Canadian six-piece, Stars, have hit pay dirt with their 9th album! I shouldn’t say that, because they have always been consistently good. They have earned my loyalty. If they release new music, I will purchase it unheard. Stars have returned to form! This, is also untrue. As I said before, they have always been great! However, they did set the bar very high from their humble beginning as an electronic duo in 2001 (I was drawn in by their cover of the Smiths “This Charming Man”), to the expanded four-piece lineup enhanced LP Heart, then to the amazing all-time classic that is their third LP, 2004’s Set Yourself on Fire. It was this LP that blew my mind. An album that somehow captured some kind of unholy crossing of the Beautiful South and the Delgados. Capturing a melodrama filled with broken relationships and heartbreak with fantastic orchestral string-laden arrangements. It was an impossible album to follow, and to be fair, they’ve done an incredible job trying. Their albums are all consistently good to great, and they always bring that Fire melodrama and energy to their live performances. However, From Capelton Hill brings back the strings and their secret weapon of having their lead singers, Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan sing most of the songs together. I don’t know what it is, but the seamless combination of their voices seems to elevate the lyrics to another level. Every song feels that much more important and crucial.
It’s pretty remarkable that 21 years on this band has released an album so inspired that it plays like a best of collection. Drop the needle anywhere and you’re in a song that sounds like it should be a single. This record is informed by all of their past. They have the dramatic duets full of desperate, sad and longing words from their early work, busy arrangements like their great 2010 single “Fixed.” They’ve got the disco inspired dance numbers (a la the No One is Lost LP) of “Build a Fire” and “If I Never See London Again” (more of a Pet Shop Boys-styled circa ’89 Euro-disco triumph), and wonderful ballads such as “Patterns,” “That Girl,” and “Snowy Owl.” Sure, the dramatics can be a bit overboard at times, like in “To Feel What They Feel,” but I think we all need to be bludgeoned over the head to gain some needed empathy for others, if we’re ever going to get out of our current ugly state of affairs culturally.
It’s downright remarkable that they can pump out such all-time songs like “Palmistry,” “Pretenders,” and the cinematic “Back at the End,” and “Capelton Hill.” Personally, I have always loved Amy Millan’s vocals, and this is the album where she is a part of every song! And a special shout out to Evan Cranley, as the basslines here are fun and lively. It is truly inspiring to hear a band this engaged after doing this for so long.
I've never listened to a lot of Stars music, even though Ageless Beauty is one of my favorite singles ever. Listening to the new one now. Thanks for the recommendation!
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