Some of the biggest feelings we try to evoke with our the Empire of Australia’s projects are melancholy, nostalgia, heartbreak and mystery. These are qualities that the songs of Stars have in abundance.
While they continue to create some truly beautiful and heartbreaking music, some of their earliest works have had the biggest impact on The Empire.
From their 2000 EP “A Lot of Little Lies for the Sake of One Big Truth” is a gorgeous song called Theme From The Stars. With piano and horns featured prominently, this song evokes a desperate kind of struggle:
I saw the sun again
and I was happy to be there with my one true friend
until the very end
As the story of Jasper Taylor unfolds, this song is a kind of core anthem for him: the striving to undo something that cannot be undone; to fix something that cannot be fixed; to put back together the broken pieces of himself and of his life.
The title song from their album No One Is Lost feels like it was written precisely for the Empire of Australia. I mean, the video has somebody wearing a rabbit mask.
From the night
From the opposite side of the light
From the twin planet we never see
…
From the night
Here’s a message to all of you sleeping
Every dream in your head
As you lie in your bed
Is worth keeping
…
Let’s be young
Let’s pretend that we never will die
Let’s imagine that no one is lost
It’s not easy but we’ve got to try
Some of their songs have such an otherworldly, unusual feel and lyrics that defy explanation while they evoke an overwhelming feeling of sadness tinged with hope. The Black House, the Blue Sky is just such a song and serves as an anthem of sort for another character of the Empire Universe: Emma Hubert, daughter of the late Clementine Hubert (Ambassador to Cascadia from the Republic of Louisiana).
The music of Stars has left an indelible mark on the characters, stories, and overall zeitgeist of the Empire Universe.
Other Stars favorites include:
- The Aspidistra Flies from The Comeback EP
- On Peak Hill from Nightsongs
- Soft Revolution from Set Yourself on Fire
- Set Yourself on Fire from Set Yourself on Fire
- Life Effect from Heart
You can learn more about Stars on their website and you can support them on Patreon.