Archive for the ‘Stars’ Category
Stars – Sad Robots EP
When I heard the Stars were releasing an EP, I wasn’t overly excited. I still had a bad taste left in my mouth from “In Our Bedroom After The War”. I felt that it was just a poor record and right now, I barely remember listening to the record altogether.
I went over to the Stars myspace page to listen to some of their songs on the EP only to be disappointed to see just a live track. The ad on the top is “great” with the big letters “Are You A Sad Robot?”. The ad sucks, even if I were sad/depressed what exactly is the point? Are the Stars going to somehow heal me or put a smile on my face? Last I checked they were either going to make me feel more regret with their amazing pop songs or make me want to kill myself with their poor quality. Besides that who would admit that they are robots? Robots aren’t sad because they are a robot. Robots are happy because they are robots.
I’m obviously over thinking things at this moment but the ad just did not inspire me to bother checking out the EP.
Other then the ad sounding overtly emo or melodramatic, I never found the Stars to be inspiring in that way. This record surely doesn’t have melodramatic written all over it. Instead, it sounds somber and almost restrained but still good.
The starting to this album sucks. For a pop band like Stars, we get an instrumental track (Maintenance Hall 4am) that is really just light piano work with random electronica/dance like noises. It’s not a bad song but with the next tack, the 30 second intro felt like a full hour. In general, it takes a little bit too long for the EP to pick up. The longest track “A Thread Cut With A Carving Knife” is almost 6 minutes long and it takes a full 3 minutes and a half to finally get Amy Milian’s Millan (why did I think it was Milian?) voice. Waiting 5 minutes for the best singer in the grounp is just way too long especially when Torquil Campbell’s vocals need to be carried (see After All That, Its Come To This by Amos the Transparent f. Amy Milian Amy Millan as fully utilizing her).
At least after the first two tracks, it picks up with Undertow. Vocals are sung mainly (or completely) by Millan who can light up a room with her lungs. The thing that really makes me gravitate toward this track is the autoharp-sounding (I can’t tell for sure) strumming. It really just adds a perfect element to a great song. I’m also kind of confused with the live track of “Going, going, gone”, the quality is great and it doesn’t have that live track features. There are no imperfections or rawness of a live session or the crowd singing along. Fundamentally it is a normal track that doesn’t sound like it is live. As a “live” track I guess I’m disappointed but it’s a solid track on its own.
The latter tracks are decent, with Sad Robot sung by Millan entirely in French. She has an awesome voice but musically I wasn’t feeling it.
There’s no real problem with this EP, it’s a solid collection of songs, though I would argue the 2 starting songss kind of suck. I like these tracks more then their previous LP which somehow made it on the short list for the Polaris Music Prize. It moves somewhat back into the direction of Set Yourself On Fire.
Rating: 3 out of 5
I still hate the ad though. I wasn’t sad nor a robot to enjoy this small record.
Playlist for the End of The Olympics
I’m very tired today and can’t muster a review and you know what it’s a great time for a playlist. The Olympics ended today and while I hate all the coverage, it was pretty entertaining to watch Michael Phelps swim his way to 8 gold medals and a bunch of world records and Usain Bolt jogging his way to some world records. From sheer idiotic moments with Cuban TKD athlete kicking the judge in the face to sometimes sad moments (US Volleyball coach’s Father-In-Law being killed).
Being a sports writer at Sport Chit Chat (shameless plug) I’m glad it’s over as I can begin writing commentary on sports again. Then again, let’s celebrate it with a playlist.
1. Exo-Politics by Muse – the lead up before the games were all about politics
2. The Opening Act by Drive-By Truckers – the opening ceremony was amazing
3. Expecting by The White Stripes -as Canadians we expect to suck, Americans expect nothing else but gold
4. Gold Lion by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
5. Swimming Pools by Thao Nguyen With The Get Down Stay Down
6. The First Five Times by Stars – it was jaw dropping after the first five times
7. You Are A Runner I Am My Father’s Son by Wolf Parade
8. Too Too Too Fast by Ra Ra Riot
9. Missing The Boat by Modest Mouse
10. Late Night Television by The Pomegranates
11. What’s My Age Again by Blink 182 – the age debate is comical
12. I Am History by The Bell
Playlist Dedicated To Leap Years
Today is February 29 and I won’t be allowed to say it for another 4 years and considering many blogs die after that period of time, this may be my one and only chance to do a leap year playlist!
This playlist was REALLY hard to think of. I didn’t have any tracks that included “leap” and that makes me sad lol.
1. Drift Away by Uncle Kracker (only title in my library with “drift” as our calendar would drift off if there were no
2. I Stand Corrected by Vampire Weekend (the point of leap years is to correct our calendar as approximately 1 year has an extra 6 hours)
3. Calendar Girl by Stars
4. Hours That You Keep by Maritime
5. Pace is the Trick by Interpol
6. Common People by Pulp (Doesn’t a leap year wish it wasn’t the black sheep and be a common year?)
7. The Happy Birthday Song by Andrew Bird (February 29 is arguably the coolest day to have a birthday on!)
8. Holla, Holla by Ja Rule (other then Saul Williams there aren’t many other musicians with February 29 as a birthday)
Only 8 tracks but enjoy!
Playlist for Valentines Day
Valentines Day is great some people as it’s supposed to be a day of love but it can be a reminder on just how much it sucks to be lonely and single. Some might say it’s just a corporate ploy just for people to buy lavish gifts on some arbitrary day that I have no idea where it originated from (don’t feel like wiki-ing this one). For me personally Valentines Day, comes and go. I’m really indifferent about the day, it’s nice to see the love in the air but I can see how one can despise it as it’s really great to be with someone. I’ll do a list of some good love songs or ones that are of the “love sucks” variety.
1. No One’s Gonna Love You by Band of Horses
Such a misleading title but have you ever felt the need to say to your lover “no one is ever gonna love you like I do” because that perfectly describes how head over heels you are?
2. I Don’t Love Anyone by Belle & Sebastian
One of my favorite songs and one that makes me feel good about being alone and single.
3. Lover I Don’t Have To Love by The Bright Eyes
This song is dedicated to those who aren’t looking for a relationship but are just looking for flings and not being emotionally tied to someone.
4. First Day of My Life by The Bright Eyes
Arguably one of the best love songs out there.
5. Crown of Love by The Arcade Fire
One of my favorite Arcade Fire tracks. Mainly about the inability to love just one person and usually involving moving on to the next person and the next.
6. Everyday I Love You Less and Less by The Kaiser Chiefs
Sometimes love does wave and this song perfectly describes it an upbeat manner.
7. Song For A Sleeping Girl by the Devics
This song describe the feeling of sleeping next to someone and really the sheer enjoyment of watching someone sleep. It’s one of my favorite love songs.
8. Modern Girls & Old Fashioned Men by The Strokes and Regina Spektor
Needed an excuse to include this awesome song, it’s about love so it fits.
9. What I’m Trying To Say by Stars
Saving you love someone is harder then it looks (when you whole-heartedly mean it).
10. Girl Inform Me by The Shins
This one goes for us guys who don’t really “understand” women and just sometimes need to be told!
11. I’m Leaving You Because I Don’t Love You by Jens Lekman
Pretty self-explanatory.
12. You Were Meant For Me by Jewel
I love this song, not ashamed heh.
13. Strange Powers by The Magnetic Fields
Some people just hypnotize you.
14. Love Astronaut by Murder Mystery
I like the line “I go looking for love but is it looking for me?”.
Stars – In Our Bedroom After the War Review
The Stars have released In Our Bedroom After the War for a few months on the internet. I thoroughly enjoyed the previous release “Set Yourself On Fire” and that would rate as a 5 out of 5 as it was good from top to bottom (for me anyway).
First off when I listed this to album, it gave off a bad vibe because all the other Stars’ stuff was easy to like and I usually liked it instantly. I felt greatly disappointed as I listened to it more. Firstly there aren’t many songs for me to cling on to if I don’t like the album as a whole. The album in general seems very mellow and it was less poppy that got me so incredibly addicted from the last album. The first half I totally hated and while the second half is a bit better…I wish for the sake for me considering the Stars a band to follow a lot, that I never heard about this album.
I’m being honest here and I hate to give a bad review for bands I generally like and bands from Canada too. This just simply my opinion and this album is coming off my hard drive in which I will probably forget and look forward to new stuff in the future. This album gets a 2 out of 5 from me. Not impossible to listen to but I find myself bored more times then not and changing to the next album when I’m listening to “In Our Bedroom Before the War”. I hate giving out a bad review but yeah it’s deleted off my computer and I forgot to upload a song.
So here’s a video of Your Ex-Lover Is Dead:
Albums Out This Week
When it comes albums out this week, an album I must check out is the Star’s In Our Bedroom After the War. Set Yourself On Fire was an amazing album and while it’s probably high expectations to follow hopefully they are the type to improve or match the greatness that was SYOF. It has been released digitally though I haven’t yet come to the idea of paying for something if I am able to purchase it online. It’s just weird.
If there’s only complaint about Stars. Is that it is really hard to do searches on them since Stars is in everything making it different to find pictures and other things. The Stars being a Canadian band also helps as we gotta cheer on homegrown talent. I just read some stuff online Stars’ frontman and his distaste with critics especially Pitchfork. Just know that everything
Here is Take Me to The Riot off of YouTube from In Our Bedroom After the War:
Other albums possibly worth checking out: Athelete’s Beyond the Neighborhood, PJ Harvey’s White Chalk (never really got into her stuff though), Jose Gonzales’ In Our Nature (heard some stuff by him that I liked), Iron&Wine’s Shepherd’s Dog, and Canadian band the Weakerthans. I’ll see if I can get my hands on these and hopefully you will get to see some of these reviewed!
