Stars Issue #43

The Five Ghosts (Vagrant)

By Kelley Hecker
Published: September 1st, 2010 | 12:00am

On their fifth studio full-length The Five Ghosts, Montreal's Stars has again crafted a set of gorgeous indie pop that, at once, is undeniably Stars yet doesn't feel like a retread of their earlier work. The Five Ghosts is a synth-based affair, more akin to 2003's Heart (Arts & Crafts) than the lush pop of their 2004 breakthrough, Set Yourself on Fire.

Opener "Dead Hearts" is a lovely slow-burner propelled by Chris Seligman on keys. The track finds vocalists Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan trading lines before then end dramatically with "They were kids that I once knew / Now they're all dead hearts to you." The Millan-fronted cuts "Wasted Daylight" and "Fixed" (the latter serving as the first single) are similar in scope to famed numbers from earlier in their career, like the jangly "Elevator Love Letter" and shimmery rock of "Ageless Beauty." For a decade, Stars has been treating us to their brand of pop; let's hope The Five Ghosts marks the start of yet another term.