Stars
The Five Ghosts
Vagrant
After doing some hard time as a favorite iPod playlist, Stars’ albums from 2004 and 2007, Set Yourself on Fire and In Our Bedroom After the War, respectively, were retired and replaced by the release of the band’s latest album, The Five Ghosts. But not for too long. After a first listen, I missed the lovesick ballads and the clever mix of angsty and upbeat I had so guiltily and diligently indulged in on previous releases.
Take The Five Ghosts’ opener, “Dead Hearts,” for example, which reads like my most recent session at the psychotherapist’s office. Stars’ lyrical question-and-answer-style was more endearing on In Our Bedroom After the War, and I wish it didn’t remind me right off the bat of what I loved most about their older work. For the majority of the tracks on the new record, Stars misuse their talent, specifically, drowning out their drummer Pat McGee with a soulless beat machine and stepping away from the boy-girl ballad method they employ so well.
“Wasted Daylight” could have used a little more development musically (i.e., cut the chorus in half) and sounds more like a waste of some clever lyrics, which much of their audience swoons for. With a little help from their website’s feature of the video, I came to like “Fixed”, thanks to singer-guitarist Amy Milan’s angelic voice.
“We Don’t Want Your Body” is a standout and appropriate choice for the middle of the album—I might not have made it through otherwise. The following track, “He Dreams He’s Awake” waits nearly three minutes to kick in to a tune worth listening to. Finally, three-fourths into the track, the vocals and instruments finally manage to synch up,but much too little, too late.
Milan’s the star again on “Changes,” an inspiring track that features some rich orchestra coupled with a funky, synth-driven beat, which is different from almost anything I’ve heard from them and (cross your fingers!) could signal that they haven’t completely lost their game.
The next few songs feel like fodder… I mean, really, with lyrics like “this is the last song ever written… this is the last time there will be a last time,” it’s hard to take the album seriously, especially considering lead singer Torquil Campbell’s often overly theatric voice.
Stars need to take one step away from the separated feel of this album and a few steps back toward the nuanced duet sounds of their previous work. Discourse plays out in some of their “Making Of The Five Ghosts” video, which leads me to wonder if the lack of organization and track development here is the symptom of an overall illness. Milan and Campbell sound best when balanced together, period. The inner teenager still trapped inside of me hopes they can make a comeback worth waiting for.
