Starsailor sounds on verge of a nervous breakdown

By The Associated Press

Selected releases:

"Love Is Here" (Capitol/EMI, $10.97) -- Starsailor

British band Starsailor comes off as an angst-ridden college band that scored a record deal with a whiny guitar; a group of men who seem to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

On the new CD, "Love Is Here," songs such as "Poor Misguided Fool," "Alcoholic" and "Way to Fall" are so sad or eerie, they make your neck hairs stand up. Or they force you to turn them off until you're in a mood where you can sympathize, and therefore appreciate, their style.

Most of the other songs have memorable melodies, but the repetitive lyrics are a distraction. In "Tie Up My Hands," which has acoustic guitar and a simple beat, the lyric "I want to hold you, but my hands are tied/I want to sleep here, but I've been denied" is repeated too many times.

The Old West saloon-sounding "Talk Her Down" picks up the pace, but "Good Souls" is the best of the songs on the CD. It offers praise for those who make life worthwhile: "I turn to you and I say, thank goodness for the good souls that make life better/So I turn to you and I say/If it wasn't for the good souls/life would not matter."

-- Darcel Rockett, AP Writer

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"Pulling Up Atlantis" (Okra-Tone, $16.97) -- Demolition String Band

Fusing a honky-tonk attitude with a bluegrass musical tightness, the Demolition String Band finds success in its sophomore effort, "Pulling Up Atlantis."

Lead singer Elena Skye and guitar player Boo Reiners use steel guitars, mandolins and fiddles to accomplish the tightly woven, neo-country, knee-slapping sound.

All the songs clock in well below five minutes, with most right around three minutes.

That fits the music just fine.

On the first song, "Garden of Love," the musical hook is infectious and effective. A version of Madonna's "Like a Prayer" sounds just as home as a country rave-up as it did as a hit for the Material Girl.

Some lyrics could be stronger, and the title track drags a bit compared with those around it, but the overall groove is solid.

-- Scott Bauer, AP Writer