Press Play – Album Reviews

With the recent release of In Our Bedroom After the War, it’s safe to say that Stars is back. Each of the 13 tracks is an original, which is especially exciting after Do You Trust Your Friends?, which although interesting, was still just a remix album.

StarsIn Our Bedroom After the War****

With the recent release of In Our Bedroom After the War, it’s safe to say that Stars is back. Each of the 13 tracks is an original, which is especially exciting after Do You Trust Your Friends?, which although interesting, was still just a remix album.

In Our Bedroom… is quintessential Stars, meaning it’s a mix of haunting melodies, a kind of peaceful nostalgia and a loving regard for the tragic elements of life. Think of the twisted beauty of a rejected personal ad and the addictive quality of the love you know isn’t healthy for you.

This album has less of a vocal focus on Amy Milan, and in a few tracks, like “The Ghost of Genova Heights,” it’s a bit 1980’s pop. WHAM! comes to mind. But in the right mood, even those songs are fun. The balance of dance songs and ballads is perfect, making it the kind of album that you can put in at any time, press play and enjoy all the way through.

Stars will be performing at The Crystal Ballroom with Miracle Fortress on Nov. 15. Tickets are $15.

-Marcella Barnes

LUCAFractions*

The horror that epitomizes this musician is his cover of the Jonathan Richman song “I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar.” Not only does this song not need to be covered, but it also isn’t ironic to cover it, which I’m sure is why LUCA covered the song. Otherwise known as musician Nick Luca from Tucson, Ariz., LUCA is still not a good band. LUCA has a tinge of catchiness and good vocals. His music is not very creative and is part of that new swarm of indie-rock bands that got record deals because they sound a little bit different than everyone else. Realistically, the only thing that LUCA sounds like is bad Christian music from the early 1990s.

– David Holley