Customer Reviews

Heart

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I spend pretty much all of my money on music. I'm dressed in rags at this very moment. So in other words I have a lot of music and of everything I have bought, downloaded, seen live, seen on tv, and heard, I would have to say that this cd is one of the best ever.

Stars present something unbelievably delicate, enchanting, hauntingly beautiful. It will draw you in and distract you in the most pleasant way. Every single song is crafted at a first listen, efortlessly, but with repeated exposure it would seem each tune is the result of stringent artistic focus.

But don't listen to all this. Just buy it.



You will love it and the songs will be stuck in your head for longer than you could ever imagine.


And you will be happy with this.

"Thank-you for dreaming with us" ......... That is what it says in the albums liner notes and all I can say in response is "MY PLEASURE!" What a beautiful CD this is.

What I really like about these songs is that they are so accessible the first time you hear them but each time you listen you hear new things that add to the depth of each song. And the mood that these songs put you in...pure bliss! The lyrics also seem simple at first but after a while when you get the whole context of the song, the words are deep. "You get back on the latest flight to paradise, I found out from a note taped to the door. I think I saw your airplane in the sky tonight, through my window lying on the kitchen floor."

I `discovered' this group while reading through the nominations for the Juno awards. They lost out to Buck 65 but hey..at least they were nominated and I tip my hat to the Junos for recognizing these guys. I find them to be a little similar to The Postal Service with the guy girl word play and the new wave-ish sound, although their sound is more ambient synth-pop than electronica.

Standout tracks are ELEVATOR LOVE LETTER, HEART, ROMANTIC COMEDY, LOOK UP, LIFE EFFECT. Stars HEART is definitely tops for 2004 so far.

I have not been so excited about a band for years. I found Stars on www.kcrw.org giving two amazing live performances and bought Heart. I was surprised, the CD is very produced in contrast to their live performaces. This difference proves them right, they are excellent in the studio and amazing live. I was fortunate to see a show in Hoboken earlier this month. Stars accomplishment is a unique and affecting voice that encapsulates many, many post-punk-pop-trip-hop influences of the 80s and 90s. They even dared to cover 'This Charming Man' on the 'Nightsongs' CD and to my surprise it WORKS. I spoke with Amy and Evan at the show and they were lovely. Stars are the real thing,incredible musicians that have found a voice for themselves that is moving music forward. Go for the ride, it's gorgeous and complicated and fully realized.

Stars Heart (Arts & Crafts)
Stars long for escape. Just as the quartet fled New York City for the imagined romance of French-speaking Montreal, its music nostalgically recalls a rose-colored past. They wrap this longing for a better world (or at least better love-life) in a pseudo-Eighties mix of weightless, skipping beats, cheesy keyboards and inspired melodies -- think Prefab Sprout without the conceptual grandeur. Reality never gets them down; the string-enhanced album closer, "Don't Be Afraid to Sing," remains hopeful as it slowly unravels. The Stars add little orchestrated touches throughout that make it seem like they're scoring an imagined indie film. But it's the sympathetic duets from Torquil Campbell (who as an actor has appeared on Law and Order and Sex and the City) and Amy Millan that trick you into believing that enduring love can be as fresh as first sight. (ROB O'CONNOR)

Stars is another guilty pleasure pop band - you'll either love it or hate it. They have two saving graces - female vocalist Amy Millan (who is just amazing) and two hitworthy songs ("Elevator Love Letter" and probably "Death To Death"). Millan is just extraordinary (after this album came out movie producers started giving her jobs, if that tells you anything), and even though the male vocalist pales in comparison he's not that bad. Lyrically, most of the songs are pretty easy and fun to memorize as they're relatively simple. They're also slightly deep ("Elevator Love Letter" is kind of interesting lyrically AND highly entertaining sonically). Not every song is good as it's definitely uneven, but the ones that are are usually great pop songs. "Elevator Love Letter" is the obvious stand-out, and on occasion it even conjures up some genuine emotion (yeah, I'll admit it haha). I would've given it about 3.5 stars if it weren't for the quality of its highlights. It's not for everyone, though - just pop enthusiasts. Recommended!

Highlights include:
"What Did The Snowman Learn About Love?"
"Elevator Love Letter"
"Heart"
"Death To Death"
"The Vanishing"
"Life Effect" (kind of)

heart is stars' stunningly beautiful second full-length album. highlights include elevator love letter, look up, and what the snowman learned about love. i instantly fell in love with stars after hearing "ageless beauty" off set yourself on fire (good, but not as good as heart) on the band's website. chances are if you're not a huge fan of stars, you'd at least heard that song. if you liked it, you're in luck--imagine a whole album full of the same glittery synth, the sweet, quietly sad voices of amy and torquil, and the same mystifying but memorable lyrics. some of these songs might take a little time getting used to, and others might seem like nothing special at first. however, listen more carefully and really think about the lyrics, because they are often the best part.

if you are into indie pop (sans the typical, cloying overdose of twee), then this is worth listening to, and definitely worth hiding from all the grimy wannabes in your dorm. cheers, kids.

Yeah, it's light. It's probably not going to change your life, except that it'll brighten your day and have you singing along with your CD player.

Really catchy, really fun with just the right melancholy tinge.

i agree. 80's sounds. 2000's mentality. weightless pop that lifts you -- driving in your car, alone, grey pop music on a sunny day. as if in a commercial. perfect. a song from this album will be in a car commercial.
if you long for the 80's (smiths + cocteau twins + the cure + book of love) and like to sing in your car then buy this!

How is it that music this good, this beautiful, this well written, this well sung, this poignant on so many levels, escaped my attention for most than 5 years? I can only blame myself. Through some failing in my character, I managed to avoid all contact with the Canadian band Stars until the fall of 2008. Introduced through a friend to their single "Your Ex Lover is Dead" on youtube, I immediately realized that I simply had to own that song, and any other music by such a gifted band. I made up for my inexcusable ignorance of Stars by buying all of their albums in one fell swoop.

I am so glad that I did. Each album feels perfect while I listen to it, better than their others, until I put on the next and my opinion sways towards the one currently playing. I can only say that about a very few other bands (and bands quite dissimilar to Stars. Smashing Pumpkins for one). Combining my love for smart lyrics with my love for all things electronia, Stars is the band that The Postal Service never could become, and whom the inferior Death Cab For Cutie cannot touch when it comes to emotional resonance and musical skill.

Heart, Stars second studio release, is among my favorite albums in the last decade. Songs with a lyrical, narrative style that blurs the lines between a song and short fiction, this collection is profound on several levels. First, the musical quality and instrumentation is outstanding. Second, the writing present in the songs is very well done. Third, this is a complete album and moves from song-to-song in the way a great album does. Lastly, the vocals are perfect and spot on for music of this depth and substance.

This is a rich, rewarding album. A must have for indie music fans.

First of all, let me make it clear that I work with Ammolang, and he's the one who popped this album in, leading to me liking it, leading to me buying it. Now, for those of you who are curious as to what vibe this album is on (and those of you who just happen to be album-title illiterate), let me break it down.
I popped this album in my car stereo, coming home from just buying it, and something strange happened. First the sun came up, even though it was 8:30 at night. Hearts and butterflies started coming out of my exhaust pipe, and like 20 cupids started fluttering around my backseat. Needless to say, I panicked. I hit eject, and it got louder, so I attempted to punch the CD out of the stereo, but I found myself unable to display the slightest hint of violence. Of course, I wasn't paying attention to the road, and regained consciousness only to find myself speeding toward a tree. I freaked, slammed on the brakes, and a friggin cloud came down to scoop me up up and away.

Yep, it's that fluffy. I was that hopelessly hooked. How have I never heard of this band before? Sure, if I had never met my boy Ammo, I might just be so closed minded as to call this music fruity sentimental crap, But, um, Stars, I think you owe him some money.