Gravitational Pull vs. the Desire for an Aquatic Life

Infobox Album
Name = Gravitational Pull vs the Desire for an Aquatic Life
Type = studio
Artist = Stars of the Lid


Released = 1996
Recorded = East Austin, Texas
Genre = Ambient, minimalist, drone
Length = 41:44
Label = Sedimental
Producer = Brian McBride, Adam Wiltzie
Reviews = *Allmusic Rating|3|5 [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:hbfyxqljldhe link]
Last album = Music for Nitrous Oxide
(1995)
This album = "Gravitational Pull vs the Desire for an Aquatic Life"
(1996)
Next album = "The Ballasted Orchestra"
(1997)

"Gravitational Pull vs the Desire for an Aquatic Life" is the second studio album by ambient drone music group Stars of the Lid. It was recorded on four track and released as an LP on Sedimental in 1996. The album features short, medium and long minimal, droning compositions created from heavily treated guitar, horn, piano and other classical instruments.

Critical reaction

The album received moderate praise from critics. Nitsuh Abebe, writing for Allmusic, stated: cquote|Even more so than most ambient projects, the Stars create an atmosphere that's akin to a sensory deprivation tank, reducing everything to pulsating waves of sound — Gravitational Pull... is consistently effective at this, and is even less dense, at points, than some of the group's other releases.

Release History

Following the vinyl issue from Sedimental in 1996, the album was released on CD in October 1997 on Kranky, and this reissue contained the extra track "Jan. '69". According to their [http://www.brainwashed.com/sotl official Web site] , the band was displeased with the Sedimental pressing and therefore delighted when Kranky released it on CD. They wrote,cite web
url=http://www.brainwashed.com/sotl/music.html
title=Stars of the Lid: Music
accessmonthday=June 20
accessyear=2008
archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20010620164636/brainwashed.com/sotl/music.html
archivedate=June 13, 2001] cquote|After approving the test pressing for the original vinyl release, the 709 copies showed up on our doorsptep [sic] w/distortion, giant pops and surface noise louder than the recording. The plant graciously repressed the records, but we still were disappointed with the overall fidelity. This is obviously why re-relasing [sic] it with Kranky was important. Jan '97 [sic] was a throw away [sic] track that I forgot about from 1992. Anyone interested in 709 damaged records for wall hangings is welcome to come by my shed in E. Austin and take 'em away.

Track Listing

LP

ide A

#"The Better Angels of Our Nation"
#"Cantus II; in Memory of Warren Wiltzie"

ide B

#"Lactate's Moment"
#"Be Little with Me"

CD

#"The Better Angels of Our Nation" – 3:56
#"Cantus II; in Memory of Warren Wiltzie" – 19:03
#"Jan. '69" – 9:24
#"Lactate's Moment" – 12:18
#"Be Little with Me" – 6:27

References