Album Reviews
What are people saying about Stars Fall Home?
"With its eminently catchy tunes that will burrow themselves in your brain like a creature from a horror movie, and lyrics that are morbid, hilarious, and beautifully haunting by turn and all at once, this beautifully crafted album has made its way into my most-played list where it clearly intends to make a last stand with sawed-off shotguns and chainsaws and trebuchets." -- Lisa E.
"What is most striking about Stars Fall Home is the sheer breadth of style. 'Four-Color Love' is a torch song about comic books; 'Pretty Little Dead Girl' wouldn't be out of place in a sock hop (or even better, a movie about them); 'Paper Moon' is a better country song than most modern country artists are coming up with; 'Evil Laugh' is like a less mellow surf rock. McGuire has a voice suited for any number of different songwriting styles, and that's her real gift -- her versatility is a real treat for the listener.
"Of course, no album is ever the work of a single person, and the array of musicians assembled for this one is fantastic. Tony Fabris' guitar work (especially on 'Sycamore Tree'), Amy McNally on the fiddle, Kristoph Klover on...Jesus, depending on the song, damn near anything, and all of the other talented folks involved (seriously, it's a big list) support the vocals without overpowering them -- achieving the effect that so many musicians have forgotten these days, where the various parts of a song actually work together, informing and enriching one another without stepping on each others' toes. It's very difficult to pick a song apart and say "the vocals are great but the guitar needs work" or "how about that drum solo on track six" -- the listener is forced to judge a song as a whole rather than a collection of parts. The various recording engineers and producers involved deserve all the kudos they can get.
"On the whole, then, how to regard this album? Clearly a labor of love for the artist, it's hardly got "mainstream appeal" written all over it (though there are several songs, especially 'Dorothy' and 'Sycamore Tree' that wouldn't seem out of place on the radio), but that's far from a criticism. Judged solely on its own merits, it's a fine piece of songwriting; judged in the context of modern popular music it's a refreshing breath of fresh air, concerned far more with sounding good than being popular. It's CDs like this that have made this reviewer stop listening to the radio quite so much." -- Shawn C.
"I should note here that this album sets a very high standard for independently produced material. Seanan does all her own lead vocals; backing vocals, a host of fine instrumental work, and studio engineering is handled by a large pool of talented musicians spanning two continents. There's also a fully professional illustrated lyric booklet; this is an album that delivers its money's worth and then some.
"Those who've followed my book-reviewing career will know that I don't often apply unreserved superlatives. I am going to apply one now: Seanan McGuire is the single most amazingly skilled songwriter I have ever encountered, and a first-rate singer into the bargain. If you are even remotely a fan of folk, folk-rock, or good female singers in general, then you want Stars Fall Home. If you know a radio DJ whose playlist isn't corporate-controlled, that DJ needs a copy. Forget American Idol, ignore America's Got Talent, don't bother with Rock Star: [insert group here]. This is as good as it gets." -- djonn.
"I've known Seanan more than half of my life, and it has delighted me to see someone who so greatly deserves sucess grow from an awkward, eccentric, but talented teenager to someone who has accomplished so much. Seanan rocks, and living well is truly the best revenge. She's always had more than her share of creativity and vocal talent, but practice and experience have given her work a depth and polish that astounds me.
"I was impressed with Pretty Little Dead Girl, especially having attended a recording concert for one of Heather Alexander's live albums. Only one song was anything short of perfect, and the flaws in 'River Lies' were circumstantial, not a flaw in the performance. PLDG was recorded live, in a single take. So what could Seanan do with a studio album? This weekend, I got to find out.
"Overall, I give the album 4.5 out of 5 stars. I'm not immediately in love with every track, but already 11 of the 15 tracks are favorites, which is as good if not better than any other album I can think of." -- Michelle M.
"Stars Fall Home is the only CD I keep at work (the songs are, of course, safely ripped onto my iPod so I can have them wherever). It's the only album I own that I can listen to compulsively for an entire workday no matter what mood I'm in, and has successfully prevented me from raining down WRATH on my coworkers several times now. ('Evil Laugh' is especially good for this)." -- Olna Jenn.
"Love, loss, and separation are frequent themes in the songs on this album, and nowhere is that more pointed than the single cover McGuire chose to include, Talis Kimberly's haunting selkie song, 'Still Catch the Tide'. You can almost hear the waves crashing in the background ... In her own 'Follow Me Down', which leads off the album, she sings of two lovers kept apart by their own intrinsic nature. And of course, again, there's the masterful 'Sycamore Tree', a track so amazing that I'm going to break my own rules and mention it twice. "Sarah Tapper loves Harry Marshall / That's a lie, and that's a fact / But I left those words in another lifetime" she sings bravely, but she cannot hide the longing loneliness that edges her words. The story is timeless and universal, and this recording trades some of the raw urgency of the live album for tightly layered harmonies that draw you in and effortlessly wind their way around you." -- Rob W.
"After playing it three times through, I have to say that my favorite filk album so far this year is Seanan's Stars Fall Home. The arrangements, the vocals, the melodies, and the mix of humor and drama make for a thoroughly listenable experience, one that's actually gotten better each time through. And this despite the fact that my tastes in material run more to science fiction than to fantasy. Strongly Recommended." -- Mark B.
"Stars Fall Home has gotten me through numerous projects and lots of downtime. The songs create stories in my head and make me want to be part of those stories, even when they become dark. Happy gleefulness can be yours, too, just go get a copy of the album. Go. Now.
"It was much better than Cats. I'm going to buy it, again and again." -- Jessica C.
"If you got the feeling that I love this album, you'd be right. This is an album I can have on repeat and never mind. I sing along. I dance. I cry. I melt. And then I do it all again. So come, follow me down, it's a lovely place to get lost." -- Rebecca N.
"The only bad thing I can say about this album is that I can't listen to it while I need to be focusing on something else - the music, it eats my brain. (I have the same problem with Pretty Little Dead Girl.) The entire album is well-written, well-sung, and well-produced. The tracks are presented in perfect order, and they gel into the kind of cohesive album that is rare in today's mp3-centric world.
"In short? If you don't have it yet, buy it. Seriously. Order it now." -- F.B.
"Stop what you're doing right now.
"No really. Do it.
"No really, put that down please.
"Thank you.
"Now that I have your attention, please for the love of god, money, and little green apples if you haven't already purchased your copy of Stars Fall Home by Seanan McGuire go do so now. You can thank me later.
"That said, last night after work I found myself at Kate's table helping to return address CD mailers and waiting for Chris to arrive with the boxes of the much waited for CD's. He arrived, we addressed more envelopes, titled more sampler disc's and shucked 200 CD's from their protective wrappings so that Seanan could begin the process of signing and numbering all 250 pre-orders. In an act of kindness, mercy, or an active attempt at self preservation Seanan found my name on the list and signed and numbered my CD before I went home.
"By the time I got in to work this morning I'd listened to the album fully all the way through (and some songs more than once). This I can say with out any question this album is Pure. Hammered. Awesome.
"Mostly I'm making little squealing noises only audible by bats, dogs, and very small children." -- Cat.
"Stars Fall Home is a collection of music that calls back to the days when music wasn't just for entertainment and was used to tell stories and share lessons, history, and experience. Each song on this CD is a story in its own right and the whole blends together to weave a tale of love, loss, adventure, the long road home, and journey's end." -- Joyelle R.
"I LOVE IT!" -- Susan M.
"Overall, the whole album is made of win. Good thing you can't wear out CDs easily." -- Elishabet.
"I just wanted to let you know that it's a wonderful album that I can listen to over and over and it never gets less wonderful." -- Steffi.
What are people saying about Pretty Little Dead Girl?
"If you didn't know ahead of time that this was a filk CD -- specifically, a live album recorded at 2005's Ohio Valley FilkFest -- you might very well go looking for it in the country-folk-rock section of your local music retailer, next to the Reba McIntyre discs. The vocals are polished, the tunes are wistful and hopeful and sad in all the right proportions, and while you might be a little startled at the number of fairy-tale metaphors, there are also rivers and wildwoods and small-town diners right out of the country-music artistic palette.
"It should be noted that this is emphatically not just a girl-and-guitar disc; one of its strongest features, in fact, is the layered intricacy of the material. 'Fly Little Bird' and 'Pretty Little Dead Girl' in particular have gorgeous harmonies going on, and 'Sycamore Tree''s multiple voices weave in and out and over each other to superb effect. This is all the more remarkable in an independent-release live album, and a debut album at that. There's no better lyricist working anywhere in (or out of) filkdom, and the performances are uniformly excellent." -- djonn.
"I have listened to it many, many times now." -- soundingsea.
"'I laughed. I cried. I felt an inexplicable urge to have sex with the undead.' or more seriously, 'It has a nicely done variety of musical styles that manage to be fun and funny as well as emotionally evocative at the same time. This album is actual proof that catchy sing-a-long songs do not have to be the type of brainless fluff that we often hear on the radio.'" -- Joy R.
"THE. BEST. THING. EVER." -- Rae H.
"I love the pumpkin, I LOVE the CD, we're listening to the CD, and I think this is gonna be The Playlist for quite a while to come! Truly, truly awesome." -- Larissa M.
"It's brilliant. And I'm not just saying that because I love Seanan far beyond reason." -- Rob W.
"Wow....wotta set of pipes! Love it, needed it...going to take it camping and have a bajillion people listen to it!" -- bacondiva.
"Pretty Little Dead Girl will always be on my personal playlist. Every single song on it speaks to something in my mental landscape, and I can get lost in it for hours. Besides, the studio recording is nice, but if you love 'Pretty Little Dead Girl' you just have to have the live version. It's a requirement." -- Olna Jenn.
"Seanan's music speaks to me in a way that few other artists ever have. This eleven song CD has been my constant companion. In fact, when I thought I had misplaced it, I cried and was about to go order another when I thought of one final place it might be. There was joyous dancing upon our reunion. I think even the CD was happy. I know my son was, as "Fly Little Bird" is one of his favorite songs." -- A. Bob.
"I have to admit that I'm not usually a huge fan of live performances, but this cd does not suffer from the same problems that other Live cds have. The recordings are very nice and clear. I don't hear as much background noise (which is usually my biggest complaint, as I order a cd to hear the music, not to hear the crowd), and just nicely balanced in all. A wonderful set of songs, going from serious and slow to rock and roll fun. The lyrics are probably some of the best I've heard in awhile, in the fact they are engaging and more than.. well. Let's just say it's nice to hear something other than "oooo-oooo, loooove huuuuurtssss"." -- Tric.