Stellar* returns from musical wilderness

Boh Runga

It's been five years since pop band Stellar* last put out an album, so long ago that fans could be forgiven for thinking they'd broken up.

In fact, the band has simply had other things to do, and with a third album about to hit stores, lead singer Boh Runga agrees they're going to need to practice.

"The last time we played to any great degree was three years ago," she muses.

"We've just recently done a few private shows but nothing else. So it's all pretty foreign, it's like going out again."

Stellar*'s brand of electronic pop met with great success in 1999, with a string of hits and Tui awards from its debut Mix .

It was followed up with Magic Line in 2001.

Since then, there's been silence however , as band members went off and did their own things.

Drummer Andrew Maclaren and guitarist-professional sound engineer Chris Van De Geer built a recording studio and bassist Kurt Shanks went to Sydney.

Meanwhile, Runga took herself off to Los Angeles in 2004 on a songwriting sabbatical of sorts with her publisher, Chrysalis.

Runga - who is famously the sister of Bic Runga - does most of the writing for Stellar*, and the visit produced several of the new album's songs.

One song was written with Wendy Melvoin, a guitarist from Prince's band the Revolution - a period of his career "which I totally love".

"I had a lot of admiration for her and we hit it off really well. It was just really interesting."

Another, Miracles, was written with Kevin Savigar, a songwriter and ex-band member for Rod Stewart, and Whiplash was penned with Shelly Peiken, best known for Meredith Brooks' song Bitch and Aguilera's Genie in a Bottle.

Some days the writers would set themselves a theme or musical style.

"There were a few songs where I'd get together with a couple of writers and as an exercise we'd go, Oh we'll write in the vein of Pink."

Runga says she's since done more songwriting workshops and finds the process fascinating.

"I guess I learned what I really like more than anything, I know what I find attractive in a song. I'm big on melody, so I'm always attracted to a melody more so than the lyrics."

She also took time out to go to New Orleans before the flood - "a beautiful, beautiful place".

Runga kept in touch with the other Stellar members through the internet, playing them her songs, and then finally putting them down in the studio.

The band has been together since Andrew and Boh moved to Auckland from Christchurch in 1991, and met Chris and Kurt through various venues.

"We just asked them to come and join us and at different stages they both said yes. We've been through a lot of different people but this combination works pretty good."

Runga says the new album, Something Like Strangers, has retained the band's electronic leanings but they're less prominent.

"We've moved away from being more of a rock band than our previous record .

"I listen to a lot of electronic music but it's funny, what you listen to doesn't necessarily move into what you actually write. I naturally write pop songs."

She notes the new album does not carry the "layers and layers of sound" of Mix.

"It's more sparse. We agreed on that before we even started. We said nothing's going to go on the song unless it actually does something.

"Everything has to serve the song rather than just throw it in there because it sounds wonderful."

Like the first two albums, it retains the imprint of producer Tom Bailey, of Thompson Twins fame, although halfway through the process he moved back to London.

"We did send him over some tracks which he worked his magic on and they've appeared on the record as the finals.

"He's just such a great musician and we admire his talent and opinions, so we really wanted to have him involved in this record."

Runga envisages Stellar* will continue on the way it has been, coming together every so often to record or tour.

A tour for this album seems probable but she's unsure about dates.

"We don't spend all that much time in each others' pockets and when you're actually working together on a record, it's quite intense so we haven't actually seen that much of each other lately."

* Something Like Strangers goes on sale on Monday.

- NZPA