"When there's nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire."
This proclamation ignites Canadian pop band the Stars' stunning third full-length album, "Set Yourself on Fire."
Fortunately for the Stars, there's still fuel to burn, so they may never go up in flames. Ex-lovers, mortality, the Bush administration, high school, war and virginity- are all incinerated in less than 60 minutes.
Originally from Toronto, the Stars briefly sojourned in Brooklyn before stationing themselves in Montreal. The culture-rich French city was recently awarded grunge-era Seattle status by Spin magazine, chiefly due to the rising recognition of similar spirited acts like the Arcade Fire and the Dears.
This burgeoning creative community in Canada not only fosters musical ideas, but revolutionary ones, too.
The Stars' revolution is what co-vocalist Torquil Campbell calls the "soft revolution," an idea born in the liner notes of their sophomore album, "Heart."
On "Set Yourself on Fire," the idea bloomed into its own song, "Soft Revolution," which promises, "We are here to save your life/The fool, the drunk, the child, and his wife/We won't let the sun go down/We're gonna chase the demons out of town."
Whether popular culture reflects society or society reflects popular culture, both are dreary right now. The Stars recognize the need for change, but opt for a gentle nudge toward a prettier future rather than the aggressive assault utilized in revolutions of the past.
More in the vein of kill-them-with-kindness than mob uprising or violence, this is the revolution that Sid Vicious would scoff at. But its effectiveness lies in its subtlety.
With the exception of two-"He Lied About Death" and "Celebration Guns" (guess what those are about)-the songs aren't overtly political. Most aren't political at all.
Instead, love becomes a motif, resurfacing in its many visages. Although love is not always so lovely, the Stars prove that songs about its harsher realities still can be.
With their vocal theatrics and lyrical poetry, "Your Ex-lover Is Dead," "Big Fight" and "What I'm Trying to Say" are like one-act plays-musing, warning and demonstrating what love is and what it can do.
The Stars aren't afraid of sonic experimentation, dressing up classic two-or-three chord guitar riffs with strings, keyboard effects and horns.
In this mix, the title track "Set Yourself on Fire," "Ageless Beauty" and closer "Calendar Girl" all feel like anthems, the perfect expressions of the soft revolution.
In fact, every song on the album-whether it is happy or sad, fast or slow, hopeful or angry-is empowered by rich instrumentation, and then elevated to a contagious level of optimistic energy.
As an idea and as an album, "Set Yourself on Fire" ignites a revolution, and after the smoke clears, the Stars have at least left us with another beautiful album of inspiring and mature pop music.
