paramnesiac
The first couple items are from Issue 57 of The Big Takeover. These aren't on the webpage (http://www.bigtakeover.com), so I'm typing them up. Please forgive any misspellings and gramatical errors. First up is a brief article from the magazine's "Short Takes" section:
STELLASTARR
Twinkle, Twinkle
by Mick Lewis
When I received Stellastarr's catchy new Sony-BMG LP Harmonies for the Haunted, I popped it into my computer to give it a listen, and maybe copy it to my Sony MiniDisc player (corproate synergy should allow for it!). But the disc refused to be read. After alerting the publicist, I was sent an updated copy that could be played on my computer -- but only through a self-installing custom program included on the CD. Welcome to the world of recorded music, 2005.
Lead singer Shawn Christensen, 27, feels our pain: "It's a Sony-BMG thing, especially from the Sony side. We signed to BMG before the merger. The thing that's changed for us is this stiff rule about copy protection. There's a new kind of censorship going on, and it's not working. The labels need to accept the iPod generation; you can't make CDs that can't be put on the iPod. It sucks when people are trying to listen to the record and they can't play it in their computer."
Once I was able to listen to Harmonies, I heard a group that has progressed significantly since their eponymous 2003 debut. Part of the credit goes to new producer David Schiffman, who's known for his work as producer Rick Rubin's (Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers) engineer. Says Christensen, "He knew what we wanted to change or to keep. He just got it. We needed to have the drums sound larger. He was able to make everything seem larger and spacious."
Guitarist Michael Jurin has also expanded his sonic palette, which sometimes leads to inevitable comparisons. "I've really fallen in love in the last few years with an echo pedal. So when you get into those repetitive sounds, people will say 'I hear a little bit of The Edge or The Chameleons in that.'" Jurin discounts the importance of such reactions. "Everything's been done, you can't even just beat on sheet metal; someone's going to come and say, 'What's new about that? I've been doing that for 20 years!' Besides, you'll have people saying 'Yeah, that band sounds like Gang of Four,' but eighty percent of those people probably only know only two of their songs; as if sharp chords and that beat are all you need to know; that if you've got "To Hell With Poverty" in your head, you can imagine what everything else sounds like. And actually, Gang of Four went a lot further than that."
Christensen doesn't mind reviews that have referenced such influences as The Pixies, Cure or U2. "Personally, I've never heard us compared to anyone that any of us would be offended by, and I think that's a good thing. If people would say that we sounded like bands we hated, that would be a problem!"
Drummer Arthur Kremer pipes in the last word on the topic: "Sometimes I'll hear a great song that sounds just like something else, but ultimately, I'm just glad the song exists -- I don't care if it's by Muse rather than by Radiohead."
--------------------------------------------
Next is a review of HFTH in the same issue by Marcel Feldmar. (The Big Takeover doesn't give albums any sort of number, letter or icon rating, instead asking it's readers to actually read the reviews and decide for themselves if an album sounds like something they'll like.):
"This deep and moody music continues along Stellastarr's voyage of discovery, finding a place to stand on their own in seas of shoegaze and Britpop comparisons. The first song holds a strong U2 mood like "Where the Streets Have No Name", but not quite. It's not the vocals, it's just a feeling that's hidden in the passion of the bassline as the melody carries it along. This is an album that gets better the more you listen to it. It's dark and full and lush, but it carries an elegance and energy that is just so alive. When you get those drums rolling beside the bass, and the deep vocals pushing out the words, you nearly melt -- and then they build you up and send you flying."
--------------------------------------------
Finally, here's a quick blurb from writer Suzanne Baran's Top 10 for December 11, 2005 (http://www.bigtakeover.com/top-ten/Suzanne-Baran-051211):
#8 Stellastarr* – Harmonies for the Haunted (RCA Records)
"Sounds a bit like their debut self-titled album, but a more seasoned compilation. Histrionic, intense, love-lost lyrics splattered with great drumming. They pre-date INTERPOL, by the way, and She Wants Revenge can learn a lot from Stellastarr*."
Comments
"I’m pretty sure Stellastarr don’t pre-date Interpol on either inception or releases. Interpol formed in 1998 and put their first ep out in 2001, while Stellastarr formed in 2000, releasing their first ep in 2002."
— Rod Munch 2005-12-15 11:39 #
"Rod, you are correct. What I meant to express is that I feel that Stellastarr* is often wrongly perceived as a copy-cat Interpol, when each band is really pursuing its own direction based on mutual New Wave influences that pre-date either band – Joy Division and The Cure."
— Suzanne Baran 2005-12-15 15:09 #
The stellastarr* show at The Warsaw on March 28th made Mick Lewis' Top 10 for March 26th and April 2nd.
STELLASTARR
Twinkle, Twinkle
by Mick Lewis
When I received Stellastarr's catchy new Sony-BMG LP Harmonies for the Haunted, I popped it into my computer to give it a listen, and maybe copy it to my Sony MiniDisc player (corproate synergy should allow for it!). But the disc refused to be read. After alerting the publicist, I was sent an updated copy that could be played on my computer -- but only through a self-installing custom program included on the CD. Welcome to the world of recorded music, 2005.
Lead singer Shawn Christensen, 27, feels our pain: "It's a Sony-BMG thing, especially from the Sony side. We signed to BMG before the merger. The thing that's changed for us is this stiff rule about copy protection. There's a new kind of censorship going on, and it's not working. The labels need to accept the iPod generation; you can't make CDs that can't be put on the iPod. It sucks when people are trying to listen to the record and they can't play it in their computer."
Once I was able to listen to Harmonies, I heard a group that has progressed significantly since their eponymous 2003 debut. Part of the credit goes to new producer David Schiffman, who's known for his work as producer Rick Rubin's (Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers) engineer. Says Christensen, "He knew what we wanted to change or to keep. He just got it. We needed to have the drums sound larger. He was able to make everything seem larger and spacious."
Guitarist Michael Jurin has also expanded his sonic palette, which sometimes leads to inevitable comparisons. "I've really fallen in love in the last few years with an echo pedal. So when you get into those repetitive sounds, people will say 'I hear a little bit of The Edge or The Chameleons in that.'" Jurin discounts the importance of such reactions. "Everything's been done, you can't even just beat on sheet metal; someone's going to come and say, 'What's new about that? I've been doing that for 20 years!' Besides, you'll have people saying 'Yeah, that band sounds like Gang of Four,' but eighty percent of those people probably only know only two of their songs; as if sharp chords and that beat are all you need to know; that if you've got "To Hell With Poverty" in your head, you can imagine what everything else sounds like. And actually, Gang of Four went a lot further than that."
Christensen doesn't mind reviews that have referenced such influences as The Pixies, Cure or U2. "Personally, I've never heard us compared to anyone that any of us would be offended by, and I think that's a good thing. If people would say that we sounded like bands we hated, that would be a problem!"
Drummer Arthur Kremer pipes in the last word on the topic: "Sometimes I'll hear a great song that sounds just like something else, but ultimately, I'm just glad the song exists -- I don't care if it's by Muse rather than by Radiohead."
--------------------------------------------
Next is a review of HFTH in the same issue by Marcel Feldmar. (The Big Takeover doesn't give albums any sort of number, letter or icon rating, instead asking it's readers to actually read the reviews and decide for themselves if an album sounds like something they'll like.):
"This deep and moody music continues along Stellastarr's voyage of discovery, finding a place to stand on their own in seas of shoegaze and Britpop comparisons. The first song holds a strong U2 mood like "Where the Streets Have No Name", but not quite. It's not the vocals, it's just a feeling that's hidden in the passion of the bassline as the melody carries it along. This is an album that gets better the more you listen to it. It's dark and full and lush, but it carries an elegance and energy that is just so alive. When you get those drums rolling beside the bass, and the deep vocals pushing out the words, you nearly melt -- and then they build you up and send you flying."
--------------------------------------------
Finally, here's a quick blurb from writer Suzanne Baran's Top 10 for December 11, 2005 (http://www.bigtakeover.com/top-ten/Suzanne-Baran-051211):
#8 Stellastarr* – Harmonies for the Haunted (RCA Records)
"Sounds a bit like their debut self-titled album, but a more seasoned compilation. Histrionic, intense, love-lost lyrics splattered with great drumming. They pre-date INTERPOL, by the way, and She Wants Revenge can learn a lot from Stellastarr*."
Comments
"I’m pretty sure Stellastarr don’t pre-date Interpol on either inception or releases. Interpol formed in 1998 and put their first ep out in 2001, while Stellastarr formed in 2000, releasing their first ep in 2002."
— Rod Munch 2005-12-15 11:39 #
"Rod, you are correct. What I meant to express is that I feel that Stellastarr* is often wrongly perceived as a copy-cat Interpol, when each band is really pursuing its own direction based on mutual New Wave influences that pre-date either band – Joy Division and The Cure."
— Suzanne Baran 2005-12-15 15:09 #
The stellastarr* show at The Warsaw on March 28th made Mick Lewis' Top 10 for March 26th and April 2nd.