A broodingly optimistic new album from Stars

By: Sarah MacDonald –

“The only way I see this happening is in an extended ride north,” says a man who sounds like he is at sea. It isn’t gritty sounding or old or pronounced but matter-of-fact and begins a new Stars record in a similar way to 2004’s Set Yourself on Fire but with a less ominous tone. It is, maybe, hopeful. It is exploratory, kind of like what one would do should they head north.

The North, a follow-up to 2010’s The Five Ghosts, is an ambitious, tender record that reclaims some of the glory they had with Set Yourself on Fire. Of course, eight years later, some things ought to have changed. It shows a maturation and ease on the bombastic tone. They don’t seem like they are riding on the highs of Set Yourself on Fire. Instead, the record looks forward with a handful of beautifully crafted jams.

Opening track “The Theory of Relativity” is an interesting dance number. The song begins with a bell, a man’s voice, and glides into a heavy synth intro. It’s an intriguing juxtaposition because you’d expect a slow jam but are instead presented with a bright tune entrenched with dark themes.

Other notable songs on the record include The Cure-esque guitar sounds on “Lights Changing Colour”, “The North” and morose, yet stunning second to last track “400.”

Their fascination with themes of death and life and love doesn’t cease as they all appear on track “Do You Want to Die Together?” Stars excel at creating a song with a conversation built into it between singers Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan. There is a tete-a-tete between them on this song that sounds like a conversation you could/would/should have with a lover. It’s dark, of course, but simple and endearing and sad. Campbell and Millan’s personalities are different, so diverse, it just works. Millan’s soft, dreamy voice compliments and challenges Campbell’s melancholic statement “what’s the point of life without my heart?” and she replies “you’re not dying now, you’re surviving.”

This isn’t Stars’ greatest record but it is promising. Maybe this record will feel different upon listening to it in a snow storm in late January, the time in which I feel all Stars records should be listened to. To truly appreciate something referencing the north, maybe you should head north, get on the road, hit some snow and let yourself escape into the sounds emerging from the record. Or maybe you’ll end up on the dance floor dreaming about whatever it is the north is supposed to be.