you were what i wanted/ i gave what i gave

Ever had a could-have-been relationship that happily went up in flames? Ever had to interact with that person again, and deal with a whole mash of indescribible feelings that you never felt before?

Irony. Nostalgia. Bitterness. Introspection. Gentle detachment. An uncertain still-fondness. Melancholic joy. A song that captures all these emotions is a rare thing indeed, perhaps as rare as the kind of person that brings them.

Definitely not your stock love song, Torquil Campbell and Amy Millann of Canuck band Stars offer a unique view of a relationship that does not rekindle, but neither are any apologies made for its end. Both start off singing their own bits, but when they finally come together to harmonize it's a harmony that is not borne out of mutual understanding but rather something each comes round to on their own, and just happens to conincide with what the other has decided on. ' im not sorry i met you/ im not sorry it's over/ im not sorry there's nothing to save'. Such simple evocative lyrics sung so precisely give the song a very polished and sincere sheen too.

Notice how towards the song's end, the strings and brass build up to a surging outro. As if a wordless acknowledgement or last paean to everything they once had.

One more thing, I do not think a song like that can ever be written in sunny Singapore. I have never really seen snow before, much less been to Montreal, Canada, but somehow this song seems that it can only be written dead set in a frosty winter.

STARS - YOUR EX LOVER IS DEAD

Listen to this and more on their myspace spot. Reunion' is recommended too, especially its video.

Many thanks to yimei for this song.