On Stars and Sons

Far be it from me to jump to non-forensic conclusions, but I have a feeling that the above picture, to be found on band Stars and Sons' MySpace, is a fake. I mean, I'm not claiming to be Sherlock, Miss Marple or even Basil the Great Mouse Detective - but a few things stick out to my sleuthing eye. First of all, there is the fact that Bruce Springsteen seems to have lost the cover spot to a new and virtually unknown band who won't even reveal their true identities. Then, there is the fact that Perez Hilton is referred to as the 'King of Mean', when anyone who's anyone knows Hilton is the Queen of mean. And finally, there's the suspicious website listed in the bottom right hand corner - magmypic.com - which claims that you can 'make your own magazine cover'. I don't know - it just smells fishy. Like tuna, or maybe hake.

Regardless of the veritability of said picture, nothing about Stars and Sons (or, if you like, Michael Lord) screams fake to the discerning listener. Instead, what you get is a raunchy musical kickstart to any day. Their songs have a tendency to be anthemic whilst balancing just this side of camp. Take, for instance, EP highlight 'If It's Good For Me', which has a heavy pop feel whilst channelling the undead spirit of Ed Harcourt. There's something in the water at Michael Lord's house - his music is fresh and funky, his promos are posted in homemade cases splattered liberally with poster paint (which has, quite wonderfully, left my desk smelling like primary school), and his press releases (and MySpace photos) are filled with quite blatent lies that have no intention of being taken seriously. Which is, as it happens, exactly how you should be taking his music.

Oh yuck. That sounded awfully music journalist-y. Just take the track and run.

mp3: 'If It's Good For Me' by Stars and Sons

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