the fallen stars
found & lost
© 2004 Kiss My Squirrel Music BMI (827257012521)
CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.
The Fallen Stars' "found & lost" features fine Springsteen-style storytelling backed by a Wilco-esque soundtrack that captures the bittersweet charm and candor of the Replacements.
tracks
try this
albums you will love
genres you will love
galleries you will love
By Location
Recommended if you like ...
links
notes
Imagine that Joe Strummer, Bruce Springsteen, and Paul Westerberg were the same person. Now imagine that this "Joe Springberg" married Maria McKee and they started a band with the Stones back in the Gram Parsons years, you know, when they were still cool. Throw in a copy of Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and you might be coming close to describing the sound of the Fallen Stars.
"What do we sound like? Well, if we had come out 30 years ago, we would have been called rock & roll, no question. Now there are so many subgenres, no one plays plain old rock anymore. I could say we're 'garage-alt.country-post-punk-roots-rock,'" says Bobbo Byrnes, thoughtfully strumming an ever present guitar, "but that's a hell of a mouthful for a rock band." Byrnes is the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for the band and is joined by bass-playing wife Tracy, keyboardist J. Williams, and drummer Chuck Rogers.
Their new album, "found & lost," recounts the rise and fall of a relationship, from the loneliness of "Break the Skin" and fragile first discovery of love in "In Reach," through the disillusionment of "Wedding Eyes," and finally the bitter, numbing taste of regret of "San Diego."
Bookended by two theme pieces appropriately titled "Found" and "Lost," the album weaves together songs ranging from achingly atmospheric ballads (Heading South,) to Rickenbacker 12-string jangle-pop (Sioux City) to scorching rockers (Double Down, Coming Home) in a surprisingly cohesive narrative. Stand out tracks include the tipsy, country-tinged ballad "Ellie" and the hard-driving, all-or-nothing "Double Down."
Much of the album was inspired by those close to Byrnes. "When everyone you know begins to fall apart, what else can you do but write an album about it?"
reviews
Please log in to review this album.
Rating: 10 (on a scale of 11)
author: Jam Magazine April 2004 Written by William A. HuffmanHoly Crap! This is freakin' good. Bobbo Byrnes, locally known for The Gypsy Mechanics before he and his wife Tracy moved to Cali, has now moved musically as well. With the opening short "Found," the Fallen Stars debut CD begins a trek through many states- United and emotional - which all revolve around the finding and losing of many things; many of which may be determined only by the listener. The entire album is crisp. It pops from the earphones/speakers quickly and easily. Whether it's an all-out straight-forward rocker like "We Are Only Young" or a softer ballad like "Ellie," each instrument is perfectly placed in production as well as perfectly played. "In Reach" has a wonderful piano/guitar harmony while Bobbo laments of the innocence of going to the beach of younger days. And how the strip was "lit up like a Christmas tree on the fourth of July." "Sioux City," one of many that refer to a specific geographic location, has a subtle hook, plenty of guitar plushness, and Tracy's bass and harmonies in full swing. This tune, and some of the others, remind me of latter Lemonheads when Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield began performing togetherv
Metronome, March 2004
author: By Doug SloanSinger-songwriter-guitarist Bobbo Byrnes and his wife, bass player Tracy Byrnes left Boston two years ago for the West Coast. While there, they found bandmates Chuck Rogers to play drums and J. Williams to play keyboards and guitar. A band was formed and an album was recorded entitled Found & Lost. Featuring thirteen songs that highlight both Bobbo's and Tracy's vocal work, the album deals up a potpourri of pop, rock and jangling acoustic offerings. Combining elements of The Rolling Stones and Counting Crows, The Fallen Stars inject their trump card of Tracy Byrnes' vocals into the mix making for a completely original project. Coupled to tight performances by the band and soaring original arrangements, Found & Lost makes for a very palatable listen.
- author: http://www.ronsaltcountry.com/reviews.html
OK to be honest with you I have a weakness for falling stars. The stories on Elvis in his after glory days, the going down of soccer player George Best, and poet Herman Brood, are stories for me. A group with the name The Fallen Stars is in the first line for me...... Lost and found is the name of the cd from this couple from southern California, Bobbo (most of the vocals, guitar, harmonica and accordion) and Tracy Byrnes (vocals and bass guitar). Be careful the title is Found and lost not Lost and found, which would be more appropriate, unless this cd is a thematic and tells the story of finding love and the going down of it. The theme is not concerning their own lives, but more on people they know. Musically seen we must place The Fallen Stars in the corner of a band known as The Wild Colonials, in the period just before 2000 in the LA scene. Just as with the colonials the vocals of the Fallen Stars are blended in between both Bobbo and Tracy, where needs to be told that the voice of Tracy cannot tip the vocals of Angela McClusky of the Colonials. Bobbo's warm voice does work fine in the up-tempo rock songs, which can be found in the beginning of the cd, as well as on the ballads at the end of the cd. What that concerns is the cd in good balance, powerful in the beginning and fading away at the end. Which is perfect for the story of this cd, the lost love....