Stars of the Lid "Gravitational Pull vs. the Desire for
an Aquatic Life"
Kranky Records KRANK 020 1995/1997 (51:09)
The Better Angels of Our Nation (3:56)
Cantus II; in Memory of Warren Wiltzie (19:03)
Jan. 69 (9:24)
Lactate's Moment (12:19)
Be Little With Me (6:27)
Stars of the Lid are Adam Wiltzie and Brian McBride.
Yes, this is an old disc but I want to mention it anyways 'cause it's new to me. "Gravitational.." was originally released by Sedimental in 1995 and then re-released by Kranky in 1997. I picked it up about a month ago after witnessing Stars of the Lid's 30 minute opening set for The Angels of Light. Live, SotL ranged from soft ambience to loud, intense walls of noise as Wiltzie and McBride bathed the audience in heavily treated guitar and sampler sonics. It was really nice. On this disc it's just as nice, but all mellow. Very mellow. The album is one continuous flow of ambience with little in the way of discernable loops or elements. If SotL are using guitars to create these washes of sound, it's difficult to be sure. The music is a hazy blur that creates an engulfing environment. The sounds delicately shift and move, there are no rough edges to be found anywhere ... this is truly the audio equivalent of an impressionist painting. One track in particular makes this album worth the price of admission: the 19+ minute "Cantus II" is a warm, watery hum that gives way to a slow, solitary distant tone. It's absolutely breathtaking! The other four tracks are just as interesting but in a different way. I'm very impressed, this is some of the most emotive "ambient" music I've come across to date. I'm ashamed of myself for letting this one slip through the cracks. Soon I will own everything by Stars of the Lid ...
Stars of the Lid at Brainwashed
Where did I get this cd? - from Stars of the Lid at the June 28th Lawrence, KS SotL/the Angels of Light show