Stars, Eh?

It’s title is loaded – simultaneously ambiguous, intimate, troubled, and peaceful. It evokes the power with which romance is able to eclipse everything that conspires to destroy it, and also the residue of sadness that remains in the calm aftermath of conflict.  In Our Bedroom After the War, the name of Stars’ fourth, newest – and, without question, best – full-length album, is mysterious, grand, and multi-faceted. Which is fitting, because the 13 marvelous songs collected under that name are as well. Each and every one of them.
“What is the darkest possible situation that I could try to turn into a beautiful pop song?” Stars frontman Torquil Campbell asks. “That was sort of my mission with this record. If you could make horror movies that were like love stories, that would be my ultimate genre.”
Which isn’t to say that Bedroom is dark or difficult music. On the contrary, it may be the most nakedly euphoric-sounding collection the band has made yet. And it was made, last spring at Vancouver’s Warehouse recording studio, amidst an atmosphere of unprecedented synergy and self-belief. (Stars)

This is a good album but not amazing.  It is very lopsided...starting out very solid with "Night Starts Here," "Take Me To The Riot," and "Midnight Coward."  A few mediocre tracks to follow before you find delight in "Bitches In Tokyo," a drive fast in my Toyota Corolla kinda song.  Overall, I do not think this album will finish top of the list when the Polaris Prize is announced.