Stars Played Music Hall of Williamsburg

Last night I finally saw a band I've been aching to see for some time: Stars. The only other chance I had to see the Canadian indie-masters was at Lollapalooza in 2006, and I got caught on the other side of the field watching Editors amazing live show. Last Thursday they played Town Hall, but CMJ prevailed.

First up on the night was New Buffalo, aka Sally Seltmann. I got there late, but I caught enough to know that I want to hear more of the chanteuse. The co-Arts & Crafts label singer hails from Australia and is married to one of The Avalanches, and her most well-known track isn't even a song she sings: Seltmann is credited for writing Feist's hit single "1 2 3 4," which every single person in the US has heard at least 50 times based on the new iPod Nano commercial. Seltmann's set was a low-key set, but her voice and talent stole the crowd's attention. Keep your eyes out for this girl - I most certainly will.

Stars were phenomenal. Coming off the release of In Our Bedroom After the War, the Montreal-based group is selling out nation-wide, and for good reason. The chemistry of Torquill Campbell and Amy Millan at the forefront of the band is nothing short of breath-taking, not to mention the pristine shape of their tunes. I've always been a big fan of Millan's voice whereas Campbell's vocals always felt a little thin and nasally, but last night my mind was changed completely: I still love Millan, but seeing Torq's intensity on stage made me love his voice as well.

They started out with "Take Me To the Riot," and never looked back. "Set Yourself on Fire" and "Elevator Love Letter" where great, then Torq disappeared and came back on for "The Ghost of Genova Heights" wearing some sort of Christmas light suit. The rest of the night was highlighted by a lot of songs - the set was about 2 hours long - but my favorites were "Your Ex-Lover is Dead," "Ageless Beauty," "In Our Bedroom After the War," and "My Favourite Book."

The next chance I get to see Stars, I'm definitely doing it. And you should too. And if you haven't heard their albums, buy all of them.

More photos here.

Stars setlist:
Take Me To the Riot
Set Yourself on Fire
Elevator Love Letter
The Ghost of Genova Heights
Bitches in Tokyo
One More Night
Personal
Look Up
Soft Revolution
Midnight Coward
Window Bird
Your Ex-Lover is Dead
Reunion
What I'm Trying to Say
Sleep Tonight
Ageless Beauty
In Our Bedroom After the War

The Night Starts Here
On Peak Hill
My Favourite Book
Calendar Girl

[mp3] New Buffalo - "Emotional Champ" (Somewhere, Anywhere.) | iTunes

[mp3] Stars - "Your Ex-Lover is Dead" (Set Yourself on Fire) | iTunes

[mp3] Stars - "My Favourite Book" (In Our Bedroom After the War) | iTunes