Prior to his recent legal troubles, producer Phil Spector sought out the melancholy Brit-pop outfit Starsailor for work. "I think he got carried away with this as his 'big comeback,'" says singer James Walsh. It wasn't quite meant to be, as Spector's Wall of Sound production is evident on only two tracks from the band's second album, Silence Is Easy: the slow-building, dramatic title song and the string-drenched "White Dove."

"That was one of the reasons why we didn't want to go too far with Spector," Walsh continues. "We wanted to create something on our own so we could feel that however successful it was it was off our own songs and not because of Phil Spector. I think if we had done a whole album with Phil Spector, like everything he's done before it would have become 'the Spector album' -- like the Ramones' [End of the Century]."

Starsailor began work on Silence in March 2002 shortly after their debut, Love Is Here, was released in the U.S. The group wrapped recording this past August and though Silence has found its way to U.K. retail, it won't be released in the U.S. until January 27th. According to Walsh, the group battled the common sophomore jinx demon of trying to move forward while not alienating the fan base created by Love. "We wanted to make sure we struck that fine balance between giving people something new and fresh and exciting but still keeping the soul and the general style that made us popular in the first place," he says. "Songs like 'Shark Food' and 'Music Was Saved' are quite a departure for us, but at the same time we didn't want to make a drum-and-bass record or a heavy metal record."

Though the writing process was hampered by promotional duty for Love, Walsh says the touring sharpened the band's chemistry, and the birth of his daughter gave the band's members some much needed time away from Starsailor. "It's a lot more uplifting [than Love]," Walsh says of the group's post-baby set of songs. "When something like that happens, it's hard to have any kind of negative feelings. It gave us a confidence as well. We just sort of were at ease with our abilities because we sort of mastered our craft and we were really excited to be playing together again. We've definitely come of age with this record. I think we've discovered our balls to an extent."

Starsailor tour dates:

1/15: Detroit, St. Andrew's Hall
1/17: Toronto, The Guvernment
1/18: Montreal, Cabaret Music Hall
1/20: Boston, Paradise Rock Club
1/22: New York, Irving Plaza
1/23: Philadelphia, Theater of Living Arts
1/24: Washington, DC, 9:30 Club
1/28: Chicago, Metro
1/29: Minneapolis, Fine Line Music Cafe
1/31: Boulder, CO, Fox Theater
2/3: Vancouver, Commodore Ballroom
2/4: Seattle, Crocodile Cafe
2/5: Portland, OR, Berbati's Pan
2/7: San Francisco, Slim's
2/11: Los Angeles, El Rey Theater
2/12: San Diego, Mira Mesa Epicenter

DAVID PEISNER and ANDREW DANSBY
(November 24, 2003)