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Stuporhero

Last Star Shining

(Basement Tape; US: 21 Aug 2007; UK: Unavailable)

Don’t let short and sweet fool you, Stuporhero are quite adept at both.  The opener “Flying Discs” sounds like a perfect three-minute pop prize but cuts out 40 seconds after it starts.  Nonetheless, Last Star Shining is quite stunning to listen to.  This is especially true of the toe-tapping “Superball” that’s a bundle of sonic energy while the title track is worthy of multiple hundred listens.  But Stuporhero up the ante a bit with the rowdy, Replacements-ish “You Have to Be Joking” which is gloriously ragged around the edges.  Fans of smart Brit pop acts would also enjoy the tender “Vantage Point” that rarely gets above a mid-tempo beat.  Another highlight halfway through is “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out” which causes at least subtle humming on the listener’s part as does the high harmonies that makes “Chasing Fireflies” quite delectable.  Overall, it is a short album but one which would leave one smiling in a happy stupor.

Rating:

Originally from Cape Breton, MacNeil is currently writing for the Toronto Sun as well as other publications, including All Music Guide, Billboard.com, NME.com, Country Standard Time, Skope Magazine, Chart Magazine, Glide, Ft. Myers Magazine and Celtic Heritage. A graduate of the University of King's College, MacNeil currently resides in Toronto. He has interviewed hundreds of acts ranging from Metallica and AC/DC to Daniel Lanois and Smokey Robinson. MacNeil (modestly referred to as King J to friends), a diehard Philadelphia Flyers fan, has seen the Rolling Stones in a club setting, thereby knowing he will rest in peace at some point down the road. Oh, and he writes for PopMatters.com.


Tagged as: indie pop | stuporhero
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