Every time I pick up a Stars album, I’m reminded of the astronomy course I took last year. Like the rare cosmic event of a supernova, Stars albums start out in a flash of superabundant energy, dynamic lyricism and creativity. Then they die.
This was the case for 2005’s Set Yourself on Fire. The album’s first six songs make it seem like things will shine through to the album’s end. But after “What I’m Trying to Say,” the album fades into a dim blur of intellectually lazy lyrics, stale beats and unoriginal melodies.
In Our Bedroom After the War is a surprising record for Stars because it manages to keep up the stamina that the band has previously lacked. The latest from the Montreal-based band sticks with their dreamy pop vibe but mellows significantly, making an album that doesn’t start with a bang but eases into a lineup of songs about dreary unrest, given texture through spontaneous bursts of energy.
The snyth-heavy instrumental track “The Beginning After the End” is an unfortunate beginning to an album that flows more easily than Set Yourself on Fire. Torquill Campbell and Amy Milan continue to draw upon their interlinking voices and harmonization more than ever, resulting in some of the album’s strongest tracks. “The Night Starts Here,” “Bitches Over Tokyo” and “Take Me to the Riot” are perfect examples of Stars at their best: floating melodies over tight drum-kit percussion that launches into sporadic moments of mushy distortion bliss.
The album is not without fault, however. “Barricade” is like something a depressed James Blunt might play after seeing a crappy Broadway show.
Still, the ability of the band to pace their way through an entire album shows a new maturity and devotion to cohesiveness. I’ll never be an astronomer, but I can guarantee I’ll be doing a lot of Stars-gazing for years to come.
