Customer Reviews

The Dream That Stuff Was Made Of

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

There must be something in the water in Oklahoma. Indie-pop band Starlight Mints is often compared to their fellow Oklahomans the Flaming Lips, with the same sort of off-kilter vocals and deliciously strange lyrics. They're not quite up to the Lips' level, but they are wonderful at solid psychedelic pop.

A smooth violin solo builds up to solid percussion blast and a sort of twangy blast... and that's just "Submarine #3," the likably weird opener of the album. Following it is a stream of string/acoustic pop ("Sir Prize," "Valerie Flames"), reverb rock ("Sugar Blaster") and surreal ballads ("Cracker Jack").

The Mints are plenty of fun, with their strange pop tunes and nonsensical lyrics. At times it sounds like the Mints were shooting for a more exotic sound than they got, and that their music couldn't quite catch up with their ambitions. Regardless, it's hard to find indie pop that is much more likable and innocent than this. They sort of sparkle.

The sound of the Starlight Mints is pretty textured, with acoustic guitars, flutes, trumpets, drums and plenty of very creatively-used violins. Somehow all these are woven together, giving a feeling of orchestral richness rather than clutter. And a few of the sounds don't sound like anything at all: for example, a ringing, reverberating twang on "Submarine #3" that defies classification.

Allan Vest's vocals are slightly thin and yowling, in the tradition of Jeff Mangum and Wayne Coyne. And the songwriting is perhaps the best part. "I tried to fly you back to the sun/Then you were attacked by giant centipedes" is only one of the songs, with their descriptions of self-beheading, bloody chandeliers, shaking hands with cats in mirrors, fish queens and "Margarita the octopus."

Fun psychedelic pop crops up in the oddest places. And judging from the Starlight Mints' "Dream That Stuff Is Made Of," Oklahoma was one of those places. Trippy, funky and immensely weird.

Mmmm, best $15 I've spent in a long time! I heard the third song on the album, "Sir Prize," one night on a local radio station during their weekly Indie Artists' Night, or whatever it's called. It sounded so wackily, funkily, crazily cool, I had to get the cd. And I'm so glad I did, I can't stop listening to it! It's hard to compare them to anybody, they're so unique-sounding. But, depending on the song, I hear shades of the Pixies (like the above reviewer said), Rasputina (prob. just b/c both bands use cellos), a bit of They Might Be Giants... but that's just the very tip of the iceberg. I love those bands whose music just says, "You wanna pigeonhole us?? Yeah, well, good luck!" FYI, this is one of those cds where listening to the online samples actually gives a pretty good idea of the sound of the songs. If you like eccentric, different music, this cd is for you.

I picked up this CD on a random Amazon recommendation, and it quickly grew to be my favorite CD. Every time I take it out of my CD player, it finds its way back in. These guys sound so great, every song on here is a winner. In particular, I enjoyed Sir Prize, Crackerjack and Margarita.

The Starlight Mints may take some getting used to, after all, not every rock band has a violin in it, or deliberately plays discordant melodies, but I believe they are worth it.

Pop? Sure. Rock? Yup.. Fantastic Avant-Post-Pop-Post-Rock? You Betcha!!! You just HAVE to hear this. There's lots of bands forging insincere blends of every genre in the book, but these folks do it right, and you can hear the sincerity in every note; Not to mention the obvious fun they're having doing it.

I honestly can't think of another group to compare with the Mints, but Mercury Rev could be the safest place to start. Both groups favor unusual instrumentation, deranged song structures and obscure lyrics. Any attempt by other bands to cover the music of either of these groups would inevitbly fail miserably. Both bands have consistently amazing production values in every piece of music they record.

Although this is the debut cd of the Starlight Mints, there's no sign of uncertainty or lack of purpose anywhere on it. Quite the contrary. These folks sound like they've been playing together for decades, and they sound like they really love it. You will too!

My favorites are Submarine, The Bandit, Sir Prize, Margarita and Pulling Out My Hair, but don't stop there. The rest are just as grand, fun and twisted.

the songs that are good are so good that it doesnt matter.This deserves five stars even if they recorded Captain Beefheart taking a dump. The Mints write nonsensical, outrageously fun pop tunes that stick like a burr on the pant leg. This is what music is about-FUN, and fortunately for Oklahomans the Mints have not forgotten this, whereas the Flaming Lips have. If you liked The Pixies alot, their ghost is resurrected, force-fed corn syrup, and made to sing with Syd Barrett with Queen playing melody. Best buy Ive made in a long time.

After seeing the Starlight Mints open for the Toadies in 2001 I knew I had to get the album after their stellar performance. Often times, however, I see a band play live and their album does not do the performance justice and I end up hating it.
Such was not the case with the Mints. The album was splendid from, beginning to end.
This is one of those rare albums that is an excellent listen from beginning to end. I won't compare the Mints to another band. To me, they are unique.
It's post-pop-rock with a latin flavor sprinkled in the mix here and there.
You want a perfect album? Purchase this one.

Really a fun cd. I kind of overlooked the starlight mints for a while, and I regret doing so.
I can see the built to spill comparison made by another reviewer, but I really think that the starlight mints are a little more original and quirky.
Which means this will be one of the most fun albums you will hear in a while. It isn't something you will listen to all the time over and over for weeks, but the songs will get stuck in your head. Plus, it is definately something you will pull out after not listening to it for a while and have fun with all over again.
I know the claim of a pixies influence gets thrown around a lot, but that isn't really super acurate either. If the toadies claim half the pixies as influence the starlight mints would claim the other half.

Great CD, listen to the samples. If you enjoy them, you will love the CD. get it. get it soon. and if you are any where near norman come see the starlight mints when they start playing here again.

and, if you think the samples are too silly or inane, then don't get the album.
It's not in the indie mold other reviewers claim it is stuck in. More fun than built to spill
better than beulah
quirkier than guided by voices.

Mmmmmmm this CD is tasty. Pop music as sharp as a knife and as twisted as a James Bond villain. Starlight Mints share traits with Pixies (as has been noted here already), Tripping Daisy, Flaming Lips, and trippy orchestral pop bands like Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control. "Valerie Flames," "The Twilight Showdown" and "Margarita" will not leave your head for days. My copy came with a bonus CD with two extra delights plus a video. Why wouldn't you buy this?

Psychedelica, like moss, can grow anywhere. Seems they have a very potent strain of it in Norman, Oklahoma, where Starlight Mints reside. This five piece write pop ditties distored with chamber strings and feedback. Their debut The Dream That Stuff Was Made Of comprises 11 terse surreal nuggets, better when they're rocking the stratosphere than limning atmosphere. Slow tunes do drag. They've been compared to The Pixies and The Flaming Lips, which applies. More pointedly, they sound like the house band on the Yellow Submarine: spry, bemused, underwater.

This album is nothing short of incredible: It's beautiful, it's fun, and it's incredibly unique. The songs are truly breathtaking in their complexity and the cello and strings mix beatifully with the regular array of intstrument. In other words: wonderful. In other words: go buy it now.