Tuesday, April 1

STARS

Montreal-based indie pop quintet Stars comes to Buffalo next week in support of their fourth full-length album, In Our Bedroom After the War (Arts & Crafts, 2007). Stars mixes the soft, narrative lyrics of Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan with the lush, layered instrumentation of Chris Seligman on keyboards, Evan Cranley on bass and guitar and Patrick McGee on drums. Like Toronto collective Broken Social Scene, with whom the band shares three members (Campbell, Millan and Cranley), Stars specializes in the kind of electronic mixing and glossy production that make their albums seem something like power pop theatre. Their conistsent arrangement of pianos, electronics, and guitars hits the ears like a syrupy sweet sonic candy. Taken outside of the studio, however, the band takes on a rawer, slightly less contrived edge. And that’s where Stars really shines.

—peter koch

8pm. Tralf Music Hall, 622 Main Street (852-2860/tralfmusichall.com). $16