Stars Of The Lid - Ballasted Orchestra 2xLP

Label: Kranky

Received an 8.5 Best New Reissue rating from Pitchfork. The vinyl version of the second (or third, depending on how you calculate) Stars Of The Lid album, their first for kranky, is finally being reissued. When kranky tried to reorder this title from our then vinyl manufacturer many years ago, we learned that the metal mothers had become oxidized and unusable, probably through poor care in storage. So we shrugged our shoulders and let it be. But with the recent resurgence in vinyl sales, the continued interest in the SotL catalog, and the promise of recent and future activity by the duo, here we are. The original 4 track cassette recordings (yes, 4 track cassette my friends) were remastered and new lacquers were cut, and the original artwork has been updated. The music itself shows SotL with one of their first major transitions, from the found sound and guitar abstractions of their previous Music for Nitrous Oxide to a much more defined and refined compositional structure which would soon develop into the full blown miniature symphonies heard on later works. As an added bonus, the double LP vinyl version has 9 additional minutes of material not on the CD or digital versions. Stars Of The Lid's first major statement as a sonic force to be reckoned with is now available on the analog format once more.