Search - Flaming Stars :: Named & Shamed

Sad Songs for Drunks and Misfits

J. Norris | Boston | 12/22/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Soulfull baritone crooning enhanced by alchohol and ennui, overlaying a remarkably diverse array of musical styles - all played in a very "Nuggets" primitive garage style fashion. There's slow dirgy laments, surfy spy rock melanges, speedy punk gems, all held together and made cohesive by a constrant stream of delicious, timely guitar and vocal hooks. Though some of the singers lyrics may strike one as a tad trite (lots of maundering over lost love in the tradition of bands like The Cure) his voice is gorgeous and more than makes up for it. Rich, deep, and strained, it perfectly offsets the deliberate distortion of the guitars and the punky roughness of the production. This is a VERY good album, but it doesn't necessarily give the listener anything (s)he hasn't already gotten from their earlier material. If you liked the older records, you'll like this - but don't expect any new ground to be broken - this is totally consistent with everything else the band has done. That said, the Stars are a criminally underappreciated group and this record would serve as a perfect introduction to anyone who has yet to hear them. Fans of stuff like Morphine, the Cure, the Screaming Trees, or even the Buzzcocks would all be well advised to give listen."

I should use the kids review form for this.

Brandon C. Grover | washington DC | 05/17/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Camdentown toughs return with another frothy headed brew. And no, they really don't break new ground. But most of us have gotten tired of those upscale blueberry foofy-lambic constructions and want to toss our towel back in with what works. Whilst this Stars outing is more consistant than those past, we still dont have a trappist ale we might have wanted--think more a Budweiser over the head but more philosphical than that."