The Wake

Stars, burning bright from Montreal, create delightful, yet flawed baroque pop. Set Yourself on Fire, the band’s third album, canters through joyful melodies and mellow introspections. Though their sound is light and airy Stars do get heavy and perhaps pretentious with the lyrics. During a few songs Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan’s vocals stretch too far and seem misplaced. For instance, when Millan yelps “this scar is a fleck on my porcelain skin” one can’t help but feel jarred. Likewise, when Campbell confesses “In the year of my decline sucking freezies in the rain,” a disjoint forms within the music’s flow. It seems the band is overextending itself at these moments and it is hard to take them earnestly. Lucky these instances are few and far between. Stars truly master the various binary oppositions in their whimsical pop. The masculine/feminine vocals are well balanced, as are the synths and strings. The effect is heartening and warm on the majority of the songs. With many bands such as Broken Social Scene and the Arcade Fire (both from Canada as well) treading the waters of decorative pop a person can’t help but rejoice in Stars’ contribution. Pop music is beginning to see its potential, so hold up your lighters kids, Stars is here.