Do You Trust Your Friends
Label: Arts & Crafts
Length: LP
Media: CD
Format: Album
WorkNameSort: Do You Trust Your Friends
Stars invited a cast of musically inclined Canadian ‘friendsâ?� for the purposes of interpreting their songs on Do You Trust Your Friends?, or more accurately, all of the songs on their widely praised Set Yourself on Fire album. The results range from the cinematic and showy (the Dears) to the somewhat hip-hop (the Russian Futurists). The entries on Do You Trust Your Friends? that manage to dampen the crystalline originals comprise but a small fraction of the whole: Apostle of Hustle and the Stills stumble under the weight of their bold attempts. The former crafts a garage rendition of ‘One More Nightâ?� ‘ an earnest vocal performance but sitting atop a choppy, inoffensive ’70s rock structure and, ugh, interspersed film samples. The Stills’ stab at ‘Soft Revolutionâ?� is marred by spoken-word lyrics in a bizarre recreation of (possibly) ‘My Boyfriend’s Back,â?� but it’s a shell of both that song and the Stars original, nearing sacrilege on both accounts.
An adventurous, beatless retelling of opener ‘Your Ex-Lover Is Deadâ?� from Final Fantasy may indeed be the album’s finest moment, as songwriter/producer Owen Pallett directs dense orchestration featuring strings, harp and piano amid blatant tape hiss that lingers throughout. Tucked under the cut’s original vocal tracks, Pallett’s arrangement is positively stunning. The welcome tease here of Stars’ singer/songwriter Amy Millan performing over an occasionally all-electronic/chamber backdrop materializes too, when her vocal track rejoins Montag’s chiming accompaniment on Set Yourself‘s title track, just as she has rejoined him on his forthcoming Going Places LP.
From Canada’s quirky dance pop contingent, Camouflage Nights deliver a standout ‘Celebration Guns,â?� with Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew. Swirling strings and flickering synths abound and the ever-poignant requiem ‘Celebration Gunsâ?� is fleshed out in acoustic guitar strums and beats in the wake of a reckless veto, with Drew adding his own vocal to Millan’s precious lament.
This article appears in May 16-22, 2007.