Send "Stars " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 Stars have never done "small" very well-- hell, I don't think they've ever done it at all. The Toronto act, now entering their second decade, have built a reputation on filtering tragedies of the heart through a widescreen lens, most excellently on 2004's Set Yourself on Fire. Even 2007's theatrical In Our Bedroom After the War exquisitely mired itself in misery, sounding more like 13 takes on the Smiths' "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" than the original cast recording of Gypsy.Simply put, then: They know bombast and melodrama, which makes a decent amount of their latest effort, The Five Ghosts, all the more off-putting. For the first time in the band's career, they sound defeated. There's not much urgency, or even a range of emotion, for that matter; rather, much of the record blurs together, forming a single streak of gray. Telling, too, that the more upbeat cuts are the highlights. "I Died So I Could Haunt You" and "How Much More" both deserve a place among Stars' best work, with the latter working itself into a serene build that sounds like a thousand rockets taking off all at once. Otherwise, this is a sluggish record, and a good deal of the blame rests on the production. The mix seems so muddy and poorly executed that you have to wonder who signed off on this stuff. "Fixed" may sound like it's intended to be this album's "Ageless Beauty", but where that song's shoegazed guitars burned brightly, here the buzzy melody ends up sounding as neutered as the song title suggests. The more dynamic instrumental lines are frequently buried in the mix at the expense of bringing out Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan's voices. Campbell aims for an overdue cathartic wail near the end of "He Dreams He's Awake" but slams into a mess of tangled vocals and drums. At his best, Campbell's always been a charmingly corny vocalist; not allowing him his hammy release here takes away his greatest strength as a performer....full text |
| Theregoesthefear |
| Stars are an aptly glittery indie troupe hailing from the depths of Canada. This month sees the release of the band’s fifth album, ‘The Five Ghosts’ – follow up to 2007’s ‘In Our Bedroom After the War’. The record, according to front lady Amy Millan, is “quintessential Stars” – so, perhaps the perfect album for a newcomer like myself to venture into. And venture in I did! Track one, ‘Dead Hearts’, pretty much sets the standard for the whole album – exceedingly adorable electro, with lashings of surprises. This initial number is synth dalliance with completely cute girl-boy vocals plus a Delphic-esque uprising chorus. Track two, ‘Wasted Delight’ is evidence Stars have themselves a slightly sinister edge, too. The misplaced, jagged drumbeat and hopscotch harmonies sound intriguingly dark, perfectly complimenting the contrastingly sugary vocals of Amy Millan (of which particularly remind me of Ellie Goulding)....full text |
| Indierockreviews |
| Music is all about how it makes you feel. I don’t like to feel like a thug, so I don’t listen to gangsta rap. I usually go for feeling sexy, that’s why the new Stars album is an album you should know. The Five Ghosts, well, it’s elegant, passionate, sexy, emotional, upbeat, and something that I’ve been missing in music lately, and that’s pure and simple happiness. I feel this is one of the best albums to be released by the band throughout their illustrious career. Stand out tracks on the album include “We Don’t Want Your Body”, “How Much More”, “Wasted Daylight”, and “Fixed”. Stars seem must never have head the term filler, the much dreaded word that defines careers of most bands. The album is brilliant the whole way through, the recording is impeccable. ‘We have never written an album with this much cohesion and unity’ says vocalist Amy Millan , ’It is the first time we’ve had the luxury of being together in a huge room writing songs off the floor.’...full text |
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