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I got this for a Stars/Indie friend of mine and she loved it. I like the covering/ no stupid jewel case to break and bust.
What Stars does better than almost all Indie contenders is fluidly blend musical styles without seeming nothing more than a musical collage. I now own all their albums, including their strange little release SAD ROBOTS from November 2008. It is one of the lighter songs in the collection, but quite nice for what it is. Their newest album, IN OUR BEDROOM AFTER THE WAR, is darker than previous albums, which lyrics that can tear at the listener's heart.
"Barricade" is a piano ballad in the likes of Ben Folds, but with lyrics that stand in stark contrast to the music. Poignant and richly rewarding, each song is something of a vignette of life. Some border on fine art in their quality of writing, even worthy of adaptation into short fiction. Stars is the best band that I had never heard of until this year. I'll be at the barricade. "My Favorite Book" slips into a 70s beat with understated vocals that is quite pretty.
"The Ghost of Geneva Heights," is slow and intimate, with a beat that is re-imagined 70s with a grunge heaviness. Carefully minor key, this song grows better on each listening.
The love dies, but the hate can't fade." A collection of songs diverse in style but equally well done, the album is a perfect review of Stars' varied and quality musical styles. Blending interesting lyrics with synthpop sensibilities, a flare for the dramatic, and dueling male and female vocalists, Stars is hard to quantify, except that they are excellent.
Dark, beautiful, poetic, and addicting: "There's only darkness at the finish. "Take Me To The Riot," has an intense rocker feel, sort of The Cure blended with Arcade Fire, with the piano sweetly singing in the background.
It is probably this reviewer's favorite, full of dark humor and brilliant intensity. Meet me at the barricade.
4.5/5, and a must buy for any serious Indie fan.
All members have metabolized the two pillars of 80s British pop-rock -- Smiths and New Order -- so thoroughly that they don't need to copy them, they just exude them. They are intelligent without being cerebral. I felt that "Bitches in Tokyo" and the titular song were enjoyable but gratuitous and detract from the overall experience. They go on melodic 80s autopilot. At its best, the band has the innocence and urgency of a teen-ager finding the right words for the first time. On the other side, I bet that Campbell & Co.
cannot locate Bristol on the map, and listen to Portishead or Tricky only when they are in wrist-slitting mode.Why this long introduction. Because this heritage seems Stars' strength and weakness. For Stars, the nineties never happened. But they have potential for greatness, and they already have several excellent songs in their repertoire.I heard that the band is very selective in its choice of material. "My Favorite Book" and "Personal" are in this class. But, when they are short on ideas, the songs flounder. I hope they could be just a bit more selective.
They sit of the wide shoulders of Bernard Sumner and Morrissey without plagiarizing them. Prefab Sprout, Electronic, Sundays, Everything But The Girl, even Cure: the intelligent melodic music of Northern England is shimmering inside every song. When you have 10 dry, powerful, needed songs from a Canadian rock band what you get is Neon Bible. "The Night Starts Here" and "Take me to the Riot" are memorable and enthusing. There are many other songs that are pitch-perfect, efficient and honest. Stars are not there yet. It's just a matter of time until the perfect album.
Stars was a band that I loved at first listen. It was pure coincidence: they were opening for Death Cab For Cutie in Orlando and only later did I learn that they were a spinoff of Broken Social Scene (one of my favorite bands today).With "In Our Bedroom After the War" they build up on the brilliance of "Set Yourself on Fire," delivering a solid album that keeps you engaged with the smooth vocals where male and female almost play with each other, alongside with the fantastic arrangements that depart from what you may be more used to listening these days.There is practically no weak moments in the entire album, making it easily one of the best ones to be published in 2007. Also highly recommendable is their 2008 EP, "Sad Robots."
If you are new to them then start with the earlier albums to get a better sense of where their electro-pop influences have come from. The stars lyrical quality is hypnotic. If you are a fan, this album does not disappoint, although the continuity between songs isn't quite as consistent as previous albums. Great lyrics and narrative basis to the songs. Easy on the ears.
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