Stars – The Five Ghosts
Soft Revolution Records
Words: Angela Toomer
Stars often find themselves marginalized marginalized in the category of light, indie pop. Lately, there is certainly no shortage of indie pop music out there being overplayed by scenester girls and boys. One could argue, then, that the mission of Stars should be to distinguish itself from the mass of other indie bands whispering their vocals, doing away with the guitar, and going heavy on the piano. Montreal-based Stars had their commercial breakthrough with 2005 album, Set Yourself on Fire, and further gained respect in 2007 with In Our Bedroom After the War through the popular single “Take Me to the Riot.” They still, however, have yet to distinguish themselves from bands like The New Pornographers, Mates of State, or Broken Social Scene. Of course, the band’s members are also members of fellow Canadian band (Broken Social Scene), and Social Scene member Andrew Whiteman makes an appearance on the album, so it would make sense that the two bands would have a similar sound. To an untrained ear, indie pop all kind of sounds the same, the catchy sort of tunes that often appear in iTunes commercials or independent film trailers. So, Stars task is to make a unique record that isn’t just background music, but a piece of art, and a complete and unified album, not just some cutesy songs that sound good together. Which brings us to their newest album.
Stars released The Five Ghosts on their own, brand-new Soft Revolution Records label in Canada (Vagrant released it worldwide). The first song, “Dead Hearts” is probably the highlight of the record, with a conversation between Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan. The song is call-and-response in style, and it hints at what the rest of the record will be like: questions and answers about death and the possibility of life afterward. The heavy, haunting (literally) subject matter is a contrast to the light, carefree sound for which Stars are known. The beauty of the record is that they never answer these lofty questions about life and death, even to the record’s end, the most poignant song yet, called “Winter Bones.” Still, despite the lyrical heaviness, the album has a light, ethereal airiness that saves it from being weighed down so much that it’s unlistenable. This paradox: light sound versus dark lyrics, lends a lot of depth and a melancholy irony to the record.
At times the album falls a little flat, aligning itself too closely with the indie pop label, and the sound becomes predictable and repetitive, like in the second track, “Wasted Daylight.” At other times the album is refreshing and surprising, like in the single, “Fixed.” This song is Stars at their best. Not only is it catchy, but it asks a lot of the aforementioned lofty questions, and gives us Stars’ view of death—inevitable and undefined– “It’s the one thing you can count on: we all end floating away.” However, the album’s major flaw is that it never really reaches a climax. It doesn’t grow much, evolve, or reach the same heights it achieves with its opening track. It’s a good album, but it fizzles out. It doesn’t engage the listener, despite its attempt at variety through the changes in tone and tempo. The album bounces between fast-paced dance music (“I Died So I Could Haunt You”) and melancholy, haunting tracks. This is what makes it interesting, despite the fact that it never quite reaches a pinnacle. It definitely isn’t boring, but it isn’t as engaging as it could be. The album wanders—there’s no upward direction, and this is the main flaw. Of course, this wandering matches the melancholy, ghostly themes running throughout the lyrics, but it also makes for a record that doesn’t quite capture the listener.
Stars
The Five Ghosts
(Soft Revolution Records)
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