STAR CITY IS a return to form for this "often overlooked" all instrumental San Francisco band. With a bag full of sparkling ditties PELL MELL deliver an emotional intensity not found on the 1995 - commercially impudent - "Interstate" release on the lame label: Geffen. Not since "Flow" have they sounded so fresh. With all four band members back in the mix (Robert Beerman - drums, guitar; Steve Fisk - piano, organ etc; Greg Freeman - bass, guitar and David Spalding - guitar, bass and the principal songwriter these days - writing all but two - who replaced Bill Owen (their paths actually crossed on Flow) this record has way more replay value than their last release. Maybe because Freeman let someone else mix and engineer it (altho not without his input I'm sure - nah, it's the material man!) Bob Ludwig mastered it. The top down songs are all here. Thankfully not as linear and one dimensional as "Interstate." "Salvo" bounces along just fine - with their signature cascade of elastomer clean guitar lead breaks - as do "In Polka Dots" and "Headset" (my favorite song on the record if I had to choose one). Some songs have such a unique personality they appear to live inside themselves take for instance "Interloper" a befitting name for it's soundscape. PELL MELL's song titles are very accurate in regards to aural description. Always have been. "On Approach" has an eerie sense to it. "Field Of Poppies" has a delightful Caribbean ring that is a refreshing change. On the closer "Coral" you hear a car sweeping by in the background intro (a tip of the hat to Interstate?) and it sounds so final ending field recordings of a storm recorded with the mic at one end of a PVC drain pipe. I hope this is not the end. A much better album from a still cool band.

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