Customer Reviews

Set Yourself on Fire

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I first heard Stars live as they opened for Death Cab for Cutie during their visit to Orlando, not too long ago. I was floored. As much as I enjoyed Death Cab, I was more impressed with the performance by the Canadians. I decided to pick up their latest album as the kid at the t-shirt stand told me 75% of the set list was from it. I set myself up, because now I am in an endless loop I cannot escape of. I simply CANNOT and will not take this album out of my player.

Stars is a bit of a spinoff of the Canadian experimental musical collective Broken Social Scene (BSS). They too are a bit of a collective that blends in traditional rock instruments with strings and horns in a way that is almost impossible to describe. When I first heard them, I thought (because of the female voice -one of the musicians from BSS): "This must be how 10,000 Maniacs would sound, were they still around." Enter the male singer (reminded me a bit of Trashcan Sinatras) and their harmonies. Where do you put that? Heavenly combination of voices, perfect balance that doesn't drown out any of the two.

Take the bass work (another member of BSS). If you pay close attention to it, you find out there's more to their bass than the typical sound you hear almost everywhere. The bass in Stars is almost a melodic instrument: it is every bit as much a part of the core sound of the band.

Then add to this the most grandious compositions, lyrics and arrangements, which almost seem to change gears every song and even within songs, from calm to upbeat, from upbeat to ambient, from ambient to lounge... You think it's hard to follow? You feel it's a melange? Well, that is perhaps the most brilliant thing about the band. In spite of the combinations and blends, of the experimentation and the changes in pace, in spite of the special metrics, the end result feels seamless. Not what you'd call "easy listening" but more like lovely to listen to.

Hands down, among the best of 2005 (up there alongside Sigur Ros' "Takk...") and it definitely made it to the list of my all-time favorites as well.

There must be something in the water, or the air, in Montreal. Lately a lot of great music is coming from the great white north. This album is not as quirkily original as Arcade Fire, but is more immediately accessible, and like "Funeral" this set shares an offbeat sensibility that keeps it out of the mainstream pop radar. As I listened to "Set Yourself on Fire" it dawned on me that there are few bands that seamlessly blend male and female lead vocals effortlessly together--Fleetwood Mac immediately comes to mind--most bands are "male" vocalist or "female" vocalist predominant. Tha's one of the things that set this collection apart, that and the great lyrics. "One More Night" reminded me of a similar incident in my own past... Other highlights are "Your Ex-Love is Dead", "Ageless Beauty" and "The First Five Times" but there is hardly a throwaway track on the entire collection.

If you've ever said "I love you" and haven't heard it back, if you've ever come across your ex and wondered what could have been, if you've ever made love one last time even though both of you knew it was over, then this CD is for you. Especially if you love beautiful voices, squiggly keyboards, driving guitars and hip-shaking bass.

Not a keyboard-band, not a guitar-band, not a boy-band, not a girl-band, Stars manages to combine all those elements into one unique whole, where the production seems to vary across each track and yet comes from those same elements each time. They do a wonderful job of harkening to the great lovesick bands of the past while still sounding fresh and original, and the best part about it lies in the wonderful voices of the two lead singers, male and female. Sometimes they sing together, sometimes they sing at each other, like parts in a high school play, and when they do you'll know exactly what they mean, because you'll feel like one of their characters if not both. Then you realize that they probably aren't singing about characters but their own personal experience, and you understand where the emotional depth and pathos are coming from.

Musically the band is both upbeat and melancholy, often at the same time, which is a true wonder, because it makes the music feel different according to your own mood. Moments that drive like My Bloody Valentine are balanced with an orchestral break worthy of Burt Bacharach, and the bouncing beats of New Order, Stereolab and Tortoise are tempered by a strong jazz, lounge, and maybe even trip-hop influence at times. There is a wealth of influence here, but it all sounds integrated into one style, their own, and above all the emotion that tugs at your heart will stake out this band's own territory in your life, so that in many ways they surpass all of the above named influences.

The lyrics are honest and filled with memories of good times and sad times, but always holding hope. Hearing the stories they tell, you can't help but think of your own, and the depth of your own history will bond with this music to increase its power in your life.

This is indie-darling-music at its best, and whether you're driving to work or curled up on a rainy Sunday morning, this makes a perfect soundtrack to your complicated life.

Remember, when it's head versus heart, go with your heart; that's why you have one.

the first two stars albums, 'nightsongs,' and 'heart,' certainly had nice moments, but as whole albums they were decidedly hit and miss. the hits were great, the misses weren't. in this sense, stars was a very frustrating band. you could see the glimpses of greatness, yet there were moments you wondered if they'd ever get past their own preciousness.

fortunately, 'set yourself on fire' is the bands' first consistently great work. the album opener 'you're ex-lover is dead' (metaphorically dead, according to the always clever lyrics), opens with a nice cello reminiscent of bach's 'air on the g-string.' but what really sets the song soaring are torquil campbell's and amy millan's vocals. they're sort of a more upbeat alan sparhawk and mimi parker. when they sing in unison 'live through this and you won't look back...i'm not sorry i met you, i'm not sorry it's over, i'm not sorry there's nothing to say,' you don't hear an ounce of sentimentality. it's the kind of catharsis anyone who's ever endured a breakup would hope for.

'ageless beauty' is the obvious album standout. it's a stirring athem without the fist-pumping. when amy millan sings, 'you will always be aroud' you believe it. it's as near perfect a pop song you could ever hope to hear.

'sleep tonight' is another standout track. when i listen to it on headphones, it's clear just how attentive to detail stars is. horns, guitars, sleighbells, an unsettling synthline, and amy millan's voice all combine for the sort of aural bliss you didn't really think people could make.

these are but a few highlights from an album full of great, poppy, sophisticated, grounded pop songs. 'set yourself on fire' is perhaps the bands reincarnation as a fully-formed and developed pop band--maybe the best pure pop group around. they've finally reached the potential the only previously hinted at. songs like these--mezmorizing vocals, huge hooks, solid production, genuine emotion, and skilled musicianship--are rare. amy millan is a star waiting to go supernova. her voice is a gift. thank god for it.

"Set Yourself on Fire" easily makes the short-list of "must-have" recent albums for indie-pop enthusiasts.

Indie-pop has a definite tendency to be either obsessively trite and cynical or indulgently sappy. "Set Yourself on Fire" manages to skirt the borderline between those categories, delivering an album that is emotionally powerful while not becoming a weepy sobfest.

The band features a very talented female vocalist, splitting time with a competent male vocalist. One gets the impression that if the band gains popularity within the genre, the female vocalist may begin to dominate further releases for reasons more related to marketing than musicianship (see Rilo Kiley, who any day now must be about to change their name to The Jenny Lewis Experience.) The vocals provide most of the album's great moments, but a string section is used with powerful effect and the album has one brief and successful divergence into electronica on the track "He Lied About Death".

This is an excellent album, and it demonstrates an awful lot of talent in pop vocals and production. I would not at all be surprised if this group someday finds itself on one of the major record labels. If that happens, everyone who bought this album will be obligated to decry them and the phrase "selling out" may be heard, but even then we'll have to admit that the core experience of a polished pop act with potential widespread appeal exists here on "Set Yourself on Fire". This is an indie-pop masterpiece with potential to appeal to a far larger audience than it has thus far reached.

"Set Yourself On Fire" is their best album so far. Plus it's one of the top albums of 2005 - that says a lot right there. They are also part of the Broken Social Scene group, along with Feist, Jason Collett, etc. The album has a good mix of slow and fast tracks (favourite ones including "Sleep Tonight", "The Big Fight" and "Celebration Guns"). Also great to crank up on a cold night and sing along to. Something that is unique is that there are both female and male vocals which adds that special oomf to the album.

In many ways, a band like Stars, Broken Social Scene or the New Pornographers somehow manage to make very accessible records without feeling like they were recorded solely because they knew it would sell. Sure songs on this record are quite hooky yet you can instantly tell the difference between these songs or ones from say Good Charlotte or a Simple Plan. Stars last release before it got the remix treatment, Set Yourself on Fire is a very likable record and easy to sing along with and love, that is if you want to.

The album starts off with "Your Ex-Lover is Dead" with vocalists Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan trading verses before they come together at the end. This is an example of a song that gets in your head despite the lack of a proper "chorus" that repeats. "Ageless Beauty" was the big hit of the record and while musically it's quite basic, it's propelled largely by Millan's vocals which are quite ethereal in a way on the song. "Reunion" is another likable track largely sung by Campbell with Millan adding in some flavor. This is another one of those catchy tracks that will become a favorite over time. The rest of the songs are just as memorable although, some like "The First Five Times" aren't that stellar.

My absolute favorite track on the record and probably of their career is the album closer, "Calendar Girl". When taken at face value, lyrically it's very honest in that "life sucks but I'm trying" message and musically it's really 3 chords but damn if Millan doesn't sing it beautifully. When she sings the line "I'm alive" at the end, you're almost not sure if she's celebrating this fact or she's just pointing out the irony considering the subject matter: living without nothing special about it.

Like a lot of bands with duel vocalists, you tend to prefer one over the other (aside from everyone's fav Fab Four). In this case, Millan has one of the best female voices in rock today but Campbell, while no slouch in his own right, doesn't really have the emotive power Millan brings. Kind of reminds me of Oasis' Gallagher bros. with Noel being the more range-y singer but Liam being the most emotive. Granted, a lot of songs on here such as The Big Fight or Your Ex-Lover is Dead work for the trade-offs but when they're primarily Campbell-led, such as the aforementioned "First Five Times" or "He Lied About Death", despite Millan's additions, don't work as well.

All in all, it's probably one of the best records they've done and one of the better "pop rock" releases lately.

The lead singers have a gorgeous voices. Outstanding. The male and female voices blend together beautifully. I ordered this CD after learning that they will open for Death Cab for Cutie and I'm really glad that I did. The stars have such a unique sound that no one should miss.

The same kids who used to churn out jokes about Canadians being igloo-dwelling Mounties named Pierre have now happily scrapped the blue stories in exchange for the plaintive melodies of well-received Canadian bands such as the Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene. Slipping in on a wave of lower frequency than the Arcade Fire's Funeral, Stars' third album further demonstrates what makes the experimental fringes of the Canadian indie domain so appealing. Vocalists Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan sing about romantic tension, interconnectedness, mortality and other angst-invoking issues circulating in young minds with a quiet maturity that lets you ingest the music with none of the depressed emo aftertaste. Complemented with the blend of soft electronica and delicate layers of horns and strings, the album captures the medium between youthfulness and sophistication that so aptly embodies the salad days.

The standout tracks are those that juxtapose the ethereal vocals and the lyrics' often vicious imagery, producing a sensation not unlike being slapped by a really soft, sweet-smelling hand. Millan and Campbell's feathery voices glide through the exquisite "One More Night" as though it were a dainty love duet, until you realize that the guy is driven to nearly sadistic behavior in the bedroom, spurred on by his lover's emotional detachment. Similarly, the tender orchestral melody in "Celebration Guns" belies the indignation over world leaders misleading their citizens into battle, "And then the next day how will you know your enemy / By their color or your fear / One by one you can cage them in your freedom / Make them all disappear."

Relationship abuse and war against the backdrop of superb musicianship in twee flavor: this is what Belle & Sebastian might have sounded like in their formative years had anyone been listening to them 10 years ago. Stars, with this album, gives an opportunity to amend our mistakes to both experimental pop and Canada.

I bought this album on a whim. I liked the cover art...Well, besides that, the release from the mostly-Canadian Arts Crafts label enticed me. Truly, this is one of my favorite labels, representing such great artists as Broken Social Scene, Feist, The American Analog Set, and of course, Stars.

The first song on this album is amazing. It would fit perfectly at the climax of any romance movie. The orchestral beauty and lovely vocals by Amy Millan make this song a masterpiece. Stars manages to blend male and female vocalists seamlessly, most noticeably on this first track. Other highlights include the etheral "Ageless Beauty" (a bit reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine), "The Big Fight", "Celebration Guns", and "Calendar Girl". Unlike many pop bands, Stars has good vocalists. Along with this, the pleasant instrumentation and occasional synthesizers make this album completely listenable and inoffensive.

There are some tracks that don't keep the momentum of this album. I really think they could have been a bit more selective with the songs they put on this disc. Despite the skipper tracks, I do love this album. They are not revolutionaries, but they do pop music at its best. Fans of Death Cab for Cutie, or Arts & Crafts supporters will find a lot to appreciate in "Set Yourself on Fire"