#10 - STARS: "No One is Lost"
I first discovered Stars by accident. I used to do a lot of online sales of compact discs and part of that necessitated that I purchase cheap CDs at two local retail outlets. One was the warehouse store of Overstock.com, the other a place called NPS. NPS specialized in selling close-out items and scratch and dent stuff. As far as compact discs were concerned, they would get much of their inventory from stores that had presumably gone out of business. Now, you may be asking why I am bringing all this up and, well...frankly, I don't know. The fact of the matter is I think I got the Stars CD, "Nightsongs", at the Overstock.com store. It was nothing I had ever heard of, yet it looked intriguing. What followed was fme discovering one of the greatest bands of the 21st Century. Canada's Stars, fronted by Torquil Campbell, are a quirky Indie band that features the joint vocals of Torquil and Amy Millan. I once heard them referred to as the band that put the world's saddest lyrics to the world's happiest music, and that is...well...spot on.
"No One is Lost" is nothing special, when compared to the growing catalog of Stars. That said, pretty much any Stars album would be worthy of a spot on my Top 20 list. These guys are NOT capable of writing a song that isn't catchy. And, if that wasn't enough going for them, this album even includes some audio snippets of conversation from various people, including a snippet from Mark Hollis, lead singer of Talk Talk. There is nary an artist that I respect more than Mr. Hollis and his very presence on this album gives this album a lift above its already respectable place.
For now, I will revel in the brilliant Pop music of Stars... and quietly look forward to their next outing...
"From the Night"
"No One is Lost" is nothing special, when compared to the growing catalog of Stars. That said, pretty much any Stars album would be worthy of a spot on my Top 20 list. These guys are NOT capable of writing a song that isn't catchy. And, if that wasn't enough going for them, this album even includes some audio snippets of conversation from various people, including a snippet from Mark Hollis, lead singer of Talk Talk. There is nary an artist that I respect more than Mr. Hollis and his very presence on this album gives this album a lift above its already respectable place.
For now, I will revel in the brilliant Pop music of Stars... and quietly look forward to their next outing...
"From the Night"
"No One is Lost"
The above video has profanity that will offend sensitive listeners. So, if you are...well...sensitive, then move along. Nothing to hear here.
Comments