STARS – THE FIVE GHOSTS
A frustrating mix of would-be-hooks and I’ve-heard-it-before production haunts Stars’ fifth studio album. Whilst the lack of adventure means that tracks like Dead Heart and Fixed have an instant appeal, that appeal soon wanes as the nagging feeling that you have heard it all before a decade or two earlier works its way forward in your consciousness. Based on a loose concept of ghosts, allowing tracks like I Died So I Could Haunt You (the cutest of the twee moments) and He Dreams He’s Awake, there is not really enough depth to this basic premise there to carry it through beyond a few short pop tunes. The choice of 80s synthesisers and drum beats only goes to show there is a fine line between retro cool and a lack of imagination. Canada is producing so much brilliant, creative pop music at the moment (Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene et al.) that The Five Ghosts leaves Stars looking a little lacklustre and searching for ideas.
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