Stars of the Lid

All Music Guide:

Ambient drone duo Stars of the Lid was formed in Austin, TX, by guitarists Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie, the latter also a member of Windsor for the Derby as well as the longtime soundman for Bedhead. Debuting in 1994 with Music for Nitrous Oxide, the duo returned the following year with Gravitational Pull vs. the Desire for an Aquatic Life; signing to Kranky, Stars of the Lid next resurfaced in 1997 with the epic The Ballasted Orchestra. 1998's Per Aspera Ad Astra, a collaboration with painter Jon McCafferty, preceded the Sub Rosa release Avec Laudenum. Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid landed in 2001, with And Their Refinement of the Decline following in 2007. Both were double CDs.

Wikipedia:

Stars of the Lid is a drone-based ambient music duo, comprising Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie. The duo formed in Austin, Texas in 1993 and they list among their influences minimalist and electronic composers such as Arvo Pärt, Zbigniew Preisner, Gavin Bryars, and Henryk Górecki, as well as Talk Talk (both bands have tracks named "Taphead"), post-rock artists Labradford, and ambient innovator Brian Eno. Their songs are largely beatless soundscapes, composed of droning, effects-treated guitars along with piano, strings, and horns; volume swells and feedback fill the gap of rhythmic instruments, providing dynamic movement within the songs. Their sound has been described as "divine, classical drone without the tedious intrusion of drums or vocals."Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).

History[edit]

Formed in Austin, Texas in 1993, SOTL is composed of two members: Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie. McBride explained in an interview that the band's name refers to "your own personal cinema, located between your eye and eyelid", suggesting the colors and patterns one can see with closed eyes (either phosphenes or closed-eye hallucinations). They recorded their debut album Music for Nitrous Oxide throughout 1993 and 1994 with third musician Kirk Laktas, and released the album in 1995 on the Sedimental label. Laktas did not continue with the group, and the duo of McBride and Wiltzie steadily continued with Gravitational Pull vs. the Desire for an Aquatic Life in 1996, The Ballasted Orchestra in 1997, Per Aspera Ad Astra in 1998, and Avec Laudenum in 1999, as well as the limited edition EP Maneuvering the Nocturnal Hum and a split single with Windsor for the Derby, both in 1998. Stars of the Lid then released their first double album, The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid, in late October 2001. Nearly six years later, the duo released their second double album Stars of the Lid and Their Refinement of the Decline in April 2007 to widespread critical acclaim. Stars of the Lid toured worldwide throughout 2007 and 2008 in support of the album; throughout their European tour, they were joined live by a string trio featuring Lucinda Chua of Felix on cello, Noura Sanatian on violin, and Ela Baruch on viola. Their North American line-up included Julia Kent on cello.

The duo have been active pursuing side-projects and solo releases since And Their Refinement of the Decline; however, a teaser trailer for a possible Stars of the Lid feature film has surfaced on the internet.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).

Solo and side-projects[edit]

Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie have both released solo material. McBride released his first solo album When the Detail Lost Its Freedom in November 2005, then released The Effective Disconnect in October 2010, which serves as a soundtrack to the documentary Vanishing of the Bees, a film about colony collapse disorder. McBride teamed up with musician Kenneth James Gibson and began recording and releasing new music under the name Bell Gardens; their debut EP Hangups Need Company was released in May 2010, and the full-length album Full Sundown Assembly followed in January 2013. Wiltzie has released material under several aliases: The Dead Texan (with visual artist Christina Vantzou), Aix Em Klemm (with Robert Donne from Labradford), and A Winged Victory for the Sullen (with composer Dustin O'Halloran). Wiltzie currently lives in Brussels, Belgium, and McBride in Los Angeles, California.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).