If I told you that Set Yourself On Fire is 10 times better than Stars’ last album, Heart, how would you respond? If you’ve never heard of Stars, you’d say, “what the f*ck do I care? I’ve never even heard of them”. But if you’re already in the know and a fan of the silky smooth pop sounds of Stars, then you’d probably think I was crazy. “What’s 10 times better than perfect?”, you’d ask. Then you’d probably call me some sort of bad name and throw a snow ball at me or something, until… I gave you the CD to listen to for yourself. From the instant the the album opener, “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead”, begins – with strings and brass sweetly leading into the first verse – you’d see that this album is special. Listening to it is like running your hands over Michelangelo’s David or gazing upon the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel with your very own eyes. Each note, every layer of ambient sound, and every lyric comes together in an almost otherworldly vision of a single unifying thought – beauty. Whether it’s the quirky, space invaders-esque keyboard intro on “Set Yourself On Fire”, the driving bass line and soft, innocent voice of Amy Milan singing “We will always be a light” on “Ageless Beauty”, the frustration of the instrumental freak out on “He Lied About Death”, or the back-and-forth vocals of Milan and Torquil Campbell on “The Big Fight”, beauty oozes from Set Yourself On Fire like it did the paintbrush of Leonardo De Vinci. This is an album for romantics, for lovers, for the heartbroken, for boys, for girls, for hipsters, for squares, for me, for you… for everyone.

Stars
Arts&Crafts

1. Stars Trust Their Friends For New Album
2. Download – Dappled Cities “Fire Fire Fire” (Loving Hand Remix)
3. Video – Dappled Cities “Fire Fire Fire”
4. Update – Arcade Fire Not Working On Soundtrack
5. Video – Spiritualized “Soul On Fire” & “Sitting On Fire” (Live)