The Wake

The Pantages was packed with people of all ages excited to see the band Stars perform. The band threw roses and praises from the stage. The lobby was bustling and the merch table was flooded. “Last time we played in Minneapolis, about 45 people showed up,” Torquil Campbell told the crowd, which promptly erupted into cheers and applause.

Stars is touring for their new album, In Our Bedroom After the War. Opening with “Take Me to the Riot”, the single from their new album, the band carried the energy of that song through the rest of the show. The setlist for the show was composed mainly of songs from In Our Bedroom, broken up nicely with older fan favorites like “Elevator Love Letter”, “One More Night” and “Soft Revolution”.

At one point, the stage lights were brought down, and Torquil Campbell walked slowly onto the stage wearing a jacket covered in round luminous lightbulbs as the rest of the band began to play “The Ghost of Genova Heights”. Stars was joined by guitarist Andrew Whiteman, a contributor to In Our Bedroom After the War, and he enchanted the audience with his impressive ability and beautiful mien. The show closed with a promise to return and a three song encore composed of “The Night Starts Here”, “What I’m Trying to Say” and “Calendar Girl.”

On their new album, In Our Bedroom After the War, Stars has taken their signature sound and let it explode. It begins, properly, with “The Beginning After The End”, a short, subtle instrumental piece that starts with a simple beat, expands, warms, and ends with a short poem. “The Night Starts Here”, the second track, is a typical Stars anthem championing hope, free-spiritedness and the beauty of death by love. It is during the third track, “Take Me To The Riot”, when the listener is showered with colorful confetti, sunshine, dancing, laughter and intimacy, that and the album really takes off. In this song, Stars has reached a new stage in their musical and lyrical journey, one that carries through the rest of the album.

“On “My Favourite Book”, Amy Millan’s Feist-esque vocals and the band’s multi-tier instrumentation create a complex, beautiful song. The fifth track, “Midnight Coward”, changes tempo and mood multiple times before its finish. “The Ghost of Genova Heights” is a combination of classic Stars verses and chorus and a bridge reminiscent of Michael Jackson. “Personal” is a glimpse into a blossoming love through exchange of letters and personal ads, accompanied by a piano duet fronting various instruments. “Barricade” features Torquil Campbell, a piano and an accordion. “Window Bird” is a sweet song featuring Amy Millan’s upper register. “Bitches in Tokyo” and “Life 2: Unhappy Ending” sound similar to Set Yourself On Fire, Stars’ 2004 album. “Today Will Be Better, I Swear!” is long and mostly instrumental, winding down some of the energy produced by the previous songs. The album ends with the title track, “In Our Bedroom After The War”, which features a string arrangement and a vocal duet by Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell. In Our Bedroom After the War is a captivating album that gets better with each listening.