"I waited for an hour and finally gave up"

It's been an incredibly long day filled with a light but never-ending snowfall and an excess of people who have no business driving in such icy streets due to overwhelming timidness or a complete lack of fear and brains. Nonetheless, I'm trying not to break the planned streak of posts here and so while I sleep on the job tomorrow, I hope you're listening to this one.

The Village Voice said of In Our Bedroom After the War, "only a great fool would be satisfied with just a track or two" and well I guess I was quite foolish because there are only a pair of songs I unquestionably loved on this one. I've been in devoted to Stars for some time, but I'm still unsure where I want to weigh this album against their previous works (and that's further fueled by my frustration that most fans will choose the wonderful Nightsongs as their least favorite). For me I think it might eventually have to be this one, but there is a reason it made the cut for the blog. I'm still undecided and my final call is clouded by two factors:

Firstly, while Torquil Campbell's hard-on for the Smith's and the bands inclination towards pointless theatrics are overstated and wearing on me, Amy Millan could sing me the morning newspaper and I'd be absolutely beside myself, enamored by her voice. Even when I'm bored with the song I want to keep hearing her.

Secondly, there is that aforementioned pair of exceedingly good songs on the album. Today I'm offering up "Personal," a song that stands out for the same reason everyone's favorite song on Set Yourself On Fire was ""Your Ex-Lover Is Dead." Amy and Torquil interact rather than simply share vocals and it makes the tale they spin that much more real for the listener. For me it was also a suitable song to have at my disposal because I spent a fare share of unsuccessful time dedicated to the personals this year. *Shrug*

Anyway, I'm going to end abruptly and you can chime in with your arguments about this album. Meanwhile, stay tuned for more Canadians tomorrow. Additionally, if you're in the Denver area, I'll be at this potentially fun charity event tomorrow.

Stars - download "Personal"

visit the band
buy the album