Here's to Second Chances

I'm learning more and more not to judge a book by its cover, particularly in my music interests. I often find that someone will recommend some band to me and if I don't like it right away I assume that's just a miss and make a clean break from the love affair the band and I could have shared but, alas, will never be. Unfortunately, I let some second listen loves slip through my fingers that way because I'm apparently too shallow to really give some great bands a shot. How cold. But this story ends in self-reflection and correction! Happily, I am learning from my mistakes and have already discovered some bands I really love because I gave them another shot.

Exhibit A: Stars.
I've actually heard them distantly several times because that one song, Ageless Beauty, finds its way onto several soundtracks of shows like The Hills and what not (not that I watch that show or anything...) and they're pretty well known within their ilk of the indie breed. When I actually got the CD, however, I was pretty ambivalent about them. They definitely had most of the ingredients it takes for me to like a band, but it didn't sound like anything all that special. I went a couple of weeks without giving them any listening time and then all of a sudden today I got an urge to hear Your Ex-Lover is Dead again, and boy did my opinion change! Okay, they're still not especially outside the box, but they happen to also be really, really good. I still haven't decided how much I like all the sound-effects-y stuff they do on some songs but it is definitely interesting. I'm most sold by the way they mix male and female vocals (which I'm usually a sucker for anyway) as well as the contrasting classic romantic sounds (prompted by violins and such) mixed with pretty harsh lyrics. If you just let it play in the background it sounds like sweet, dear melodies, but when you actually listen you catch phrases like "I hope your daughters are all drunken sluts" (or something along those lines). It's great. The point is, I'm growing more and more in love with Stars and it's a beautiful thing.

Exhibit B was going to be The National but I spent way too long on Stars. So I'll just say they are also freaking amazing (and, likely, even better). The Boxer and Alligator are really rad, though I'm not super fond of Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers (for now.....).

Peace