Stars

The Five Ghosts

(Soft Revolution)

Record Review by Kevan Peterson

On their fifth studio album, Stars opens with the lush, yet melancholy “Dead Hearts,” a call and answer between front man Torquil Campbell and vocalist /guitarist Amy Millan.  Not wanting to give up the microphone, Millan continues to carry the follow-up track, “Wasted Daylight,” delivering her trademark mash-up of teardrop verses and uplifting choruses. 

Always providing a darker edge to their lyrical catalog, Campbell brings “I Died So I Could Haunt You” into existence, finding a spot to infuse Morrissey-like ambivalence into the album.  “We Don’t Want Your Body” finds Stars exploring a bit of dance-infused rock, mixing styles like Lady Gaga mixes wardrobes.

“Changes” sounds like an instant contender for a heartfelt scene in a movie or TV show.  It’s a solid song that sounds like something you’ve heard before, but not in the “oh-they-copied-someone,” kind of way, but in the “this-is-great-what-is-it-I-must-have-heard-this-before” kind of way.  Don’t know what that means?  Give the song a listen.

“The Passenger” lifts things up with a bit of '80s synth, before Stars brings things low again with “The Last Song Ever Written,” which is a fine, if slightly downtrodden song, but clearly a lie, as anywhere from two to six more tracks remain, depending on which version of the album you own.