Stars

About Stars

When first hearing the lush Canadian indie-pop band Stars, you'll notice that there is never a sharp edge to be heard. Shimmering keyboards, big hooks and breathy harmonies are the order of the day on a new Stars album. But that's only what you hear. If you actually listen to the lyrics, you'll discover that Torquil Campbell and Chris Seligman might have a more scathing take on modern life than their sugary anthems would first indicate. How else do you explain album titles like Set Yourself On Fire and In Our Bedroom After the War. Stars' literate, intelligent lyrics and dark sense of humor ensure that the band isn't likely to get big mainstream radio play any time soon. Still, in what many fans consider a sign of the music industry's current transitional state, Stars have gotten tracks like "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead" and "The Big Fight" onto hit the Fox show The OC. This got Stars broader exposure than they were expecting, and the band's dreamy tunes were eagerly taken up by the show's teenage audience. Plus, with the indie music scene growing around the world, the Canadians can realistically expect to tour in front of enthusiastic, sold out crowds. Canada, especially, has been a big contributor to the indie scene lately, and Stars do come with an established pedigree. Campbell, singer Amy Millan and bassist Evan Cranley are all part of the lo-fi super-group Broken Social Scene. The sound of Stars has evolved significantly since their first 2001 recordings. Originally, Stars existed as the vocal/keyboard duo of Campbell and Seligman. Their first two albums, Nightsongs and Heart, showcased a distinctly electronic sound with spare, intelligible vocals. With the addition of a full band on 2004's Set Yourself On Fire, Stars' sound matured grew large enough to fill up festival stages and larger concert venues. Stars provoked some industry controversy when, in 2007, they released their album In Our Bedroom After the War for iTunes download several weeks before it was scheduled to hit stores.