STARS OF THE LID

I have often said that if people make requests if I feel the music is right for the blog I'd honor them so here is the first of two requests I have received recently.

Stars Of The Lid hail from Austin TX. USA and it's members Adam Wiltzie & Brian Mcbride have been very active in both this band and other projects since 1993 mostly centered around the Kranky records label out of Chicago, if you don't know Kranky records they pursue an experimental and often ambient vein of what is known as Post Rock having released albums by such heavyweights as Godspeed You Black Emperor! (See Post HERE) & Labradford (See Post HERE)  And Adam Wiltzie actually collaborated with a member of Labradford in Ax Em Klemm (who you will find in the Labradford post linked) So like all good independent labels and bands there is a spirit of cooperation there.

SO... Stars Of The Lid released a plethora of albums over their 12 year career the band dissolving around 2007 and Adam Wiltzie moving on to do A Winged Victory For The Sullen who blend a touch Stars of The Lid's ambiance with traditional classical music. There's not a great deal to discuss as far as Stars of The Lid's sound goes it is minimalist ambient drone for the most part both instrumental and beatless however whilst that may sound quite boring (unless that's your thing) Stars Of The Lid are a stunning listen I'm led to believe, though I can't confirm this, that they generate their sound through the use of mainly guitar and effects pedals/effects trickery (I'm not a musician I don't have the insight to tell you what they use). Their albums and indeed the pieces of music on them tend to be expansive (2 of their albums are triple vinyl/ double CD) but these lengthy pieces vary from darker sounds that evoke a bleaker atmopsphere to sounds so beautiful they literally want to make you weep at their sheer majesty! That all sounds a bit lofty and highbrow but this is stunning music whilst the elements and sounds are sparse and minimal Stars Of The Lid manage to gently fill the room with sound that is all encompassing, if you listen to this on headphones or even a decent stereo you will be surprised at the kind of space and just all enveloping sound they have and it's exactly this ability that makes this band less ambient noodling and utterly compelling. Whilst there's little to work with, Stars Of The Lid manage to craft songs with palpable textures but also that peak and trough so gently you'll find it hard to ignore this gorgeous sound. As I said some of the pieces are long but because of this the tracks are given the ability to lift you up to lofty heights without resorting to volume which is often the method used by bands that work in this genre.

This is going to be a short write up Stars Of The Lid are a fairly obscure band and whilst have got progressively better and better with each of their releases have remained consistent in their sound. I feel it's pointless to try and describe them any further than I have above, the key to this band is subtlety there's no immediacy to this music,you will either get or you won't I don't think it's something you can just approach casually, enjoyment of this band requires a little investment of your time if you want an instant hit then this is not the place to find it I can assure you you that if you are prepared to make the investment you will find the rewards are plentiful.

Below I have given you their entire discography There's not a lot of explaining needs doing except for "Carte-De-Viste" is a compilation of various unreleased tracks and contains their side of the split 12" with Labradford but if you really want the actual separate release you can find it in the Labradford post linked in the first paragraph in the singles pack. If you are a casual or curious listener and have not heard this band before I recommend their "Tired Sounds Of..." album as a starting point it's easily their most accessible and beautiful sounding album in my opinion. Here's your links please feel free to go and bliss out to one of the most stunningly beautiful bands I have ever heard.

AVEC LAUDENUM - Mediafire

...AND THEIR REFINEMENT OF THE DECLINE - Mediafire

CARTE-DE-VISTE - Mediafire

GRAVITATIONAL PULL V.S THE DESIRE FOR AN AQUATIC LIFE - Mediafire

PER ASPERA AD ASTRA - Mediafire

THE BALLASTED ORCHESTRA - Mediafire

MANOUVERING THE NOCTURNAL HUM EP - Mediafire

THE TIRED SOUNDS OF... - Mediafire