Customer Reviews

Stellastarr

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Stellastarr*, I first read about them in Bass Player magazine. I'm a bass player and I'm always looking for good distinct bass lines, so when I saw this in my BMG Music catalog I thought I'd take a chance since the review in the magazine gave them a great review.
WOW!!! From the first track, "In The Walls", I was blown away!
Amanda Tannen is their bass player, and she is simply amazing.
You can truly hear her talent step out on several songs, but most notably probally being, "Homeland", the bass is so clear and rich, overall she's just having a ball on it.
10 songs on this CD, there is also a Japanese import which has 1 bonus song and the E.P for, "My Coco", has 1 bonus song, 2 videos and an acoustic version of one song too.
This is defnitely a band worth checking out and truly a band that wants to keep their listeners happy by wetting our whistles with new tracks in between of CD's. Also check out their website which is very active, good forum, tons of soundclips, pic from touring, etc.
A++, then another A++

This CD is absolutely amazing. I have kept it in my CD player for months. Every song on the album is very radio-friendly. I predict at least 6-7 of the songs will get air play. I would say the band is very similar to The Cure, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Strokes, and Hot Hot Heat. Actually, a few of the songs somehow remind me of that song "Bandages" by Hot Hot Heat. Most of the songs are happy and upbeat and will surely want to make you jump up and dance. Moongirl is definitely a moody song...sounds like a throwback to the 70's. Untitled is a romantic ballad "There's a great set of eyes, and they're resting in your pretty head" I can't not say enough about this band, and I agree with the last reviewer, in that I can't wait for their next release. Until then, there is a CD single for the song "Jenny" for sale on Amazon...it features another great song called "Arlington Queen" not found on this album. Add this to your cart NOW, and if they're playing in your area, check them out in concert!!!

Yes, Stellastarr* is hopelessly derivative, but to quote the b.d. Wong character in Father of the Bride as he fingers Steve Martin's navy blue tux that Steve has been insisting is black, this CD is really "lots of fun." (By the way, what's with the asterisk, guys? A nod to the Artist Formerly Known as Prince school of band naming?)

Anyway, Stellastarr plays fast and furious, managing at various moments to sound like the Bangles, early Blondie, Sleater-Kinney, and even, in the clashing chords of Jenny, Clash at its most hard-charging. Vocal interplay between lead singer Shawn Christensen and bassist Amanda Tannen, particularly her harmonizing echoes on A Million Reasons, sometimes rises to the level of wistful beauty. My Coco starts slowly, builds quickly to a "wall of sound" Phil Spector would have been proud of and, then, two-thirds through turns into a reggae-tinged rave. Of the ten cuts, only Moongirl fails; it is overlong and ponderous. Also, Christensen's vocal debt to Robert Smith and Jarvis Crocker is almost too obvious in three otherwise excellent songs -- Somewhere Across Forever, Untitled, and the ironically (?) titled Pulp Song.

It will be interesting to hear Stella's next release. On the evidence here, they have the talent to be more than the sum of their influences and by doing so they could become a band for the ages.

Some people might find them trendy or annoying or just plain weird or whatever, or may have never even heard Stellastarr* but I can tell you one thing: I absolutely love them. As I began to play this record, I didn't skip through one song. They all fascinated me and I wasn't disappointed. They remind me of the 80's with their styles ranging from Joy Division to the Pixies. "My Coco" is a perfect example of just how good their songs get. The members of the band range from a talented painter, a former cellist, and an interesting drummer, to and a guy who knew music well, and was striving to just have fun and playing in bands. Once you hear "Jenny" you'll be hooked, I promise! This is one of those CDs you can't stop listening to and you don't easily get sick of because of the catchyness and signature each song has. I was totally psyched after hearing this work of art. You'll be happy once you buy it and listen to it, because it is truely well worth it. Happy listening!

Stellastar is a lovechild between The Talking Heads, The Pixies, and Robert Smith. Take David Byrne of the Talking Heads, let him hook up with the Pixies, and let Robert Smith of the Cure help with the songwriting, and you get something like Stellastarr. The guitarwork on 'Jenny' is especially Pixiesesque, and the album on the whole is really good; an enjoyable listen. This stuff could be too 80'sish for some, but I like what I hear. Pretty damn good.

I heard "Somewhere Across Forever" on some kinda EP sampler late last year, and it was a pretty good song. "No Weather" and a song called "School Ya" were also on this sampler, but I basically bought the album on the strength of the first song when it came out.

It was pretty bland when I first listened to it...actually it was quite bland. I love The Cure as well as the Talking Heads, and so I suppose I was just too stubborn to listen deeper into it. It sat for a long time, then I took it in the car on this ridiculously long drive, because for whatever reason, when I bring CD's that I haven't really listened to very much on long drives, I either become totally enthralled or lose interest. That's how I know whether a CD I am unsure of is really a keeper or not. But moving on...

As you can see by the stars, it won me over. This band will not win any awards for originality, but has succeeded with blending all their influences with some of their own style and character, although it may be difficult to see at first, as it was for me. The songs are fun, lively for the most part, infectious, and the band display some good music with the tempo changes, good guitar work, and complementing rhythm section. There are pretty good lyrics, and the singer does have a nice vocal range. The background vocals work well, also. I guess what really sold me was the live show I saw just the other day. It was a small club, a basement actually, and although the sound quality wasn't too great, the band actually sounded very, very good. The vocal whines heard on the album didn't seem as overpowering during the performance, and the music sounded really powerful and tight. I was definitely impressed. A funny thing also is that songs I didn't care for prior to the show I actually really enjoy now, like "In the Walls". "My Coco" and "Pulp Song" get irritating once in a while, but I really like the entire album from start to finish.

I think this band has great potential. They have good influences, and I'm sure will develop more of their own style in the future, kind of like Lagwagon did so they wouldn't be passed off as a second-rate NoFX. I'm excited to see how they will use their talents later on down the road.

Also, the opening act for Stellastarr, The Killers, were also pretty neat.

Wow... This is the first time in a long while that I picked up a new CD and was completely floored! With sounds ranging from THE CURE to BLONDIE to JOY DIVISION to THE B-52'S, STELLASTARR manages to wrangle up their influences and create a sound that is so familiar yet so fresh that it blew me away. After my second listen I felt as though I have listened this album for years. I can't wait to hear what they do next!

Hmm, I'm not going to make musical history comparisons as other reviewers have, since I find that the bands that Stellastarr have been compared to bear a superficial resemblance anyway. So what can I say about a record that already has over 70 reviews here? Let's see; if you're into thudding dirges made by self absorbed macho posturing psycho wannabe's; then this isn't your cup of tea. Gee, then, what IS Stellastarr? Let's see; they have actual hooks in their songwriting. Romantiscism. Oh yeah, remember that? Songs about the opposite sex? Then, there's musical chops. Whoa, you mean, there's no drum machine? Wha? What else? Harmonies! Heresy! A sense of drama too? And actually knowing where to place emphasis for the lyrics, musically? Well, there's all that.... Put it this way. Listening to Stellastar is like sticking your head out the car window on a clear cold morning and letting the wind wake you up out of a night of drunken frivolity. Now you're sober and ready to go fast down the twisted road with your Shweetie by your side. FWOOF! Yeah, that's what it's like.

Sleepers awake.

Buy this, it's indispensible. It's glam. It's frivolous. IT ROCKS. All you need to know, really.

Stellastarr* is one of my favorite bands to come out in a long time. This album is full of great songs that hit you with an amazing energy. The opening guitar riff from "In The Walls" is an instant classic, in fact I had to see them live to make sure it wasn't a synth. The way they blend their voices together reminds me of The Pixies, not necessarily original, but very well done and very effective. The sound gets more expansive as the CD moves forward. Some of the best bass lines in recent memory intertwine with great harmonies and a never ending supply of guitar riffs. I can't wait for the follow up!

OK, really give me a break with all the negative reviews. You losers know that this album rocks if you just give it a chance. Simply a guilty pleasure at least as good (if not better) than all those eighties bands. To quote another reviewer, as if it were a bad thing, the singer does sound a little overblown and pompous. So what? Isn't that what the eighties were all about?
OK, so screw it. Why am I even mentioning the eighties. This album rocks. Buy it - and sue me if I'm wrong.