Search - Stars :: Five Ghosts

Stars - The Five Ghosts

Andrew Vice | Plano, TX | 06/23/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When it comes to crafting melodramatic, cinematic pop music, Stars are in a league of their own. Though they may not have recaptured the jubilation of their career high point, Set Yourself On Fire, Stars have put together another very nice album that fits snuggly into the overarching theme of Stars music. If you've been paying attention, you'll have noticed that Stars started as a synth-heavy pop band and slowly transformed into a symphonic pop rock band, but recently they've been returning back to that first sound, as heard on their excellent Sad Robots EP, which was awash with synthesizer and distorted-beyond-recognition guitars. The Five Ghosts has continued the trend, leaving behind some of Stars signature orchestration in favor of the sound of their early-career works. However, unlike the early career in which Torquil was the primary singer, this album stands as a showcase for the incredible vocal talents of Amy Millan, who I personally think is the best female vocalist in popular music. She lives and breathes the heartbroken vocal melodies heard throughout the record, and Torq takes a backseat, providing ample vocal support but leading only a few of the eleven tracks. This is an album for Stars fans, not one designed to bring as many new ones into the fold. Not their strongest effort and sadly likely to be ignored in a year full of stellar releases, the Five Ghosts is nonetheless a record worth listening to, owning, and cherishing as part of the excellent Stars canon."

Stars shining

Ged | 06/30/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Stars is probably one of the most underappreciated bands of the decade. They have produced such great albums as 'Set Yourself On Fire' or 'Heart' which have been aclaimmed by the critics, however, the audience is relatively very small these days. And I feel sorry for that because this album also proves that Stars need more fame and applause then they get.



I would begin with that this album mostly reminds me of the album 'Heart'. Which is great, in my opinion. The band stays on track and keep themselves what they really are. I would say that any of the Stars fan should not be disappointed by buying this.



However, at the first few listens the record seemed to be a little bit boring and songs alike each other. Yet I did not give up and now after listening to 'Five Ghosts' like ten times I enjoy it a lot and this album would go into my TOP album list of the year.



Anyone who is new to Stars could start with this album, because it is a little bit more pop than others and quite easily approached compared to other albums.



I might agree that this album ain't perfect, however, yet it is my soundtrack of the summer days. I believe it could be yours too. Buy it!



Key tracks:

- Dead Hearts

- Wasted Daylight

- Changes

- The Passenger

- Winter Bones"

Haunted by Five Ghosts

Victor Calderin | Miami, FL | 07/05/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While not an evolutionary jump from their previous work, Five Ghosts does a nice job of combining simple melodies and arrangements with direct lyrical composition to create another solid album. And, as solid for Stars means "Gold", this album does not disappoint."