Almost three years ago Stars marked their fourth album with broad strokes of emotional anguish set amidst a cacophony of instrumental angst.
The Five Ghosts
They had armed themselves with an arsenal of new tools, unexpectedly incorporating acoustic elements into their once-sparse electronic outfit. It would appear the Canadian Baroque-Pop outfit is embracing change yet again with their latest album, “The Five Ghosts”.
At its core the album is a wholly devastating affair dressed up with warm electronics and ‘80s nostalgia; cinematic synth pop boiling with sinister urges as Torquil and Amy work in harmony one second, only to lash out at one another the next. The formula runs the risk of immediately coming off as a forced emotional outlet, but the honest delivery of Amy Milan’s wispy vocals is a perfect contrast to Torquil’s theatrical baritone phrases. They are each other’s Yin & Yang; a musical pair that works best in playing with each other through the roles of friend and foe, or the lover and the betrayed.
The subject matter delves into the emotional ruts of dealing with loss, more so in this album than they have in the past. If “In Our Bedroom After The War” was Stars’ meditation on the immediacy of intimacy and how connections can be severed at any moment, then “The Five Ghosts” is the aftermath – the scarred battlefield of those victims left behind. The songs and their nameless subjects find themselves in small vignettes that paint striking portraits of coping with loss in all its bruising forms – emotionally, physically and spiritually.
Song such as “Dead Hearts” present the idea that aside from dealing with the aftermath of loss, but it’s also a pensive observation on noting the death of the various facets of our being; and for once the blame isn’t solely placed on the laments of lovers lost, but rather a generation of lost souls who keep recalling the kids “with lights inside their eyes”. They’re not looking outward, but inward and “Dead Hearts” paints a compelling perspective on how we tend to reflect our lost youth; something that tends to occur at our own hand due to whatever life may hurl in our direction.
The album isn’t entirely composed as a dramatic opera hiding under a “poppy” premise. The song, “We Don’t Want Your Body”, presents a funky stage for the venomous banter Torquil and Amy exchange. The lyrics are seething and hurtful in nature, but the ingenious display of funk and soul is a risky venture that pays off in spades. It presents a playful guise that invites people to get down and have a good time – even in the midst of an emotionally traumatic exchange of painful words.
Whereas “In Our Bedroom After The War” closed on an epic note, “The Five Ghosts” chooses a far more reserved finale with the somber and hazy “Winter Bones”. This decision to remain true to the album’s thematic intent has to be praised, because for the entire duration of the album death is viewed as a powerful force; something that does not result in a happy ending, or the initial hope we’ll improve as we shed the old layers to “move on”.
The album, its subjects and its dense – yet highly danceable and undeniably catchy – musical structures are the surefire signs of a band coming into its own. They remind us that phases come and pass, relationships begin and end – but even as time moves on those “dead” portions of our former lives remain forever engraved into our subconscious; ever elusive as they sometimes manage to creep into the present and show we can never truly run away from who we were, because in reality it’s still who we really are – damaged souls searching for the strength to move forward and never look back.
– Alex Mendoza
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Zune and iPod: Most people compare the Zune to the Touch, but after seeing how slim and surprisingly small and light it is, I consider it to be a rather unique hybrid that combines qualities of both the Touch and the Nano. It’s very colorful and lovely OLED screen is slightly smaller than the touch screen, but the player itself feels quite a bit smaller and lighter. It weighs about 2/3 as much, and is noticeably smaller in width and height, while being just a hair thicker.
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it’ll do even better in those areas, but for now it’s a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod’s strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
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