The North (Stars album)

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The North
The North album cover.jpeg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 4, 2012
RecordedRCA Victor Studios, Montréal
GenreIndie pop, new wave, synthpop, baroque pop, electropop
Length43:54
LabelATO Records
ProducerGraham Lessard, Marcus Paquin, Stars
Stars chronology
The Five Ghosts
(2010)
The North
(2012)
No One Is Lost
(2014)
Singles from The North
  1. "Theory of Relativity"
    Released: July 17, 2012
  2. "Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It"
    Released: July 18, 2012
  3. "Backlines"
    Released: August 7, 2012
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic76/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic4/5 stars[2]
Slant Magazine2.5/5 stars[3]
Sputnikmusic4.4/5 stars[4]
Absolutepunk85%[5]
Pitchfork Media6.7/10[6]

The North is the sixth full-length studio album by Canadian indie pop band Stars. It was released on September 4, 2012, through ATO Records.[7] The album has been characterized as having a more upbeat feel to it compared to previous works, as Amy Millan notes: the album was meant to be "playful, joyful and hopeful."[8] The album debuted at number 5 on the Canadian Albums Chart.[9]

The album's cover shows the Habitat 67 complex, an experimental housing development as well as architectural landmark in Montreal, the band's home city.

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by Stars.

No.TitleLength
1."The Theory of Relativity"4:26
2."Backlines"2:11
3."The North"4:52
4."Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It"4:39
5."Through the Mines"4:10
6."Do You Want to Die Together?"3:12
7."Lights Changing Colour"3:06
8."The Loose Ends Will Make Knots"2:32
9."A Song is a Weapon"3:12
10."Progress"3:50
11."The 400"3:28
12."Walls"4:16
Total length:43:54
Amazon.com & iTunes digital download bonus track
No.TitleLength
13."The North" (Breakglass Version)3:28
Total length:47:22

Reception[]

The album has received mainly positive reviews from music critics. Metacritic assigned an average score of 70 to the album based on 22 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews."[10]

Personnel[]

The North album personnel adapted from Discogs.[11]

Stars

Production

  • Graham Lessard - engineer
  • Marcus Paquin - engineer
  • Chris McCarron - guitar technician (maintenance)
  • Dave Cooley - mastering
  • Tony Hoffer - mixing
  • Chris Claypool - mixing (assistant)
  • Graham Lessard - production
  • Marcus Paquin - production
  • Stars - production
  • David Carswell- additional recording
  • John Collins - additional recording

Artwork

  • The Cardboardbox Project, Derek Broad - album artwork

References[]

  1. ^ "Critic Reviews for The North - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  2. ^ Tim Sendra. "Stars - The North review". Allmusic. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  3. ^ Kevin Liedel (September 3, 2012). "Stars - The North". Slant Magazine. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  4. ^ jeremologyy. "Stars - The North". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  5. ^ http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=2886652
  6. ^ http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16975-the-north/
  7. ^ Michael Nelson (June 21, 2012). "Stars – "The Theory Of Relativity"". Stereogum. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
  8. ^ Bernard Perusse (September 4, 2012). "Stars radiate hope on The North". The Gazette. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  9. ^ https://www.billboard.com/music/stars/chart-history/canadian-albums
  10. ^ "The North - Stars". Metacritic. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  11. ^ "Stars - The North". Discogs. Retrieved September 8, 2012.

External links[]

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