Setting Off the Smoke Alarm

In a moment out of the college fantasy of every bohemian high school student this side of the Mississippi, I huddled in a tastefully lighted room filled with the scent of brewing tea and effortless conversation. Maybe it was the Gypsy Kings in the background, maybe it was the loom of graduation for the seniors in the room that brought out the philosophical, or maybe there was more than just chai in the tea, but the topic of people who "glow" cropped up.

You've all met them — that person whose very presence is infectious — whose brilliance, talent, passion and restlessness drive you to be near them as much as it drives you to explore the infinite abyss that is life outside the bubble. Or, if you are of the Kerouacian school of thought, the ones who burn, the ones who are "mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time." I'm sure you've stumbled across the quote on Facebook, wedged between a line from Eliot's "Prufrock" and an exchange from an obscure, vaguely amusing British comedy series. But I digress. Thankfully, the Middlebury campus is speckled with people who burn, spurring me to dive into the equally infinite abyss that is the Indie-rock scene in search of a band that would light up my headphones and the subsequent space between my ears.

Fittingly enough, the New York founded, Montreal-based Stars live up to their name, burning like fabulous roman candles. The Stars aligned, if you will, in 2001, fronted by the fetchingly resonant vocals of Torquil Campbell and the sweeping keyboards of Chris Seligman. While their freshman full-length, Nightsongs, and follow-up Heart in 2003, are enchanting in their mixture of electronica and chamber-pop, it is not until 2004's Set Yourself on Fire's elaborate orchestration and simple poetry that the Canadian quintet exploded onto the scene and burned up the charts - relatively speaking. Several of the band's songs have made appearances on Fox Network's The O.C. (a series whose compilation comprehension rivals that of Zach Braff) and CTV's Degrassi: The Next Generation. And while these programs may seem low on the sophistication scale for the aforementioned BBC aficionados, it is sensible that Stars' unpretentious lyrics sung in Campbell's Morrissey-evoking cadence should be featured in coming-of-age dramas — even the ridiculous ones.

In fact, the lush soundscapes on Set Yourself on Fire were so striking that other members of the music community, including The Stills, The Dears and Junior Boys, remixed the 13 track modern masterpiece in the 2007 aptly-titled, Do You Trust Your Friends? And taking to heart the non-complacency that their emotive bebop evokes, their fourth full-length endeavor, In Our Bedroom After the War, hit shelves yesterday — although the band released the tracks for download two months ago in an attempt to curb leaking.

In Our Bedroom refines the give-and-take between complicated instrumentation and conversational verse while simultaneously highlighting the push of Campbell's crafted murmur and the pull of fellow vocalist and guitarist Amy Millan's wispy articulation. While some of the heartbreaking nostalgia is missing from their newest release, such tracks as "Take Me to the Riot" and "Bitches in Tokyo" are contagiously catchy, even bordering on danceable with their electronic-pop pulse. And for those enamored with Stars' classical couture, "Window Bird" and the title track still showcase Campbell's flair for the dramatic.

In Our Bedroom After the War, with its sometimes repetitive riffs and decreased emphasis on symphonic stylings, may disappoint some purist fans. And while there is nothing comparable to "Your Ex-Lover is Dead" lifting its line-up, Stars' fall release still delivers a catalog of both the infectious and introspective — moving forward without forgetting to look back. There is no doubt that Torquil Campbell is still on the top of his game. And when he's at his best, he's not just good, he's on fire.

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