Stars

Stars Set Yourself On Fire added guitars to the band's synthy retro sound, resulting in one of the finest albums of the '00s. On this equally superb outing, Stars bounce between digital and analog sounds, always letting Torquil Campbell's lush pop hooks and novelistic lyrics carry the day. Campbell's razor sharp songwriting and his vocal harmonies with Amy Millan are just a couple of things that put Stars miles ahead of their retro-new wave contemporaries. Whether it's the mad rock rush of "Take Me to the Riot" or the Feist-y romance of "My Favourite Book" or the private pain exposed on "Personal," the band always delivers.

The Canadian dream-pop ensemble Stars took everybody by surprise with 2004's Set
Yourself on Fire, probably even themselves. It was sonically expansive, labored, on the
psychedelic side, but what seemed like just another kaleidoscopic headphone record
turned out to hold one powerhouse song after another. In Our Bedroom After the War is
mellower, without so much of the emotional turmoil that seethed under the surf... More >