Song of the Day Stars – Fixed

photo by Gregory A. Perez

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different songs as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Each and every Friday we offer songs from local artists. Today’s selection, featured on the Morning Show with John Richards, is “Fixed” by Stars from the 2010 album The Five Ghosts on the band’s own label, Soft Revolution Records.

Stars – Fixed (MP3)

Ten years ago, two members of the Broken Social Scene collective, Torquil Campbell and Chris Seligman, spun off their electro-pop bedroom project into Stars. Over time, the band has grown into a collaborative five-piece, by adding fellow BSS members Amy Millian, Evan Cranley, and drummer Pat McGee, and with the new members turned toward a more indie pop and art rock style, while also pulling in hints of classical, psychedelic rock, synthpop, post-punk, blues and funk.

Now a Canadian institution of their own, Stars are just about to release their fifth full-length, The Five Ghosts. In a statement about the album, singer Amy Millan says, “We have never written an album with this much cohesion and unity.” And the songcraft shows: it’s an upbeat, alluring, and danceable mix of songs that holds together well. The electro-pop influences have returned quite prominently, but now more than on albums past the production is more lush and fully conceived. Today’s Song of the Day, “Fixed,” the first single from the album, features an energetic electro-pop-meets-post-punk style that shows a strong influence from New Order but also doesn’t lose that familiar “Stars” sound.

The band will be performing two nights at the Triple Door in Seattle, on Tuesday, June 15 (that’s tomorrow) and Wednesday, June 16. If you don’t have tickets, sorry but they’re both sold out! However, you can listen to them LIVE on KEXP at 4PM this Tuesday as they perform an exclusive set for KEXP listeners.

To find more about Stars, visit their MySpace page. Here’s the new video of today’s Song of the Day: