Stars in Stereo (album)

Last updated
Stars in Stereo
Studio album by Stars in Stereo
Released April 9, 2013
Genre Alternative rock
Length38:50
Label Hundred Handed Inc.
Producer Howard Benson
Mike Green (Icon for Hire)
Stars in Stereo chronology
Stars in Stereo EP
(2012)Stars in Stereo EP2012
Stars in Stereo
(2013)
Leave Your Mark
(2014) Leave Your Mark2014
Singles from Stars in Stereo
  1. "Every Last Thing"
    Released: 2012
  2. "The Broken"
    Released: 2012

Stars in Stereo is the eponymous debut studio album by alternative rock band Stars in Stereo, released on April 9, 2013. It contained 10 tracks including all four tracks from the 2012 EP, a bonus track, and an online link to a second bonus track. It was self-produced through the band's own indie record label, Hundred Handed Inc. and featured the singles "Every Last Thing" and "The Broken", which were both featured in music videos. The album received mostly positive reviews but was largely commercially unsuccessful.

Alternative rock is a style of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. In this instance, the word "alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream rock music. The term's original meaning was broader, referring to a generation of musicians unified by their collective debt to either the musical style or simply the independent, DIY ethos of punk rock, which in the late 1970s laid the groundwork for alternative music. At times, "alternative" has been used as a catch-all description for music from underground rock artists that receives mainstream recognition, or for any music, whether rock or not, that is seen to be descended from punk rock.

Contents

Background

The song "Every Last Thing" was the first song and single written by the group, which was later featured in a music video. The band said that they wished to express suspense and drama through the video reminiscent of 30 Seconds to Mars' video for "The Kill" in an interview with Music Junkie Press. [1] The songs "The Broken" and "Violence" plus "Red Eyed Romance" had already been written and recorded for the 2012 Stars in Stereo EP. The six new songs were written while on tour in late 2012 and recorded soon after in 2013 in time for the album release. The sound of the album was mostly of alternative rock with hints of pop music with electronic influences. The band expressed that they wanted "The Broken" to be their main single because the lyrics contained the main mission statement of the album and the band. [2] The album contained an alternate version of the single "Every Last Thing" and an online link to a second bonus song, "Night by Night", located just below the disc inside the CD case. The song "Half Life" was written and recorded for the album but was excluded from the final copy and released separately.

Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form in the United States and United Kingdom during the mid-1950s. The terms "popular music" and "pop music" are often used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular and includes many diverse styles. "Pop" and "rock" were roughly synonymous terms until the late 1960s, when they became increasingly differentiated from each other.

Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments and circuitry-based music technology. In general, a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means, and that produced using electronics only. Electromechanical instruments include mechanical elements, such as strings, hammers, and so on, and electric elements, such as magnetic pickups, power amplifiers and loudspeakers. Examples of electromechanical sound producing devices include the telharmonium, Hammond organ, and the electric guitar, which are typically made loud enough for performers and audiences to hear with an instrument amplifier and speaker cabinet. Pure electronic instruments do not have vibrating strings, hammers, or other sound-producing mechanisms. Devices such as the theremin, synthesizer, and computer can produce electronic sounds.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Broken"McGraw, Siegel, Green3:39
2."Violence"McGraw, Varon, Langan, Siegel2:57
3."All Together"Hollcraft, McGraw, Green, Siegel, Langan3:22
4."Dealing Secrets"Hollcraft, McGraw, Green, Siegel, Langan3:21
5."Lie Down"Hollcraft, McGraw, Siegel, Green, Langan4:08
6."Red Eyed Romance"Hollcraft, McGraw, Green, Siegel, Langan3:03
7."Open Your Eyes"Hollcraft, McGraw, Siegel3:19
8."At the Stroke of Midnight,"Hollcraft, McGraw, Green, Siegel, Langan3:28
9."Every Last Thing"McGraw, Siegel, Langan, Varon3:50
10."Queen of Catastrophe"Hollcraft, McGraw, Langan, Siegel, Varon3:38
Total length:38:50

Bonus tracks

Tracks recorded but released separately

Band members

Becca (musician) American singer-songwriter

Rebecca Emily Hollcraft is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, known professionally as Becca, Becca-chan, and Bec Hollcraft. From 2012 to 2015, she was the lead singer in the rock band Stars in Stereo.

Rhythm guitar guitar technique; part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section

In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section ; and to provide all or part of the harmony, i.e. the chords from a song's chord progression, where a chord is a group of notes played together. Therefore, the basic technique of rhythm guitar is to hold down a series of chords with the fretting hand while strumming or fingerpicking rhythmically with the other hand. More developed rhythm techniques include arpeggios, damping, riffs, chord solos, and complex strums.

Lead guitar is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure. The lead is the featured guitar, which usually plays single-note-based lines or double-stops. In rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz, punk, fusion, some pop, and other music styles, lead guitar lines are usually supported by a second guitarist who plays rhythm guitar, which consists of accompaniment chords and riffs.

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Stars in Stereo

Stars in Stereo was an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 2011, fronted by American singer, songwriter, and guitarist Rebecca "BECCA" Emily Hollcraft. The band also featured guitarist Jordan McGraw, drummer Drew Langan, rhythm guitarist Ryan "Frogs" McCormack, and bassist Justin Siegel until 2013, when Frogs replaced Justin Siegel on bass, who left to pursue other interests. The band came together after McGraw, McCormack, Langan, and Justin Siegel’s band, City (Comma) State, broke up. The group released their eponymous debut album, Stars in Stereo, on April 9, 2013, and their subsequent album, Leave Your Mark, on June 17, 2014 through their own indie record label, Hundred Handed Inc.

Leave Your Mark is the second and final studio album by alternative rock band Stars in Stereo, released on June 7, 2014. It featured Ryan "Frogs" McCormack on bass guitar instead of Justin Siegel, who left in 2013 to pursue other interests. The album contained 11 new songs self-produced by the band's own indie record label, Hundred Handed Inc. and featured the singles "Leave Your Mark" and "Fair-Weather Friend". The album received mixed but generally positive reviews and even had some minor rock music billboard success, proving to be marginally more successful than their previous album.

References

  1. Marisol (August 20, 2013). "An Interview with Stars in Stereo". Music Junkie Press. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  2. Price, Johnny (2012). "INTERVIEW: STARS IN STEREO". Rock Revolt Magazine. Retrieved June 24, 2016.