There Is No Love in Fluorescent Light

by Stars

Overview

Canadian indie pop establishment Stars are no strangers to artfully crafted dissections of love's many facets, but on their eighth full-length release, the subject is treated to a master class of amorous rumination. As laid out in its title cut, the overriding theme of There Is No Love in Fluorescent Light is the classic pearl of wisdom that like anything that lives, love's survival depends on its being tended, watered, nurtured, and occasionally taken out of its home to marinate in the elements. Stars must know something about this as, like a perennially well-adjusted couple, they show up every few years to quietly impress with their consistency, unity, and steadfast commitment to quality. Fluorescent Light is not a showy album and lacks some of the dancefloor panache of 2014's disco-influenced No One Is Lost, but it dazzles in its own subtle ways. The tone of the production is generally warm and frequently soft, with plenty of dreamy late-night synths, intricate guitars, and sweetly conversational interplay and harmonies from co-vocalists Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell. By no means is it a manual on love-tending. Many of its songs deal with the frailties and desperation of human affection from the woozy anguish of "Losing to You" to the love-as-battlefield anthem of "Real Thing," whose dueling time-signature arrangement makes for a wonderfully clever juxtaposition. It plays well as a set, but some standouts include the low-key piano ballad "The Gift of Love," Campbell's dark-hued showpiece "The Maze," and the Millan-led closer, "Wanderers," whose big sunny group chorus shares a strong kinship with fellow Canadian indie pop heroes the New Pornographers. If there's any downside, it's a slight excess in length, with a handful of five- and six-minute cuts creating a bit of drag here and there. Still, it's a small grumble from a shockingly reliable ensemble still churning out top-shelf material nearly two decades into its career. ~ Timothy Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	10/13/2017
Label:	Last Gang Records
UPC:	0634164983321
Rank:	57569

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Privilege
2. Fluorescent Light
3. Losing to You
4. Hope Avenue
5. Alone
6. We Called It Love

Disc 2

7. Real Thing
8. The Gift of Love
9. On the Hills
10. The ¿¿Maze
11. California, I Love That Name
12. Wanderers

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Stars   Primary Artist
Erik Hove   Saxophone
Eric Sanderson   Keyboards
Rob Moose   Viola,Violin
Thomas Barlett   Keyboards

Technical Credits

Stars   Producer
Greg Calbi   Mastering
Eric Sanderson   Additional Production
Peter Katis   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Instrumentation
Murray Lightburn   Additional Production
Rob Moose   Arranger
Steve Fallone   Mastering
Liam O'Neil   Engineer
Warren Spicer   Engineer
Greg Giorgio   Engineer
Shervin Lainez   Photography
Rob Carmichael   Design
Rens Korevaar   Second Engineer
Gabe Wolf   Second Engineer
Laurens Grossen   Second Engineer