Stars

Item: Set Yourself On Fire
Author: Jonathan Avants

Set Yourself On Fire

(2004)

Reviewed by Jonathan Avants

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Label Arts & CraftsThe Phantom Tollbooth2005

dream pop indie pop indie rock

Stars proved it has the chops for sultry and smart pop music in their previous release, Heart. For the follow-up, the band delves into slightly more carnal emotive songs that yank up and shine a light on the roots of human nature, primarily in regard to love relationships.

There are, on first impression, a few seemingly contradictory issues that crop up within the record, but on subsequent listens we see that, in reality, the band is simply being true about the complexities of human feeling and sentimentality, and expresses them both lyrically and musically. The sharp lyrical themes of wistfulness and unsympathetic passiveness could possibly be summed up in an overall thought--I don't regret what I did, but I see now that I could have done it better.

Two political tracks present the only true deviancy on the record--"He Lied About Death" and "Celebration Guns" take aim at our Commander-in-Chief and the Iraq war. Otherwise, "Fire" is about a couple frank issues--love and sex--and a handful of more emotionally particular ones: youthful longing, anxiousness about death, and the desire for and taking action to cause change in the world.

While some tracks may seem to celebrate certain recklessness and promiscuity, the undercurrent of conscious regret in other songs gives us the impression that, though they are honest about their own desires and longings to which they have given, they do not promote giving into them as a good way to have lived.

Musically, the songs on Set Yourself On Fire have a very similar tone and feel, neither quite ever peaking nor bottoming out. This may result in some required patience on the part of the listener to get a proper feel for the record, but it also nearly ensures a solid and satisfying listen on subsequent spins. Stars remains understated and relatively subtle in its use of electronic beats and pop melodies, and it results in a delicate and finely tuned recording. Amongst the myriad of critically acclaimed Canadian indie acts popping up this past half-decade, Stars have made their own valuable impression as a pop act worthy of attention.

4 tocks