The Fashion Focus

Last updated
The Fashion Focus
Thefashionfocus.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 6, 1998
Genre Indie rock
Length43:32
Label Tooth & Nail
Producer Gene Eugene
Starflyer 59 chronology
Americana
(1997)
The Fashion Focus
(1998)
Fell in Love at 22
(1999)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Jesus Freak Hideoutnot rated [2]
HM not rated [3]
YouthWorkernot rated [4]

The Fashion Focus was the fourth full-length album released by Starflyer 59. This release marked a significant change in the band's sound. Where previous albums had focused on loud guitars in the style of shoegazer bands such as My Bloody Valentine and Ride, The Fashion Focus had a softer sound, with keyboards playing a larger role. This album was also the first Starflyer 59 album not to feature a monochromatic cover.

Contents

Track listing

(all songs written by Jason Martin)

No.TitleLength
1."I Drive a Lot"3:15
2."We're the Ordinary"4:16
3."Sundown"3:53
4."Fell in Love at 22"2:32
5."A Holiday Song (Happy Holidays)"2:08
6."All the Time"3:16
7."The Birthrite"3:19
8."Card Games and Old Friends"2:08
9."Shut Your Mouth"3:11
10."The Fashion Focus"3:16
11."Too Much Fun"7:42
12."Days of Lamech"4:30

Credits

Related Research Articles

<i>Farewell Tour</i> (album) 1983 live album by The Doobie Brothers

Farewell Tour is the first live album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1983. It documents the group's 1982 Farewell Tour and is a double album set.

<i>Southern Accents</i> 1985 studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Southern Accents is the sixth studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released on March 26, 1985, through MCA Records. The album's lead single, "Don't Come Around Here No More", co-written by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song "Southern Accents" was later covered by Johnny Cash for his Unchained album in 1996.

<i>Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child</i> 2002 studio album by Norma Jean

Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child is the debut album by American metalcore band Norma Jean, released on August 13, 2002 by Solid State Records. It is the band's only album to feature bassist Joshua Doolittle and vocalist Josh Scogin, the latter of whom later became the lead vocalist of The Chariot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starflyer 59</span> American rock band

Starflyer 59 is an American alternative rock band from Riverside, California that was founded in 1993 by Jason Martin, brother of Ronnie Martin of Joy Electric. While Jason Martin has written nearly all of Starflyer 59's songs, the band has included a number of different musicians over the years, including Jeff Cloud, Frank Lenz, and Richard Swift. The band's sound was initially identified as an outgrowth of the shoegaze movement of the early 1990s, but the band's music has gradually evolved to the point of little resemblance to that of its early days.

<i>Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice</i> 2005 studio album by Starflyer 59

Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice is an album by the band Starflyer 59, released in 2005.

<i>Silver</i> (Starflyer 59 album) 1994 studio album by Starflyer 59

Starflyer 59, usually known as Silver, is the self-titled debut album of rock band Starflyer 59, released in 1994 on Tooth & Nail Records. It has acquired the name Silver due to its cover art.

<i>Old</i> (Starflyer 59 album) 2003 studio album by Starflyer 59

Old, the seventh full-length album released by Starflyer 59, was released on Tooth & Nail Records in 2003. A majority of the lyrics of the songs on this album revolve around the theme of growing older, and the album reintroduces Starflyer59's rock-oriented sound.

<i>Leave Here a Stranger</i> 2001 studio album by Starflyer 59

Leave Here a Stranger is the sixth full-length album by Starflyer 59. Unlike most contemporary albums, it was recorded and mixed in mono as opposed to stereo. Leave Here a Stranger was listed in Los Angeles Times among the Top 10 albums of 2001.

<i>I Am the Portuguese Blues</i> 2004 studio album by Starflyer 59

I Am the Portuguese Blues is the eighth full-length album released by Starflyer 59. With this album, the band returned to its past in multiple ways. The band's earlier albums had been characterized by loud guitars, but later albums saw the band progress to a softer sound, incorporating keyboards. I Am the Portuguese Blues saw the return of the sound from earlier albums, as the band was stripped just to Jeff Cloud on bass, Frank Lenz on drums, and Jason Martin, the only person to perform on all of Starflyer 59's albums, handling guitar and vocal duties. In addition, the album has a monochromatic cover, similar to those of Starflyer 59's first three albums. Many of the songs on I Am the Portuguese Blues were written years earlier as demos for an album to follow Americana. They were eventually scrapped, as the band decided to take a different musical direction for The Fashion Focus. The old demos were refined and combined with several new songs for I Am the Portuguese Blues. In regards to the title of the album, Martin, the band's frontman said,

"I thought the title was odd. There are a couple of proper blues riffs‚ on there, but mainly it is just a rock and roll album – no tricks no gimmicks.... And, oh yeah, I'm Portuguese."

<i>Nearly Human</i> 1989 studio album by Todd Rundgren

Nearly Human is a 1989 album by the rock musician Todd Rundgren, released by Warner Bros. Records. It was his first release in four years, although he had been active as a producer in the intervening years. Many of the album's songs deal with loss, self-doubt, jealousy and spiritual recovery. It was also the first collaboration between Rundgren and Michele Gray, a singer and ex-model who helped to organize the sessions. Gray sang backing vocals, both on the record and on subsequent tours, and the pair later married.

<i>Americana</i> (Starflyer 59 album) 1997 studio album by Starflyer 59

Americana is the third album by Starflyer 59. It was the last of the band's three consecutive albums featuring monochromatic covers. Unlike their first two albums, this album was given a title, rather than fans attaching a title based on the color of the cover.

<i>Everybody Makes Mistakes</i> (Starflyer 59 album) 1999 studio album by Starflyer 59

Everybody Makes Mistakes is the fifth album by Starflyer 59, released in November 16, 1999. For this album, the band continued to develop its sound in the same direction that they had taken for their previous release, The Fashion Focus. The song "Play the C Chord" would become the most common song to appear on their live releases.

<i>Falling in Between</i> 2006 studio album by Toto

Falling in Between is the twelfth studio album by American rock band, Toto. The album was released in February 2006 on the Italian label Frontiers Records, the band supporting the album with a world tour. It was the band's first studio release since Through the Looking Glass in 2002, the last one with lead vocalist Bobby Kimball and the only one with keyboardist/vocalist Greg Phillinganes. Phillinganes originally began playing with Toto as a touring replacement for David Paich, who had retired from the road. Another Porcaro brother, Steve, continues to work in the studio with the band, though he also retired from touring following the Fahrenheit album in 1987. Similarly, Lenny Castro has never been a member of the group, but has consistently contributed to their recordings since their first album in 1978. This is also the band's last studio album to feature bassist Mike Porcaro and drummer Simon Phillips; Porcaro retired from touring in the following year due to symptoms of ALS taking away the use of his hands and died in 2015. Phillips left the band in 2014 to focus on his solo career.

<i>My Island</i> 2006 studio album by Starflyer 59

My Island is the tenth full-length album by Starflyer 59. It was released September 12, 2006 on Tooth & Nail Records.

<i>Too Young to Die: Singles 1990–1995</i> 1995 greatest hits album by Saint Etienne

Too Young to Die: Singles 1990–1995 is a compilation album released by English band Saint Etienne in 1995. The compilation collects the group's singles spanning the period of 1990 to 1995, five of which had not appeared on a studio album or featured on their 1993 compilation You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone. The track "He's on the Phone" was released as a single just before the album's release. The album peaked at number 17 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Silver by the BPI.

Neon Horse was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed by Mark Salomon, Jason Martin and Steven Dail. They were previously signed to Tooth & Nail Records with whom they have released two studio albums. Neon Horse's sound has been described as a being influenced by the music of the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morella's Forest</span> American band

Morella's Forest was a band from Dayton, Ohio which formed in 1992. They released three albums on Tooth and Nail Records and one with an independent label. Their signature sound is noise pop or space music comparable to Starflyer 59 or the Breeders.

Rod Laver was a Christian rapcore group that originated from Los Angeles. Their sound was similar to Korn, Limp Bizkit, or Kid Rock, but as the personnel lineup changed the group wavered from a rock-grounded sound to hip hop, and then back again.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Dail</span> Musical artist

Steven Dail is a musician who is known for playing bass guitar in several Christian metal bands including Project 86 and White Lighter, and Christian punk band Crash Rickshaw. Other bands he has played in are Starflyer 59, Low & Behold, Innermeans and Bloodshed.

<i>Paul Young</i> (album) 1997 studio album by Paul Young

Paul Young is the seventh solo studio album by English singer Paul Young and his last made up of original material. It displayed a stronger country influence than previous albums. Released in May 1997, on East West Records, the album and lead single "I Wish You Love" charted inside the UK top 40 chart.

References

  1. The Fashion Focus at AllMusic
  2. "Starflyer 59, "The Fashion Focus" Review".
  3. McGovern, Brian Vincent (November–December 1998). "Album Reviews: STARFLYER 59 The Fashion Focus". HM Magazine (74). ISSN   1066-6923. Archived from the original on February 22, 2001.
  4. Galloway, Juan (January–February 1999). "Tools / Music / The Fashion Focus". YouthWorker Journal . XV (3): 58. ISSN   0747-3486.