Stars

Stars - Ageless Beauty

Taken from their 2004 pop/rock opus Set Yourself on Fire, "Ageless Beauty" is a track that has that something that you can never quite pinpoint.

Is it that driving, steady hi-hat that goes into the syncopated beat of the chorus (a supremely wicked set of 4 measures of 3/4 time with one measure of 4/4 tacked on the end for good measure) without missing a beat?

Is it that slinking bass that holds all the different parts of the chorus intact?

Is that that simple yet sure keyboard part perfectly matched with the guitar in the opening riff?

Is it the angelic vocals hovering over it all? What is she singing about anyway? Does it matter?

The opening of this song reminds me of waking up on a Saturday morning after sleeping in with the shine coming in through the blinds on your face and then you go and look outside and you know it will be in the mid-70s mostly sunny and you just know you are going to have a good day. Everything is going to go your way and you know it. You're going to have good meals, have great conversations, and spend a lot of time with loved ones doing the things you always wished you had time on the weekend to do that you enjoy.

This song gives me that hope and feeling.

Somerset

Somerset - More Than Answers

Layers of guitars open with the pounding beat. Each instrument adds its own flourishes to underlying beat. A vocal pause gives a nice contrast of rebuilding instantly after it took 20 seconds to build it up.

The song straddles the dark/sunnyside of pop and while it is emotionally charged, the song avoids all the pitfalls of traditional emo/punk. There's no whining here. There's no objectifying of women. There is progression and resolution. We're not here to wallow, but rather to understand and learn using the theme of letting go in order for something to come back. With a switch of a word here and there, the chorus is allowed to keep its structure and makes sense throughout the lyrical progression. This is songwriting.

Musically the chorus leads the song and story. It's well crafted pop because you are able to sing along by the end of the song (see previous entry: Kelly Clarkson).

The song's only possible miscue (which I believe has to have been done intentionally) is the ending, which will probably only be caught by a few people. It is a direct rip off of "The Slightest Idea" by Hey Mercedes, who seem to be a very strong influence throughout all of "More Than Answers" and Pandora. The end of "The Slightest Idea" is a palm muted guitar playing minimal chords with vocals over it, and then ends with a single snare rimshot. Sounds familiar.

In fact, even the album art seems to be very similar to Everynight Fire Works. The song titles are written in the vertical binder of the jewel case. Underneath the CD is an image that plays with the circle that holds the CD in place. The bands name on the CD is in the very inner circle. Okay, beyond that the comparison falls apart.

Good song. Good art. Buy the album. See Somerset live. Support my former bandmate and friends.