It seems like forever ago (or was it just college/high school?) when stellastarr* was the definition of dark, grand, emotional alt-rock, thanks to 2005’s sophomore LP Harmonies For the Haunted and breakout single “Sweet Troubled Soul”. Unfortunately, the band hit their stride right when the music industry began its file-sharing-induced freefall – not a good time to be leaving a major label (RCA) and making your own record. Years passed – it was in 2007 that the band did a special ‘preview show’ (QRO review) of new material at Highline Ballroom (QRO venue review) in New York, but there have only been a handful of dates, here and there, since they finished the Harmonies tour, back in New York in early 2007 (QRO review) by opening up Gramercy Theatre (QRO venue review). And now, finally, the New York foursome is out with Civilized – and it’s everything you’ve been waiting for.
Click here for QRO’s interview with Shawn Christensen
Click here for QRO’s review of stellastarr* at Great Scott in Allston, MA on November 5th, 2008
Click here for all of stellastarr*’s upcoming dates in QRO’s ‘Spotlight On : stellastarr*’
With the pressing, near-instrumental (only vocals are removed, echoing in the background) opener “Robot”, stellastarr* introduce Civilized and re-introduce themselves. So much has gone on in dark and emotional music, from emo to grand Brit-rock (such as White Lies – QRO spotlight on), that it’s refreshing and relieving to hear stellastarr*’s sound again. Civilized isn’t that far from their previous two records, a little rawer (guess that’s what happens when you leave a major label), perhaps, but this is still a polished band. However, it’s what they do so well, marrying grand and intimate, that it’s just great to have it all back. The epic emotion of tracks such as single “Graffiti Eyes”, “Tokyo Sky”, and “Warchild” are the hallmarks of this sound – both epic and also emotionally intimate, those are not something easy to combine, but something stellastarr* can, from singer/guitarist Shawn Christensen’s (QRO interview) standout vocals on “Tokyo” to the anthemistic emotional chorus of “Graffiti Eyes”.
But stellastarr* also balance that by throwing in some starker, more stripped, even staccato sounds, given to just a hint of funk, such as within “Graffiti”, or mixing with dark rock expanse on “Numbers” and “People”. This contrast amp up both styles, as well as when it mixes with a higher atmosphere, something newer to Civilized, like with “Freak Out”. That high nature is most prominent on “Move On”, where bassist Amanda Tannen takes lead vocals (though even Christensen’s vocal contributions are higher), but the piece is still emotional and has press. And the record ends by taking that atmosphere to epic levels of emotional evocation for “Sonja Cries”.
Middle track “Prom Zombie” is a change, catchy, kind of garage-pop in beat and intro, but Civilized mostly hews to the sound the band did so well and you wanted back. They’ve had these & other songs for a while (curiously, not on the record is the actual song “Civilized” – QRO video) – “Warchild” was put up on their MySpace page two-and-a-half years ago. In the meantime, other things may have happened, from Gramercy Theatre becoming ‘Blender Theater at Gramercy’ to becoming Gramercy Theatre again, to guitarist Michael Juren working at the beer tent at McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn (QRO venue review). But Blender Magazine & McCarren Park Pool (the venue, anyway) are gone, and stellastarr* still have the same trademarks live: Christensen’s not-too-affected emoting (QRO photo), Juren’s curls jumping right over his forehead (QRO photo), drummer Arthur Kremer’s single-nipple tape in the form of the band’s asterisk (QRO photo), and Tannen’s stunning beauty (QRO photo – note: her switch from blond back to brunette was back in the late Harmonies heyday). And their music is still just as strong on Civilized.
MP3 Stream: "Tokyo Sky"
