Starlight Mints Issue #28

Drowaton (Barsuk)

By Anna Breshears
Published: June 1st, 2006 | 9:10am

The trouble with being labeled a “quirky” pop band is surviving past an initial, well-received first album. Starlight Mints’ 2000 debut, The Dream That Stuff Was Made Of, was a triumph of surreal, orchestral pop that scrambled together strings, guitar, sound effects, and absurdist lyrics. The band’s 2003 follow-up, Built on Squares, however, suffered from quirk overkill: the band gorged on effects and production, adding unnecessary weight to their melodies. With Drowaton, the Mints have wisely curtailed Squares’ audio gimmickry for cleaner songs capable of withstanding repeated listens.

Vocalist-guitarist Allan West’s chirpy falsetto and fuzzed-out keyboards fuse with Herb Albert-esque horns on opener “Pumpkin,” a mutant melody that’s half-TV-theme song and half-space-age pop. “Torts,” the Mints’ version of a drunken chantey, and the hyper-energetic “The Bee” share the band’s characteristic time-changing structure: guitar-driven, cymbal-heavy verses that abruptly slow into a chorus with XX/XY harmonies before bouncing back again. The most straightforward songs here, “What’s Inside of Me” and “The Sidewalk,” are Drowaton’s best offerings, proving that the band needn’t rely on eccentric tempo changes to write strong, original material.

On Drowaton, Starlight Mints maintain their distinctive, oddball sound and sense of humor, even while undertaking a more traditional approach to songwriting. They still make use of silly word combos and surprise rhythm changes, but they do so less recklessly, lending this release a more mature approach that will add years to the band’s shelf life.