Stars: an alluring contradiction

There's a thin line between sweet and corny. And that certainly applies to music as well. When you listen to canadian indie-pop band Stars, you could argue that their music could easily end up being corny, indeed. But it does not. On their latest record The five ghosts (2010), they have written delightful sweet tunes even when they touch dark issues -"I could die so I could hunt you" is one of the almost-creepy lyrics sang on the record. Once again, it seems that Stars' greatest skill is how they deal with limits. While almost crossing the line and playing with obvious contradictions, good music is what they manage to offer in the end. The five ghosts sounds naive yet twisted, bright yet obscure, beautiful yet bizarre. Amy Millan's voice sounds irresistibly charming over simple, detail-oriented and well-produced tracks. The five ghosts is lovely music. Weird, but ultimately lovely.

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