Starlight Mints - Change Remains (CD) (UK Import)

Starlight Mints, an indie pop band from Norman, Oklahoma, formed in 1997 and released four albums during the 2000s, after which they disbanded. Their last lineup consisted of Allan Vest (vocals, guitar, cello, keyboards), Andy Nunez (drums, backup vocals), Marian Love Nunez (keyboards, flute, backup vocals), Ryan Lindsey (keyboards, guitar, backup vocals) and Javier Gonzales (bass).

In 1997, Vest and Andy Nunez recruited local musicians to begin rehearsing demo material Vest had previously written and recorded under the name Bronze Organ. Seven members united, including Marian Love, James Payne (bass), James Honderich (violin), Mary Beth Leigh (cello), and Scott Mason (drums). They started rehearsing and then performing many of Vest's songs from the Bronze Organ demos, including Submarine No. 3, Blinded By You, and Pulling Out My Hair. After months of rehearsals and the addition of improvisations that led to new songs such as Valerie Flames and Prince Augustus, the band began to play a few local shows and opening for national acts including Guided by Voices, Low, and Palace Brothers. Kevin McElhaney and Kure St. John were briefly part of the line-up during this period.

Within a few years, the band had generated several demo recordings, recorded and mixed at Bell Labs. These demos and efforts by then-manager Scott Booker helped gain the attention of several major and independent labels including Atlantic, RCA, and SubPop.

After playing a showcase in New York City for Atlantic Records, Vest was approached by producer Dave Sardy asking for demos and contact information. In 1999, while the group was on hiatus, Sardy contacted Vest and asked if he was interested in signing on to his new label See-Thru Broadcasting. Vest headed to Brooklyn for a quick visit to meet with Sardy, label manager Kevin Wortis, and John Schmersal (former guitarist of Braniac), who also recently signed with the label and finished recording the first Enon album. All parties agreed to a deal and a few months later Vest took all of the master demo reels up to Sardy's Brooklyn studio to convert to Pro Tools digital format. The two recorded one additional song, Crackerjack, with Toby Dammit (Iggy Pop, The Residents) on drums and Sardy adding the bass line.

On August 22, 2000, "The Dream that Stuff was Made Of" was released, and Vest recruited Nunez and Love-Nunez (recently married) to form a new lineup, adding Javier Gonzales on bass and Matt Goad as lead guitarist, soon replaced due to scheduling issues by Charlie Land. The album found success on college radio, peaking at number two on the CMJ charts. In addition to the debut of the album, the single "Popsickle" was released along with a video produced by Dan Brown and featuring puppeteering by director Mike Mitchell (Shrek 3D, Deuce Bigalow.) The band promoted the album by touring the U.S.

Source: Discogs