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.
sundown
Starflyer 59 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your bet is lost
You're fading slow
Sundown, the dark has laid you low
A right to save your own
A right to save your soul
The blackness fiend will take you on
Sundown
Your slipping heart
A gray shadow
Sundown, the dark has laid you low
A right to save your own
A right to save your soul
A right to save your own
The blackness fiend will take you on
Sundown
The lyrics to Starflyer59's song "Sundown" describe the feeling of defeat and hopelessness that comes when a person realizes they have lost something important. The first line, "Your bet is lost," sets the tone for the rest of the song, as the singer describes how the darkness of the "sundown" has left them feeling drained and powerless. The phrase "the dark has laid you low" suggests a sense of surrender, as if the singer has given up trying to fight against whatever force is causing their downfall.
The repeated refrain of "a right to save your own" implies that the singer believes they have the ability to turn things around, but it also acknowledges the fact that they must take action in order to do so. The line "the blackness fiend will take you on" adds a sense of ominousness to the lyrics, as if the darkness is always lurking just around the corner, waiting to pounce on the next victim.
Overall, the lyrics to "Sundown" speak to the universal human experience of feeling overwhelmed by circumstances beyond our control. The imagery of the setting sun, which traditionally symbolizes endings and transitions, adds to the sense of finality and resignation that permeates the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Your bet is lost
You took a risk and lost it all, leaving yourself with nothing.
You're fading slow
Your strength and vitality are gradually diminishing.
Sundown, the dark has laid you low
The end of the day has come and you feel defeated and overwhelmed by the darkness.
A right to save your own
You have the ability to take action and save yourself from your current situation.
A right to save your soul
You have the power to protect your spiritual well-being and keep yourself from harm.
A right to save your own
You have the autonomy to make decisions that will benefit you.
The blackness fiend will take you on
If you don't take action to save yourself, the darkness will consume you.
Your slipping heart
Your heart is losing its strength and becoming weaker.
A gray shadow
There is a sense of gloom and sadness that surrounds you.
Sundown, the dark has laid you low
The evening has arrived and you feel defeated, overwhelmed, and consumed by darkness.
A right to save your own
You have the authority to take action and make choices that will help you improve your situation.
A right to save your soul
It is up to you to protect your spiritual well-being and keep yourself safe from harm.
A right to save your own
You have the freedom to take action and make choices that will benefit you in the long run.
The blackness fiend will take you on
If you don't act soon, the darkness will consume you and take over your life.
Sundown
The end of the day has come, bringing with it a sense of finality and defeat.
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Capitol CMG Publishing
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jeff Foster
SF59s apex