On September 14, 2004 a Montreal indie rock collective released a bombastic, ambitious, era-defining orchestral opus, full of open-hearted epics about death and trying to cling onto quickly-disappearing youth.
I'm talking about Arcade Fire's Funeral, and I'm also talking about Stars' Set Yourself on Fire — two albums that helped define the Canadian indie explosion of the aughts, and that just happened to come out on the same day.
As Stars hit the road to perform Set Yourself on Fire in full this fall, and with an expanded reissue available now, Exclaim! caught up with co-vocalist Torquil Campbell to shares his memories of the album: his regrets about his singing, his strange relationship to a "Montreal scene," and what he has learned about the secret to making vital art.
What do you remember about making Set Yourself on Fire?
I'll be very honest. I remember very little. Memory is like a garden. There are flowers that grow and shine and you see them clearly, but then there's a whole bunch of weeds and dark corners that you know are there but you don't have the wherewithal to dig into them too deeply. I remember we wanted it. We wanted to connect. We wanted to be great. Nothing else mattered much. And I remember we were drunk, and confident. And scared. That's what I remember.
Listening back to Set Yourself on Fire 20 years later, what stands out?
How obsessed we were with sex.
Is there anything you wish you had done differently on Set Yourself on Fire? Conversely, are there any qualities of Set Yourself on Fire that you wish you had carried forward to subsequent albums?
I wish I sung better back then. I'm a much better singer now. And there's a ton of energy and drive and mistakes on SYOF that I think are rare. Fucking up and owning it is the secret to making vital art.
What has it been like, artistically and emotionally, to dig into Set Yourself on Fire again for the reissue and tour?
When I started listening to the Smiths, the Beatles had been broken up for 12 years, and this album, our third (!!!) is 20! I don't know what to make of it. All I can say is, thank you. Thank you for listening and understanding and keeping our music with you as you grew up and grew old. It is a lottery level stroke of good fortune, and we're deeply grateful.
This album came out at a huge time for Montreal indie rock. What do you remember about the local scene at the time, and Stars' role within that community?
We always felt not cool enough to be part of any scene. Scenes only are apparent from a distance. When you're part of one, it's just people trying to survive. I do know that the bands that were around us were extremely good. Whether it was Miracle Fortress or the Dears or Wolf Parade or Arcade Fire or Suuns or any number of other bands, they were all sick musicians and doing their thing in a serious way, and that was inspiring.
Why do you think Set Yourself on Fire has resonated with fans like it has — both when it was first released, and 20 years later?
Because we wrote it for you. We payed close attention to your heart. All through high school, and watching you in bars and on the street and in classrooms and lonely streets, we watched you. And we told you the story of your life.
What are Stars working on next?
Amy has a beautiful solo record coming out. I am making music with Steve from Young Galaxy and Tom McFall, who produced SYOF. Chris is making beautiful music, Evan and Patrick and McCarron are helping other people's music sound amazing every day, and one day we'll get together again and try to write the perfect song one more time. Thats the plan.