STARLING Stuff You Should Have Said Before (independent) Rating: NNN Rating: NNN
Ottawa rock poster boy Ian LeFeuvre has said that producing, playing on and helping write Andy Stochansky’s Five Star Motel was a major artistic inspiration for the newest Starling disc, and it shows. Much mellower than the snappy rock of Sustainer, Stuff You Should Have Said Before bubbles with clever layering and moody atmospheric scope. Lead track Rub It, a near perfect piece of pop, mixes overlapping vocals, stunning melody, a sing-along chorus and a hint of sun-bleached twang. From there, Starling move between snarly guitar pop and restrained swagger. LeFeuvre’s voice has matured, and so has his production. He’s perfecting a trademark style — lush pop-rock with resonant ringing guitars and swaths of rich melody. Starling play the Horseshoe Saturday (October 19).
