Review by Jake Masters
The self-titled debut from Stellastarr* is brimming with reincarnation and the musical equivalent of schizophrenia. Reincarnated are sounds of the 80’s, mostly through the off-the-wall vocals of singer/guitarist Shawn Christensen.
Christensen’s voice is a cross between the B-52’s, David Byrne of the Talking Heads, Robert Smith of the Cure, and a little Ian Curtis of Joy Division. His style of singing from song to song is extremely varied, almost schizophrenic, but it keeps each song fresh and unlike the last. Screams, whispers, yelps, and barks are all here. Bassist Amanda Tannen adds angelic oohs and ahhs to counteract Christensen’s disjointed vocal style. The two vocalists sound great when harmonizing as well.
This album’s song styles range from dark rock (“In the walls”), fast-paced chug (“Jenny”, “Pulp song”), and playful (“My coco”). “Moon Girl” sounds like a Bends-era Radiohead b-side with its tweaky effects in the intro and with Thom Yorke’s voice it could pass right off. The rest of the tracks are highly original with said vocal influences included. Track eight, “Homeland,” will literally make your head spin with manic-depressive, stop-on-a-dime tempo changes and rhythmic twists and turns.
The guitar tones are gritty on some tracks and very serene on others. The guitarists use delay effects on a few tracks (“In the walls, “Moon Girl”) to comparable U2-esque perfection. Some songs are very to the point and structured, while on other tracks Stellastarr* chooses to jam a bit more. There aren’t really any guitar solos on this album, but that’s to be expected for low-profile style of rock. There isn’t a lead guitar in the band, but instead both guitarists act as one part of each song’s texture, adding different colors to each song.
This is a good album and if you are into the new wave of bands mixing retro sounds with new rock you’ll love it. It is sleazy and gentle at times, but haunting as well.
recommended for fans of: Interpol, Raveonettes, B-52’s, The Cure, and Talking Heads