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The tracks are both individually strong and do work as a whole, though not in the way the group necessarily intended.
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If there’s a criticism to be volleyed, it’s that In Our Bedroom After the War’s direction frequently changes dramatically, rendering the set of songs as a smattering of smart, soft ideas that are expertly executed rather than a cohesive collection of material.
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In Our Bedroom After The War is Stars' most consistent, nuanced album, and says good things for the future, but Campbell and Millan won't write a perfect record until they learn what their songs need, and abandon the inevitable few tracks on which it's refused.
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An instant classic for some, a slow-burner for others; this is what we've come to expect of Stars.
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In Our Bedroom After The War is better than expected even as it wallows in its own broken heart.
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This is more than a fitting follow-up to the group’s breakthrough "Set Yourself On Fire."
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Only a great fool would be satisfied with just a track or two.
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With In Our Bedroom... Stars are rewriting the textbook on romance with effortless glee.
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In Our Bedroom After The War feels like the conclusion of a journey towards the summit of mount indie pleasance.
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War unfolds less like a cohesive concept album (though a rock-opera would be a likely future addition to the group's discography) as much as a series of telenovela vignettes.
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Growing more staged, warier, and a little less playful with age, Stars don't quite match the wily rush of "Set Yourself on Fire" here.
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BlenderTheir fourth album toughens things up immeasurably. [Oct 2007, p.114]
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Alternative PressThe band have finally created songs as big as their love-and-death themes. [Nov 2007, p.163]
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Under The RadarIn Our Bedroom After the War is a pretty solid statement of purpose; Stars are finally comfortable in their own skins, baring themselves across a healthy breadth of moods and styles. [Fall 2007, p.81]
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For the most part, the band's romantic pop just sits around looking pretty, a sharp hook or three away from continuing the magic found on "Heart" and "Set Yourself On Fire."
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Despite the melodrama, the LP's perfectly done, every note in place.
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SpinThe edge is smoothed down here, the bitterness outweighs the resignation, and strangely, the two sound stronger on their own. [Oct 2007, p.112]
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Bedroom is an album of dynamics and contrasts with its biggest asset its heart; chipped, cracked or broken, naivety is replaced by genuine emotion. Sometimes it’s boring and sometimes it’s endearing.
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In Our Bedroom After the War is mellower, without so much of the emotional turmoil that seethed under the surface of "Set Yourself on Fire."
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'The Night Starts Here' is the kind of boy-girl baton-song that's become a signature for the band, with Campbell and Millan trading verses while we play analysts, and though this one is sufficiently cinematic and electro-psychedelic, it's not quite 'Your Ex-Lover is Dead.'
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While some of Stars' best songs appear on this record, others are performed with such an overstated bravado that it renders them too sour to digest.
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MojoIn Our Bedroom After The War aims for a more dramatic sweep than its predecessor but falls a couple tunes short. [Nov 2007, p.108]
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But as pretty as all of the proceedings are--right down to the elegant bound packaging--the overall feel is of Sunday brunch music that goes down easy but rarely quickens the pulse.
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Q MagazineThey are at their best when bandleader Torquil Campbell and muse Amy Millan share the mic. [Nov 2007, p.147]
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UncutThe Feist-like 'My Favourite book' and the triumphant 'Today Will Be Better, I Swear!' are songs of rare craft but you'll need to suspend disbelief to make it through to curtain-down. [Nov 2007, p.123]
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In Our Bedroom After the War isn’t Stars’ best effort, but it ultimately satisfies: in wartime, one takes solace wherever one can.
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In Our Bedroom After the War is half of an above average album, which is unfortunate if only because the band's still clearly capable of gorgeous pop convulsions when they lay off the theatrics and let their rhythm section rev things up.
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Not Stars’ best, and far from their worst, but an album’s worth of the usual string-laden drama-pop seems a thin substitute for what today’s kids are seeking.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 19 out of 28
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Mixed: 7 out of 28
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Negative: 2 out of 28
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HelenaC.Sep 6, 2008
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EricC.Aug 19, 2008
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MikeB.Dec 10, 2007the first listen was very disappointing. The songs seemed watered down, too radio friendly. After a few listens, it is starting to grow on me.