Slept on Stars on Fire

Last week Jigsaw Records quietly released Blue Skies Above, the debut EP from Stars on Fire; I trust the label, so I had to go and spin it on repeat in order to fully digest it. Those who follow my personal tastes will realize that this album is everything I love, and yet none of the things I love. Opener “Shutdown” is a fuzzy little shuffle, bordering on jangling, but focusing on the noisier bits; it sounds a little like that first Pains LP. Jump around a bit to find “Model,” which is more of a post-punk rambling; I love the deep tones of the vocals and the natural balance. “Paper Driver” sounds like something our friends in Fanclub would have released, though special in that its mostly instrumental. You see, this is all over the place, and yet its cohesive in that sense…its like a sampling of all the great things about pop music. Stream it all below.