Skip to main content

Set Yourself on Fire

"When there's nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire"

So begins Stars' Set Yourself on Fire, but don't think this is some death metal band doomed for mockery on Monsters of MySpace.

I heard about Set Yourself on Fire through a few positive reviews, but once I saw the video for "Reunion" (thanks to Frank over at Chrome Waves for listing it), I felt compelled to buy the record.

Well, if you like what you hear with "Reunion," pick up Set Yourself on Fire. The other tracks are not carbon copies of "Reunion," but if you like the vibe of this song, you'll probably love the rest of the album.
An understandable comparison would be to the Arcade Fire, but Stars does not sound like a watered-down version of them. I only make the comparison because their approach is similar. Their songs are complex in structure, but they grab you immediately. There are plenty of hooks with pianos, clean guitars, horns and strings that only make the songs better. The songs go places: some tracks have extended outros, but they don't spiral out of control.


While the Arcade Fire's Funeral is more of a somber affair, Stars' Set Yourself on Fire is more upbeat. The songs flow well together, even though each one is vastly different from the other.

I don't want to make wild comparisons here, but definitely do check out Set Yourself on Fire if like this kind of stuff.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Go Where You Wanna Go

It's been a year since I moved away from Lakewood, and even though I could relocate to a new place as a newly-single guy, I've chosen to stay where I am. I enjoy living in North Dallas/Richardson given its central location, being not too far away from places I have enjoyed going to in my fourteen-plus years living in Dallas County. Living in Lakewood for nine years was critical for me, but I am glad I don't have homeless people going through my garbage, my street getting shut down like it's Mardi Gras on Halloween night, and I don't have to answer to the not-so-friendly landlords who bought my old place. I have a new housemate moving in at the end of the month and I have many reasons to be excited as he's been a friend for many years. Couple that with a humongous  new record store opening in nearby Farmers Branch , shows to see, and a quick trip to Los Angeles for something very cool (for which I reveal at a later date) and I'm happy to say fall is sha...
1 comment
Read more

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Catherine Wheel

Originally posted: Tuesday, August 29th, 2006 Despite managing to release five proper albums, Catherine Wheel was one of those bands that always seemed to slip past the mainstream rock crowd. Yes, they got some nice airplay in their day, but people seem to have forgotten about them. You may hear “Black Metallic” or “Waydown” on a “classic alternative” show on Sirius or XM or maybe even on terrestrial radio, but that’s about it. For me, they were one of most consistent rock bands of the ’90s, meandering through shoegazer, hard rock, space rock and pop rock, all while eluding mainstream pigeonholing. Led by the smooth, warm pipes of vocalist/guitarist Rob Dickinson (cousin of Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson), Catherine Wheel featured Brian Futter on lead guitar, Dave Hawes on bass and Neil Sims on drums. They weren’t a pretty-boy guitar band, but they weren’t a scuzzy bunch of ragamuffins either. Though the band hailed from England, Catherine Wheel found itself more welcome on American air...
4 comments
Read more

Socials

 Hey, everyone! You can find me on several other platforms: http:/ http:// themeparkexperience.substack.com http:// Instagram.com/ericjgrubbs http:// TikTok.com/@ericjgrubbs http:// threads.net/ericjgrubbs http:// ericjgrubbs.bsky.social Thanks! 
Post a Comment
Read more