Canadian band, Stars, have just released their album ‘The Five Ghosts’, just in time for their Electric Picnic appearance. Formed in 2000, they have always been slightly overshadowed by their fellow countrymen Arcade Fire. Saying that Stars have a poppier sound than that of AF.
The album opens with ‘Dead Hearts’ a track combining lush and delicate instrumentation in a careful balance. Put this with the beautiful intertwining of Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan’s vocals and this is a sonic heaven. ‘I Died So I Could Haunt You’ and ‘We Don’t Want Your Body’ are placed either side of the first single from the album, ‘Fixed’. This trio of tracks are set to be fan favourites, radio friendly with catchy memorable hooks.
The band have updated their electronic sound from 2001’s ‘Nightsongs’ and the benefits can be heard on ‘The Passenger’. It’s not as instantly accessible as the previous tracks and has a slightly raw production feel but it provides a stepping stone to the ‘The Last Song Ever Written’. This track seems somewhat out of place here, while it seems minimalist, there is also too much going on and seems to meander through its three minutes nineteen. In this collection of songs though, this is the only bump.
Occasionally production on the album seems to tame the musicianship as to bring the best out of the vocalists, giving a lo-fi feel. ‘The Five Ghosts’ concept of the album is clever. The lyrics have a melancholy feel to them, even though a lot of the album is uptempo. This juxtaposition is cleverly used to Stars’ advantage throughout.
The band do enough to make this writer want to investigate them further. This could very well be my new favourite album of 2010.