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by casey best (happyhobo) / megan kniepkamp (megnak) - Mar 01, 2005
Stars Look Down - Stars Look Down Review #1 - Casey Best Many times when I don't enjoy a CD, I can chalk it down to either the band being unskilled at their instruments or not fully understanding the genre. Occasionally though, I review a CD that I just don't like. Not particularly awful, but certainly not very good, Stars Look Down stands with its feet firlmly planted into the soil of mediocrity. They aren't energetic enough to keep the toes tapping, and I didn't find their lyrics unique enough to tap into any emotions. The songs are basically just droning generic hard rock, with slow changing chords, unimpressive vocals, and simple choruses. The tracks seem pretty interchangable with one another, with no substantial hooks or memorable parts. In short, it's a kind of CD that one could listen to all night and not be able to separate one song from another. This works for the album in one way: no part of the album is any more difficult to listen to than another. As background music that won't pull your attention goes, Stars Look Down is top-notch. I probably wouldn't listen to it just for the sake of enjoying it, but if I ever need something to listen to while I read or write a paper, I'll know where to turn. Review #2 - Megan Kniepkamp Portland-based Stars Look Down have made a self-titled debut that is well-recorded and nice, but quite frankly overly ordinary. It's hard for me to pinpoint another band to compare them to, because there are just so many - this trio is radio music at its best. Electric guitar and bass highlight predictable chords, while steady drums accentuate the clear-cut four/four time. Over this, vocalist Trent Gay stretches his voice around obvious lyrics of love and heartache, including just about every metaphor and cliché in the book. The high point of Stars Look Down is that very act of vocal stretching. Gay's voice is dynamic and haunting. His style is pretty common for a rock vocalist, but he uses his developed range to weave in and out of the instruments in a surprising and beautiful way. Unfortunately, on this recording, these vocals are reduced to sounding a lot like a caged bird. This is not to say that the CD is bad. On the contrary, it's really very enjoyable to listen to. But there is nothing memorable or unique on this recording, nothing to set Stars Look Down apart from all the mellow rock bands which have come before and will come after. If you're looking for something that is in any way new or original, you won't find it here. However, if you're looking for a CD to pop in while you do some homework, Stars Look Down would be a good choice... but then again, chances are you already own something that sounds just about the same, anyway. |