Stars – Heart (Arts and Crafts)
Shall I even tell you that this album bleeds lovelorn youth and defines emotional saturation, or have you figured that out by now? The Canadian group Stars are another one of seemingly endless bands currently devoted to reminding us that amore still has its rightful place in music. Luckily, for those of us willing to accept music that’s blatantly cardial, Heart offers an album of solid pop and lush overtones.
Like American Analog Set has discovered the “bombast” knob on the mixer, Stars maintain a steady formula through Heart—soothing vocals (either male or female, preferably both), pulsing bass, orchestral swoons, swirling keyboards and warm drum loops. The songs are a wash of blues and purples; atmospheres that appeal to the most tolerant of us, the elitist crowd. But what’s more, like The Postal Service, Stars also manage a record that binds us musically to our most bitter rivals—the “pretty” people, the ones that go out every night and dance without worrying how stupid they look, the people who get laid on a regular basis and own pre-bleached jeans. It may not be a universal cure of cancer, but the social effect this subgenre has had in finding common ground between two radically different subcultures is an interesting side note.
Throw any barbs you want, in the end, Stars will absorb them and shoot them back with all the delicacy of a Bath and Body Works lilac-scented candle. Just give in and accept the fact that whether you like it or not, Canada has done it again—another great band in their arsenal against American music. Kill ’em with kindness, I suppose.
Stream Stars songs online at New Music Canada.
Unless “cardial” has somthing to do with “the heart” Then it’s not in my dictionary, writing is a creative medium but are you makin up new words ala President Bush?
It does, in fact, have something to do with “the heart” as you so aptly put it.
I keep reading your reviews and you spend an assload of time talking about you. ‘I think,’ ‘I can’t overlook,’ ‘I suppose’ – that’s a cheap and conceited way to review stuff. Readers want to know about music, not your bloated ‘I think, I say’ crap. your fucking opinion doesn’t define the music.
Jezzibal, if you’re not at least subconsciously putting “I think” in front of any sort of subjective statement in any record review written by anyone, you’re fooling yourself. Reviewers write about what they think of the music. If you can possibly demonstrate a completely objective way to do criticize music, I’d certainly like to hear it.
The point of record reviews is to see one person’s take on a given piece of art. It’s hard to present my take on something without qualifying it with “I think”, etc.