Stars Of The Lid - The Tired Sounds Of Stars Of The Lid 3xLP

Label: Kranky

Our Review:

The triple LP masterpiece from Austin, Texas' kings of the lullaby drone. Stars of the Lid's sound, while similar to past efforts, has undergone some pretty dramatic changes. Their multi-layered 4-tracked guitars are still present in all their serene beauty and dark tranquility, but the sound is more lush and more detailed. The treated strings, organs, backwards tubular bells and field recordings add even more depth to this already layered and impossible-to-grasp-in-one-listen recording. The Tired Sounds Of Stars Of The Lid is easily the their most obviously melodic record to date, thanks in no small part to the addition of strings, horns and piano. Dreamy nocturnal slow motion drones are the glorious backdrop to the ebb and flow of dark sonic swells and soaring strings. While lots of drone based music sounds sinister, threatening and often clinical, Stars Of The Lid manage to imbue their minimal soundscapes with warmth and a sort of hope and joy. When the mood does change, it's more melancholic, lost, maybe lonely, never evil. So much avant / experimental music is technical and electronic, but the shimmering ambience of the guitars and the grit and grime of the recording, as well as the perfect arrangements make this music transcend its contemporaries, filling your ears with thick slow sound, until it slowly spreads through your whole body. Think Angus Maclise, Terry Riley, Brian Eno, Low, Alan Lamb's wire recordings, Pauline Oliveros' deep listening recordings, John Cale, Godspeed You Black Emperor, the harmonium works of Hermann Nitsch or Tony Conrad. But mix in those magic (non-academic) ingredients (rock background, songs, melodies) and you have probably one of the most beautiful recordings we have ever heard.