Stars / In Our Bedroom After the War

In short: CD reviews in under 150 words

By: Drew Hanson

Posted: 9/11/07

?In Our Bedroom After the War marks the fourth studio album by Canadian indie-pop band, Stars. Rife with strong, descriptive lyrics, the album features heartbreaking stories which the band tells with poetic clarity.

The first single, "Take Me to the Riot," is a classic Stars song with a refrain so infectious it will?stay in your head well after you've?stopped listening. Meanwhile, songs like "Window Bird" and "Midnight Coward" display eclectic instrumental arrangements that lend a cinematic quality to?the band's sound.

However, the old adage "one bad apple spoils the rest" applies to the song "Barricade," which features front man Torquil Campbell crooning like a dying cat over an Elton John-esque keyboard solo. For a song about rioting and love, it comes out sounding frumpy, trite and almost unbearable to listen to.

Overall, In Our Bedroom After the War is worth the listen, but don't expect every track to impress.

Grade: B