CD Reviews  |  Classical  |  Download  |  Live Reviews  |  Music Features  |  New England Music News

Arts and craftsmen

Stars and New Buffalo, Berklee Performance Center, October 19, 2007
By ELLEE DEAN  |  October 23, 2007
inside_starss
REIGNING STAR: Amy Millan aligned her messy Montreal band.

The stage at the Berklee Performance Center last Friday was strewn with Stars and bouquets of flowers. Stars’ Arts & Crafts labelmates New Buffalo opened, with Sally Seltman singing “Well here you are/I’m the drunk and you’re the star” at her piano using an iPod for backing. In this stripped-down setting, she cheered the crowd with “Cheer Me Up Thank You,” a high-pitched, lullaby. With no back-up singers and no band, Buffalo’s canary song floated along on pre-recorded vintage beats and whimsy.

Then, in the dark, Stars’ anthem-pop single “Take Me to the Riot” thumped. From behind a searchlight, frontman Torquil Campbell shivered, shook, stumbled, and coughed while wailing the chant-like chorus. No surprise that Campbell’s credits on Stars’ fourth album, In the Bedroom After the War (Arts & Crafts), include whining, ranting, and weeping; he did so much of this last in concert that his eyes tumesced. Off stage, he sang the opening of his falsetto disco lament “The Ghost of Genova Heights”: cue Campbell in a jacket covered with lights. Doing the robot, he was epileptic. “Terrifying, absolutely terrifying, wasn’t it?” he asked us afterward. And then he started in on his melodica, a pink rose dangling from his microphone. Overexaggerated would be an understatement.

Throughout, frontwoman Amy Millan and her velvet voice were tranquil. She played at Motown and soothing Norah Jones–like subtlety on “My Favourite Book.” While Campbell entertained, Millan performed — even if it meant purring behind him. It was she who brought the messy Canadian quintet together with controlled guitar strumming and vocals. The show was eccentric, eclectic, and, even though Campbell and Millan are mismatched, somehow Stars's songs aligned.

Related:
  Topics: Live Reviews , STARS , Torquil Campbell , Amy Millan ,  More more >
  • Share:
  • RSS feed Rss
  • Email this article to a friend Email
  • Print this article Print
Comments

election special
ARTICLES BY ELLEE DEAN
Share this entry with Delicious
  •   LIPSTICK BUNGLE  |  February 11, 2008
    The Candace Bushnell-based series is no better than a cheap knock-off
  •   BRAIN GLOSS  |  January 15, 2008
    Two new Boston mags aimed at women beg the question, why not the perfect women's magazine?
  •   THREE WISE WOMEN  |  December 12, 2007
    The Girls Next Door bring their gifts to the Playboy Mansion
  •   IF WE HAD OUR WAY . . .  |  November 14, 2007
    Three wishes for improving winter sports in New England
  •   BRITNEY SPEARS  |  November 06, 2007
    Blackout | Jive

 See all articles by: ELLEE DEAN

MOST POPULAR
RSS Feed of for the most popular articles
 Most Viewed   Most Emailed 



Featured Articles in The Editorial Page:
Sunday, October 12, 2008  |  Sign In  |  Register
 
thePhoenix.com:
Phoenix Media/Communications Group:
TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
Copyright © 2008 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group