Only if they’re Canadian. Stars is another one of those bands in the Canadian indie renaissance that epitomizes everything you love or hate about square-glass rock. This remix of the original, Set Yourself on Fire, hands over each track to friends like Apostle of Hustle, Jason Collett, the Dears, Junior Boys, Young Galaxy and others for total-faith retooling.
Sickness ensues. Yeah this album is good. While there is the disconnection (and as I was told in a bar by a drunk friend, ass-backwardness) you’d expect from a project with several different artists working on separate tracks, its off-beat resonance makes the original love narrative even more convincing and hypnotic. The story of two lovers engulfed by typical roller coaster sentiments doesn’t feel so typical when simple, phase-beat instrumentation is married with lyrical genius.
Romantics should also appreciate the all-or-nothing quality present in the reflection on the moment and its relation to eternity - you’ll find yourself reciting lyrics like prayers in the shower. From a calculated countdown of love sessions in “The First Five Times” to a grander meditation on how could yous in “The Big Fight,” every song transforms frustration into sweet surrender. That being said, letting go is not only required for this album as a concept, but also as a part of the listening process (that means you’ll have to open your mind a little bit and not freak out when you hear your favorite track on the original all minced up).
While I could go on and on about the theme of consumption and the way in which the Stars have, intentionally or not, made reference to how the way our culture operates is starting to effect our love lives, I’ll spare you. Set Yourself on Fire is more about blind, burning passion and we should keep it that way. It’s all about the fire, people. For now, join the Vague Panther in appreciating the “Ageless Beauty” of this album.
