Glorious Feelgood Indie
Canadian electro indie merchants Stars return with another album of finely crafted delicate electro symphonies and twinkling melodies that light in your mind like the band's celestial namesakes.
'The Night Starts Here' is an apt beginning to the album, after the soothing instrumental, 'The Beginning After The End', the former is a shy crescendo of intertwining melodies and subtle shimmering synths. 'Take Me To The Riot' is an impressive frisky disco tune with a chorus that explodes from the comforting soft vocals of the rest of the tune, allowing Torquil Campbell's rough-edged cries to seize you by the heart in stark contrast to the falsetto he provides on, 'The Ghost Of Geneva Heights', which is sure to be in vogue now Prince is back! Although these tunes delight, it's the combination of the two vocalists together that gives rise to the strongest emotion, for example in the tense 'Personal', which seems to whisper secrets from behind the covers in its fragile, introspective narrative, "Is it you or me?" echo the vocals into infinity. 'Midnight Coward' puts resplendent strings to glorious use as they flutter behind a melange of Millan and Campbell's words.
The lazy Sunday-morning feel of, 'My Favourite Book' will creep over you slowly seeing Amy Millan's warm tone bathing you in sunny contemplation as a sly selection of brass and strings adds some instrumental interest. 'Barricades' may not be the most original tale, recalling lovers torn apart with sentimental and quivering emotion, it's a simple, paired down number with rich vocals set against a simple piano melody to great effect.
The gorgeous sunny symphonies, 'Bitches In Tokyo' and 'Today Will Be Better, I Swear' are glorious sweeping tales glistening with glee, tunes for other musicians to aspire to and to inspire. With the final offering, title track, 'In Our Bedroom After The War' the bells ring out and you feel rejuvenated and ready to face the world after a whirlwind of rich, emotional tunes.