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Alternative PressThe band update a tired synth-pop sound with purring guitars and just enough punked-out drum and vocal flourishes to give texture to what might otherwise have become new-wave wallpaper. [Nov 2003, p.114]
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Up there with the best debut albums of this, or any decade.
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'Stellastarr*' is a rare beast; one that takes from its peers and gives back something fresh, imaginative and breathlessly great.
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FilterOne of the most successful sonic experiments this side of "Let there be light." [#6, p.82]
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I know the whole ‘retro-rock’ thing is en vogue in about a bazillion different ways, but Stellastarr*’s take just seems a bit more energetic and vibrant than most. Considering the genre, this disc is a frighteningly solid listen.
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UncutDeviant, brainy re:teen angst, slightly arrogant, and they kick ass despite themselves. What's not to love? [Dec 2003, p.116]
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Stellastarr stand out from 2003's even-newer-new-wave-of-new-wave pack in that they manage to borrow from the suddenly-cool-again decade of Pacman and parachute pants without sounding like they've spent the last six months sequestered in a loft watching VH1's I Love The '80s documentary series in a constant loop.
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OutburnStellar. [#23, p.92]
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Q MagazineThis assured, intense record heralds the emergence of a major force. [Nov 2003, p.123]
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Polished, fully-formed debut CDs are rare enough as it is; that stellastarr* have crafted such an album while pretty much moonlighting as a rock band could lead one to believe the band could dethrone the Strokes as the Kings of New York if they so desired.
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Too bad John Hughes isn't making the kind of movies he used to, because stellastarr*'s self-titled debut is a prom soundtrack worthy of Ducky.
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MagnetThere hasn't been a set of pretenders this convincing since Interpol. [#61, p.107]
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Stellastarr's bold, cinematic sprawl demands a certain kind of tolerance, and might require a few listens before you're able to fully adjust to its dramatics, but Christensen is, in the end, an oddly convincing leader, and, if nothing else, you'll at least be stuck to your headphones trying to guess his next move.
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Under The RadarA pure pleasure to listen to. [#5, p.103]
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This is a good album, though disconcertingly reminiscent of something you could have heard on Modern Rock radio 12 years ago.
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Although they can generate a gothic tombstone rumble as convincingly as fellow New Yorkers Interpol, they prefer to keep moving, throwing in fresh hooks at every turn and making no secret of their influences.
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MojoIt's messy, seductive stuff. [Dec 2003, p.113]
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Demonstrates a truly elegant sense of pacing and development.
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Where Stellastarr's debut hits the jackpot is in their gutsy decision to wipe the slate clean by declaring the years 1981 to 1996 a single era, synthesizing the sounds of that fifteen year stretch by playing every band on the soundtrack to a mid-eighties John Hughes gem with the knowledge of the nineties college rock boom.
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An album that would have been great in 1983; now, it is more of a nostalgic lark.
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Essentially if you like the bands that have so clearly influenced Stellastarr* you'll like this record. But it's difficult to really love a band that haven't yet found a voice they can truly call their own.
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While the band still needs to develop more of its own sound, there's enough promise in stellastarr* to suggest that they might.
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SpinSinger/songwriter Shawn Christensen's yelping Oingo-Boingo-ish voice gets grating fast. [Nov 2003, p.117]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 9 out of 10
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Mixed: 0 out of 10
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Negative: 1 out of 10
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ExecutionerJonesDec 24, 2005
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DavisWMay 9, 2005A genuinely fun album. I love it.
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jeffmDec 9, 2004