James Arden checks out the garage rockers latest album.
The Christian rock band from Brighton bring religion to the masses.
Recipe for modern R'n'B album: liberal helpings of guest rappers and an overdose of sexual euphemisms.
When I read Stars vocalist Amy Milan describe their fifth album The Five Ghosts as their most cohesive one to date, I’ll admit I was excited about the prospect. However, after the first couple of listens, I have to say it doesn’t have the unity I was hoping for. What it does have is some truly brilliant songs, but it suffers from the same issue as their past two albums - the overall mix doesn’t quite work.
With that said, when Stars do what they do best it sounds remarkable. The leading single, ‘Fixed’ is a real success. This catchy pop tune is very reminiscent of one of the band’s greatest songs (‘Ageless Beauty’ from their third album Set Yourself on Fire), and it’s certainly one for the Stars hall of fame.
The opening track is another winner. ‘Dead Hearts’ is interesting enough to grab your attention as Torquil Campbell and Amy Milan duet in the conversational style which has become Stars’ trademark (best known from ‘The Big Fight’ and ‘Your Ex-Lover is Dead’). In fact, this record is probably the band’s most competent vocal offering of their ten-year career. One of the pleasures of listening to Stars has always been Milan’s wonderful voice. As an established solo artist and a member of Broken Social Scene, there’s no doubt Milan is well-practiced. I’m thankful that her beautiful and individual voice so often comes to the forefront in The Five Ghosts, particularly in ‘Wasted Daylight’, ‘How Much More’ and ‘Changes’.
From the second half of the album, ‘Changes’ and ‘How Much More’ are the standouts. I definitely felt that I could relate to the lyrics of ‘Changes’, as the song vocalizes thoughts I’ve often had (“Changes ... I’ve never been good with change/I hate it when it all stays the same/caught between the cold and the wave”). Here, we really see Stars embrace a slightly darker edge to their music. In the past they’ve sung of lost loves, doomed romance and broken hearts; now it’s all about desolation, death, and ghosts… Somehow, this development actually works.
However as I mentioned earlier, the pacing of is a little off; the tracks don’t really flow together all that well. A couple of them don’t even seem to fit with the album’s tone at all (especially, ‘I Died So I Could Haunt You’ and ‘He Dreams He’s Awake’). I also can’t help but feel that if ‘The Last Song Ever Written’ (with lyrics like, “This is the last song that was ever written/after this, nothing will rhyme”) was the final song (rather than the third-to-last), it would have a powerful resonance. However, in its current placement, it’s sort of forgettable.
As a Stars fan, I certainly wasn’t disappointed by the album. However, if you’ve never heard of them before, I recommend you start off with their gorgeous 2004 album Heart; it’s certainly a more unified work. It is unfortunate that The Five Ghosts didn’t surpass my expectations, however the negatives certainly don’t outweigh the positives. Despite its confused pacing it does have some really exceptional songs. This album only aids the likes of Metric, Broken Social Scene and Arcade Fire by enhancing the growing reputation of Canadian indie pop music.
Like it? Try: Amy Milan, Broken Social Scene, Metric and Of Montreal
The Five Ghosts - Out Now - 4 stars ★★★★☆
You must log in to submit a comment.
