After the near symphonic exercise of engaging the void that was Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid in 2001, it was hard to believe there was anything left to do.
Wrong.
Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie emerged from the studio in early 2007 with the equally huge And Their Refinement of the Decline.
The notion of symphonic here is, without doubt, still present, but not in any normal way.
Over two very differently themed discs, and three LPs, Stars of the Lid engage long conceptual ideas from a place one can only call micro-minimalism.
An obsession with drones fading in and out on all kinds of instruments is what takes precedent here, whether that be a string section, a solo cello, harp, trumpet or a children's choir.
(Yes, all of them are here, and more.) Don't worry, all this deep fixation with drones and classical music doesn't mess up Stars of the Lid's sense of humor.
The titles are still hilarious in places (the set opens with a piece titled "Dungtitled (In A Major)").
The sound of drones is prevalent on disc one, though the drones change and are actually held notes.
Whether they are played live or simply articulated and then manipulated by electronics doesn't matter.
The feeling of being washed over, being gently pulled under water to someplace where language no longer makes sense, feelings get all folded together and an overwhelming calm takes over -- especially at loud volumes -- as single notes are held by the strings for as long as five minutes.
The aforementioned piece is like this, as are "The Evil That Never Arrived," and "Apreludes (In C Major)," which moves through one note for minutes at a time with an ever increasing dynamic and textural array of sounds and instruments and begins to feel like the opening theme of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dungtitled (In A Major)Brian McBride, Adam Wiltzie | Stars of the Lid | Play | 05:54 | 13 MB | 22 MB |
| 2 | The Evil That Never ArrivedBrian McBride, Adam Wiltzie | Stars of the Lid | Play | 05:05 | 11 MB | 20 MB |
| 3 | Apreludes (In C Sharp Major)Brian McBride, Adam Wiltzie | Stars of the Lid | Play | 03:44 | 8 MB | 16 MB |
| 4 | Don't Bother They're HereBrian McBride, Adam Wiltzie | Stars of the Lid | Play | 10:10 | 23 MB | 35 MB |
| 5 | Dopamine Clouds Over Craven CottageBrian McBride, Adam Wiltzie | Stars of the Lid | Play | 05:54 | 13 MB | 19 MB |
| 6 | Even (Out)Brian McBride, Adam Wiltzie | Stars of the Lid | Play | 04:51 | 11 MB | 23 MB |
| 7 | A Meaningful Moment Through a Meaning(less) ProcessBrian McBride, Adam Wiltzie | Stars of the Lid | Play | 04:32 | 10 MB | 20 MB |
| 8 | Another Ballad for Heavy LidsBrian McBride, Adam Wiltzie | Stars of the Lid | Play | 04:32 | 10 MB | 19 MB |
| 9 | The Daughters of Quiet MindsBrian McBride, Adam Wiltzie | Stars of the Lid | Play | 13:21 | 30 MB | 57 MB |
| 10 | Hiberner ToujoursBrian McBride, Adam Wiltzie | Stars of the Lid | Play | 01:49 | 4 MB | 6 MB |
| 11 | Humectez la MoutureBrian McBride, Adam Wiltzie | Stars of the Lid | Play | 05:31 | 12 MB | 25 MB |
| 12 | Tippy's DemiseBrian McBride, Adam Wiltzie | Stars of the Lid | Play | 08:18 | 19 MB | 40 MB |
| 13 | The MouthchewBrian McBride, Adam Wiltzie | Stars of the Lid | Play | 03:40 | 8 MB | 13 MB |
| 14 | December Hunting for Vegetarian FuckfaceBrian McBride, Adam Wiltzie | Stars of the Lid | Play | 17:45 | 40 MB | 75 MB |
| 15 | Articulate Silences (Part I) | Stars Of The Lid | Play | 05:24 | 12 MB | 18 MB |
| 16 | Articulate Silences (Part II) | Stars Of The Lid | Play | 05:37 | 12 MB | 24 MB |
| 17 | Even If You're Awake (Deuxième) | Stars Of The Lid | Play | 09:20 | 21 MB | 36 MB |
| 18 | That Finger On Your Temple Is Ohe Barrel Of My Raygun | Stars Of The Lid | Play | 05:04 | 11 MB | 18 MB |
| 120 mins | 276 MB | |||||
| 120 mins | 496 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pieter de Wagter | Contribution |
| 2 | Brian McBride | Composer, Member of Attributed Artist |
| 3 | Craig S. McCaffrey | Contribution |
| 4 | Luke Savisky | Contribution |
| 5 | Jesse Sparhawk | Harp |
| 6 | Stars of the Lid | Primary Artist |
| 7 | Adam Wiltzie | Composer |
| 8 | Adam Bryan Wiltzie | Member of Attributed Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |