Stars' latest, the six-song Sad Robots EP, immediately feels like a collection of tunes that didn't quite make the cut for the band's excellent 2007 full-length, In Our Bedroom After The War. Sad Robots will be sold on Stars' ongoing tour (they'll be in Philly tomorrow at the Troc), and with such timing, one can't help but feel that it's merely a disc to fill the merch tables. Full of slow, synth-laden harmonies, the album can lull you to sleep.
Make every attempt, however, to stay awake long enough to hear the second and third songs. "A Thread Cut With a Carving Knife" tells the story of a relationship caught in dreamlike indecision. True to that motif, the track hesitantly expands and contracts with raging sonic layers that occasionally subside to its basic throb. "Baby, close your eyes until tomorrow/It could bring joy, it could bring sorrow," concludes Amy Millan as the track comes to its triumphant finish. The next song, entitled "Undertow," is all that any Stars fan could hope for: layered vocals, a cascading acoustic guitar and, of course, plenty of lonely synth lines.
Despite the relative strength of these two tracks, the EP still feels like a step backward from the more varied Bedroom. The phenomenon is best explained on "14 Forever," where - surprise! - Stars doesn't want to grow up: "I'm 14 forever!" croons Torquil Campbell over the same tired, repetitive bass and synth patterns. Rather than following the trajectory its previous record continued, Stars seems content to sit inside on a rainy day staring wistfully out the window, churning out its tried-and-true, lethargic synthpop. Overall, Robots is a decent collection of songs; however, we've all come to expect better from Stars.
