Free the Starfish

Elvis Costello meets Nirvana; they turn left at The Who, cross the road to avoid Busted, go via New Order and arrive at Trevor Tall?s Free The Starfish.

This album kicks off with ?The Power Of Distraction?, propelled by a truly brilliant baseline; this song takes a wry look at modern life through the eyes of an anxious guy who is reading a newspaper whilst waiting for a potential girlfriend.

?Peggy Sue Got Divorced? is a beautiful ballad that completes the trilogy started by Buddy Holly. ?Naked On A Treadmill? with it?s chiming Smiths? guitar leads the song into a truth attack even Bob Dylan would be proud of.

There is some ?pure pop for now people? in the shape of ?Potential Tears?, ?Fishing? and ?Pool Of Happiness? ? the latter ending in a corrosive shit-storm of feedback, after some savage Townshend?like riffing.

At the other end of the scale is the stark acoustic ballad ?Seven Year Sleep?, which crackles along with an intensity seldom heard in today?s anodyne climate.

?You Will Be Desirable? is a brutally honest account of a relationship gone sour. This song has had many a couple nodding along at gigs, apparently unaware of what they are admitting to. ?I Can See It For What It Is? rocks like a bitch on gravy and is for all those victims of, erm, ?Russell dust?.

The centerpiece of Free The Starfish is ?The Boot Goes In?. Imagine the moment you realize your lifetime?s goal, that you have pinned all your hopes on, will never be achieved. ?Boot? captures that tragic feeling, almost too accurately.

This is followed by ?I Can?t Help The Way I Feel? a country rocker with a Pixies? guitar solo!

Perhaps the album?s most hopeful song is ?How Would You Feel?? with lyrics by a sufferer of Multiple Sclerosis, who sees more good in life than an able-bodied person.

I believe the best music has three essential ingredients ? A memorable tune, lyrics that actually mean something and it must be delivered with a healthy dose of passion.Free The Starfish has all of these qualities in abundance.

Ian Wood

September 2004

Website link - http://www.trevortall.com/

Email address - trev@trevortall.com