Music like Marker Starling

Chris A. Cummings (born 29 May 1969), known professionally as Marker Starling (and formerly as Mantler), is a Canadian songwriter and musician.

Born in Toronto, Cummings studied classical piano from age 7 to age 20, and wrote songs of his own as a 7-year-old which were preserved by his parents on cassette tape. After studying Film Production at Toronto's York University, Cummings started writing and recording songs in his late twenties. His debut album, Doin' It All (Le Systeme Records) appeared in 2000. Produced by James Duncan, the album featured only Wurlitzer electric piano, drum machine and voice, and was characterized by Allmusic as "fragile and highly evocative".

Mantler's second album, Sadisfaction, was released on Germany's Tomlab label in October 2002. Although receiving little attention at the time, it did garner a Pitchfork review, which, while noting the contrast of elements (the "defiantly tinny drum machine" versus the "ultra-naturalistic cool jazz trumpet" in the song "Hoped-For Chance"), ultimately felt that the album was weighed down by its "unrelieved gloom." This was followed by his third album Landau (2004), which was called "casio pop of the highest order" by Almost Cool., while XLR8R called its "lounge-crooning soul" an "acquired taste."