the Starflyer sound. While Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice relied on the warmth of synthesized bass and live strings, My Island's"strength comes from its catchy guitar hooks and live bass.
Jason Martin's side projects have included Bon Voyage with his wife, Julie, Enemy Ships (formerly known as The Emergency), Pony Express, The Brothers Martin with his brother Ronnie Martin of Joy Electric fame, Neon Horse, Low & Behold, Lo Tom[/artist), and others. The Martin brothers also worked together in Morella's Forest (1998 band, not to be confused with the 90s band of the same name) and Dance House Children, which predate their famous solo projects. Jason has also produced albums for Fine China, MAP, and Upside Down Room and performed work as a studio musician and guest musician on several albums.
Their official website is located at www.sf59.com. Their official myspace is located at www.myspace.com/starflyer59.
The Brightest Of The Head
Starflyer 59 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
WHAT MAKES A MAN IS INSIDE, INSIDE
A CROOKED TONGUE MAKES FOR CROOKED SPEECH
GOD FORBID WHAT I THOUGHT, FORGIVE WHAT I THINK
I WAS THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL
I WAS THE BIGGEST OF THE SMALL
I WAS THE SHARPEST IN THE SHED
TO LIVE IS CHRIST, TO DIE IS GAIN
I TRY, I TRY, I TRY, AND I TRY
A CROOKED TONGUE MAKES FOR CROOKED SPEECH
GOD FORBID WHAT I THOUGHT, FORGIVE WHAT I THINK
IT'S TIME, IT'S TIME, I'VE MADE UP MY MIND
OH BUT I'VE CHANGED MY MIND
THAT I'VE MADE UP MY MIND
The lyrics of Starflyer 59's song "The Brightest Of The Head" are reflective and introspective. The song speaks about being the best in various aspects and yet, still struggling with flaws and imperfections. The first verse talks about the inner qualities of a person, implying that real strength comes from within. The line "A crooked tongue makes for crooked speech" suggests that honest communication is essential to true strength. Further, the line "God forbid what I thought, forgive what I think" implies the weight of one's thoughts and the struggle to keep them pure.
The chorus of the song speaks of personal achievements in life and how they can add to a person's sense of pride. The lines "I was the fairest of them all," "the biggest of the small," "the sharpest in the shed," and "the brightest of the head" all imply personal excellence or superiority. However, the song questions the value of these achievements when they are weighed against spiritual or mental growth. The line "To live is Christ, to die is gain" speaks to the importance of faith above anything else.
The bridge of the song reflects the singer's struggle to maintain honesty in their speech and thoughts. The repetition of "I try" suggests the difficulty of the task. The final lines of the song "It's time, it's time, I've made up my mind/ Oh, but I've changed my mind/ That I've made up my mind" speaks to the internal struggle and the difficulty in making a decision when one is faced with competing forces.
Line by Line Meaning
IF I'D OBLIGE THE ODDS ARE I'D FIND
If I were to conform to the expectations, I might discover
WHAT MAKES A MAN IS INSIDE, INSIDE
The true measure of a man lies within oneself
A CROOKED TONGUE MAKES FOR CROOKED SPEECH
If one speaks dishonestly, their words will be deceitful
GOD FORBID WHAT I THOUGHT, FORGIVE WHAT I THINK
I hope God doesn't judge me for my thoughts and forgives me for what I think
I WAS THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL
I used to think of myself as the most beautiful person among all
I WAS THE BIGGEST OF THE SMALL
Compared to others, I was the biggest despite being small
I WAS THE SHARPEST IN THE SHED
I considered myself the most intelligent and alert of all
I WAS THE BRIGHTEST OF THE HEAD
I believed I was the most brilliant person intellectually
TO LIVE IS CHRIST, TO DIE IS GAIN
For me, living is equivalent to serving Christ, and dying would be an advantage
I TRY, I TRY, I TRY, AND I TRY
I keep on making an effort, but I fail numerous times
IT'S TIME, IT'S TIME, I'VE MADE UP MY MIND
I have decided that it's time for me to do something
OH BUT I'VE CHANGED MY MIND
However, my thoughts and plans have been altered again
THAT I'VE MADE UP MY MIND
So, I realize that I never truly made up my mind after all
Contributed by Annabelle N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Dennis Rich
I love this song. Dial M is my favorite S.F.59 album.
Steven Streight
Then you'd love "Ghosts of the Past" double CD, with alternate versions of Dial M songs.
Majestic Mew
Dennis Rich
Sherly Scrumptious
This might sound random but did anyone receive a promotional CD in the mail years ago with this on it? I had this song on my little iPod shuffle 😂 it still sounds awesome!
Itzel Ramirez
Nope! Got here from SoundCloud since you have to be a member for this Album:”)
Sherly Scrumptious
After a little research I found the title of the CD for anyone else who had the same experience - it was called the LBM Music Zine V.3.
It also had Nico Stai, Mayday Parade, and Motion City Soundtrack on it.
Danny
Chuck and Morgan🤣😍
Meltdown
CHUCK!