Stars - The Five Ghosts (2010)

I enjoyed this album a lot more than I expected to. I expected the sweet, charming vocals. I expected unchallenging, easily digestible song structures, with lots of pleasant keyboard and guitar sounds. A lot of chiming melodies, synths, and songs about breakup, loss, uncertainty, all things I can easily relate to. What I didn’t expect of the latest Stars album, was that it would be as diverse as it is. It really doesn’t take many listens for these songs to each take on their own identity. The album shifts seamlessly between upbeat dance-pop and lush, atmospheric balladry. Similarly, the emotions communicated in the songs shift from sad and reflective to confidence on the more upbeat tunes. The band, especially Amy Millan’s vocals, are of similarly high quality throughout. Millan pulls off each mood quite well, never sounding overly bubbly or too self-loathing. She never approaches anger or outright ebuliance, with her reflections constantly sounding even-headed. This makes her a likable and aesthetically pleasant storyteller on these songs. This is a moody album, but it doesn’t ride a particular disposition to the point of novelty or overindulgence. It’s constantly believable. The music frequently dabbles with the hazy guitar tones characteristic of dream pop (check out “He Dreams He’s Awake.”) The twee sensibilities are pervasive, but there is more to Stars than sugary sweetness. They use their guitars and synthesizers to create the mood, thus taking some pressure of Amy Millan to be the only communicative vessel on this album. A few songs approach dance-pop (“We Don’t Want Your Body”), but only under appropriate restraint, so this never feels too dancey or club-ready. Millan also pulls off sultry, almost bluesy vocals quite well on “Winter Bones.” The male vocals that appear on several tracks, were rather nondescript, with the exception of the album opener, “Dead Hearts.” This track is a duet—really a conversation—between the two vocalists, and is one of the highlights. It’s about as close as two vocalists can come to having “chemistry,” and is a rather affecting track, despite the awkward transitions into the choruses. If you liked Stars before, I don’t see why you wouldn’t like these songs. I’d expect some fans might want that band to change their approach a bit before album six, just to keep things fresh. I think these are talented enough musicians to be able to experiment a little bit without completely abandoning who they are. The band is very good at musically representing the ups and downs relating to their chosen subject matter. They sing about break ups, about people changing, and about coping with such changes. This is an album that pulls off lush and catchy equally well. It plays like a quick tour through a variety of emotions, all presented with a pleasant pop façade.