Starling Crush

Summoning the classic sound of enigmatic record label 4ad and crafting songs with the tension of modern Brit rock and distinctly American influences, Starling Crush aren’t looking to follow any of the current musical trends with their debut album Tea Leaves, Murder and Dreaming, they’re inspiring their own.

Cultivated in a tree house-like studio in Brooklyn, NY, the band is comprised of vocalist / songwriter Jennifer Glass and guitarist / producer Michael Simone. Deciding to divert from the work they had been building independently, the two set their sites on recording an album that made sense from start to finish. “There weren’t any rules or time limits,” says Simone “We just wanted to take Jennifer’s songs and make them sound like the records we grew up lionizing, and then build a band that could do the album justice.” It’s of little surprise then to discuss the album without mentioning apparent influences that range from The Cocteau Twins, The Sundays, Snow Patrol (a cover of their song “You Could Be Happy” appears on the record) and Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen? Maybe we should rewind.

Jennifer Glass was born in West Virginia, raised in Mississippi and later New Hampshire, before eventually migrating to New York. Glass’ first introduction to the music world was an appearance on Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen, where she covered "Bobby Jean” (recorded in Nashville with famed bluegrass artist Sam Bush and his band) and garnered critical acclaim for her unique interpretation of a rock classic. Her first solo effort, the Little Shout EP was released in 2006, followed by stints opening for Rhett Miller, Dave Matthews Band and Ben Kweller. In 2007, Decca/Universal released a DVD of her performance on World Café Live. Dave Marsh, celebrated rock journalist and host of the Sirius radio program “Kick Out The Jams”, says Glass “speaks from the heart”, an essential element of her soulful, melodic writing.

Michael Simone was born and bred in North Carolina, and spent the first part of the millennium enjoying massive success under the name Lovesky. His single Drums 4 Better Daze sold record amounts of vinyl and appeared on various definitive DJ mix CDs. Worldwide praise followed from DJs, producers and dancers alike for his unique production style of rhythmic tracks dripping with stark emotion and featuring his own vocals and live instrumentation. A quarter of a million units later, the four on the floor and Rave culture found Simone at creative loose ends: "I'd walk out from playing these parties with a box of records, devastated that it had not been a guitar and amp instead." Putting the breaks on Lovesky and relocating to New York, Simone then formed the post punk outfit Seems So Bright, who would share a bill with Glass for a show on New Year’s Eve of 2007.

Later that week, Glass and Simone would take to the studio. The result was “For You”,
and the beginning of what would become the pairing of the two as Starling Crush. It’s the duo’s distinctly different backgrounds that make Tea Leaves, Murder and Dreaming such an interesting infusion of concepts. Whether you view the result as a nod to the vision of the sonic 4ad oeuvre (Vaughan Oliver, 4ad veteran and lauded graphic artist created the artwork for their album) or Americana with ethereal guitars, it’s clear that Starling Crush has a sound that just might be the start of their own.