Stars Release An Eerie One
Stars' new release leaves your head in the sky.
Stars
The Five Ghosts
Released on Jun 22, 2010
There must be something in the water in Canada. Or some sort of otherworldly explanation for why Canada is pumping out some on the best indie rock available. It’s been three years since the Broken Social Scene’s side project Stars released their acclaimed record In Our Bedroom After The War and they are returning with vengeance. With their own label this go round, Soft Revolution, and a return to their electro-pop driven songs, The Five Ghosts continues the band’s crafty touch on the indie scene.
The Five Ghosts hits hard from the beginning with the track “Dead Hearts” which features a fantastic interchange between Amy Milan and Torquil Campbell, “Dead Hearts” sets the instrumental tone for the rest of the album. Electro driven swells and subtle guitar parts dominate this new record in a simplistic melding of sounds. The Five Ghosts is mostly comprised of tracks like “Wasted Daylight” and “Fixed” that feature Amy Milian at her absolute best. Her simplistic vocal melodies and revealing lyrics on this record continues to put her on the map as one of the most important female vocalists on the indie scene.
The fantastically named track “ I Died So I Could Haunt You” is simplistic pop driven tune with brilliantly ironic lyrical delivery (I died so i could have you/I died so I could haunt you) that sends eerie shivers down the listener’s spine in the most romantic way possible.
However, there are a few tracks on the album that I could do without. “We Don’t Want Your Body” is a less than interesting track that walks a fine line between creative and complete shit. The Chorus drops into a Maroon 5-esque groove that is almost laughable. “The Passenger” feels a bit under thought and roughly thrown together. The chorus borrows some straight up 80‘s synth sounds that disconnect it from the rest of the track.
Songs like “He Dreams He’s Awake” and “Changes” are a refreshingly laid back version of Stars that balances out The Five Ghosts in a hauntingly perfect way, which sets the tone for the exit tunes of this new record. “Winter Bones” finishes up this release in a beautifully melancholy way, so much so that you almost forget the upbeat beginnings of the album.
Altogether, this is a fantastic release from Stars that will solidify their places at the top of the indie rock movement. Intelligently crafted lyrics and deeply moving instrumentation hold this album together just as it has in the past and hopefully will continue to in the future.
High Point
The eerily romantic song, “I Died So I could Haunt You”
Low Point
“I Don’t Want Your Body” sounds a little to pop radio for my taste.
Posted by Shelby Pollard on Jun 28, 2010 @ 7:07 am
