Every scene has one band that defines the era and area from which they hail. In the humble city of Kent, OH in the early 2000’s, The Starcrossed was the band that somehow united the young independent culture. Together from 1998-2005, the band skipped under the radar of national attention, but left an undeniable impression on the Tree City’s musical landscape.
The Starcrossed explored a wide variety of styles, rooted in pop-oriented experimental post-punk. With guitars in the spirit of Unwound and Hum, each strum chimed along to the cymbal-crushing drumming of Ahmed Gallab. Singer Zach Bussinger’s voice often shifted seamlessly from Ben Gibbard-style croons to Refused-esque screams of bloody murder, often leaving the veins in his neck on the verge of bursting open. The songs carried a clear pop sensibility, while relying on the interplay of dynamics between punk intensity and ambient flourishes. The band released two EP’s titled Four and Guitars are Science before splitting in 2005.
The story of Starcrossed, however, must be told alongside their “brother” band Sweetheart, who shared the drumming of Gallab. Kent natives who transfered to Columbus, OH, Sweetheart represented the same importance to the state’s capital that Starcrossed did to Kent. Sweetheart eschewed the more melodic and spacey aspects of Starcrossed and focused on straight-forward guitar based post-hardcore. Emphasizing Drive Like Jehu-like riffage, Sweetheart’s pummeling sound emphasized technical proficiency that rivaled any of the great math-rock bands from the early/mid 90’s. The songs ranged from two-minute rages to epic progressions that were built on interweaving guitars, sing/screamed vocals and pure power. The band released the EP Art Is Dead Is Dead on Perpetual Motion Machine in 2004 and completed a full-length album, however broke up in 2006 before it was ever released to the public.
Gallab has since moved on to play drums in some note-worthy bands including Caribou, Born Ruffians, Of Montreal and currently Yeasayer as well as his solo-vehicle Sinkane. As he continues to find new successes, the majority of people who hear his music in the future will undoubtedly miss out on these hidden treasures. And it sucks for them.
Starcrossed – Gun Is The Lonliest Number
01%20gun%20is%20the%20loneliest%20number.mp3
Sweetheart – Oh Snap/Martyr Monday
02%20Oh-Snap_Martyr%20Monday.mp3
Lost in the major label shuffle of the 90’s were too many great bands. 
I will never understand why 
