- Stars of the Lid
Infobox Musical artist
Name = Stars of the Lid
Background = group_or_band
Origin =Austin, Texas ,US
Instruments = piano, guitar, synth,
Genre = Drone
Ambient
Years_active = 1993–present
Label =Kranky
Sedimental
Sub Rosa
Associated_acts =The Dead Texan ,Aix Em Klemm
URL = [http://www.brainwashed.com/sotl/ Official site]
Current_members =Adam Wiltzie
Brian McBride
Past_members =Kirk Laktas Stars of the Lid is a duo specializing in drone-based
ambient music . They list among their influences minimalist and electronic composers such asArvo Pärt ,Zbigniew Preisner ,Gavin Bryars , andHenryk Górecki , as well asTalk Talk (both bands have tracks named "Taphead"),post-rock artistsLabradford , and ambient innovatorBrian Eno [Piero Scaruffi. [http://www.scaruffi.com/interv/stars.html Interview with Stars Of The Lid] ] . Their songs are largely beatless soundscapes, composed of droning, effects-treated guitars along with piano, strings, and horns; volume swells and feedback fill the gap of rhythmic instruments, providing dynamic movement within the songs. Their sound has been described as "divine, classical drone without the tedious intrusion of drums or vocals". [Southern Records. [http://www.southern.net/southern/band/SOTL0/biog.php Stars Of The Lid biography] ]Biography
Formed in
Austin, Texas in 1993, SOTL is composed of two members — Brian McBride andAdam Wiltzie . McBride explained in an interview [Maelstrom. [http://www.maelstrom.nu/ezine/interview_iss11_129.php "Interview with Stars Of The Lid"] ] that the band's name refers to "your own personal cinema, located between your eye and eyelid", suggesting the colors and patterns one can see with closed eyes. Both have released solo material, the former under his own name and the latter under "The Dead Texan " alias. Their two most recent releases have been triple LPs released to generally positive reviews. Adam Wiltzie currently lives in Brussels, Belgium and Brian McBride in Los Angeles.Recent activity
On April 7, 2007, Stars of the Lid released triple LP, double CD album "
Stars of the Lid and Their Refinement of the Decline ".On August 15, 2007, Stars of the Lid announced a European tour through a
myspace bulletin. They played dates inEngland ,Ireland ,France ,Spain ,Italy ,Portugal ,Czech Republic ,Germany ,Switzerland ,Belgium andHolland .Throughout their European tour, they were joined live by a string trio featuring Lucinda Chua on
cello , Noura Sanatian onviolin and Ela Baruch onviola .Their tour of
North America was from mid-April to May 2008.Teaser for upcoming Stars of the Lid feature film surfaces on the internet: http://vimeo.com/1847116
Discography
;
* "Music for Nitrous Oxide " (Sedimental 1995 )
* "Gravitational Pull vs. the Desire for an Aquatic Life " (Sedimental 1996 ,Kranky 1997 )
* "The Ballasted Orchestra " (Kranky 1997 )
* "Maneuvering the Nocturnal Hum " (Earworm1998 )
* "Per Aspera Ad Astra" (Kranky 1998 )
* "Avec Laudenum " (Sub Rosa1999 ,Kranky 2002 )
* "The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid " (Kranky 2001 )
* "Stars of the Lid and Their Refinement of the Decline " (Kranky 2007 )
* "Carte-De-Visite" (Live Tour release2007 );Split releases
* "The Kahanek Incident, Vol. 3" (12" withLabradford ) (Trance Syndicate 1997 )
* "Split" (7" withWindsor for the Derby ) (33 Degrees 1998 );Compilation appearances
* "Monsters, Robots and Bug Men" - "Goodnight" (Virgin1996 )
* "Brain in the Wire" - "Requiem for Dying Mothers (Version i, Zamachowski op. 87)" (Brainwashed2002 )
* "1993-2003: 1st Decade in the Machines" - "I Love You, But I Prefer Trondheim" (Jester2003 )
* "Kompilation" - "Even If You're Never Awake (Version)" (Kranky 2004 )Trivia
*Interviews have revealed the duo to be
David Lynch fans as reflected in some of their song titles: "Music For Twin Peaks Episode #30 - Part I", "Mullholland" and "Gasfarming" which begins with a sample ofBig Ed Hurley .
*Participated in theUlver remix album with the song "I Love You, But I Prefer Trondheim pts 1-4", the title of which is a sly reference to fellow Austin musiciansI Love You But I've Chosen Darkness .
*McBride is a prominent member of the policy debating community. He was an extremely successful high school and college debater and has coached college debate teams to multiple national championships. He is currently the coach for theUniversity of Southern California policy debate team. [Maelstrom. [http://www.maelstrom.nu/ezine/interview_iss11_129.php "Interview with Stars Of The Lid"] ] [Unfished blog. [http://liepaper.com/blog/?p=141 "Interview: Brian McBride (Stars Of The Lid)"] ] [University of Texas Institute of Forensics Faculty Bios. [http://www.utdebatecamp.com/staff.html"Brian McBride"] ]* The song "Dopamine Clouds Over Craven Cottage" from the album "Stars of the Lid and Their Refinement of the Decline" refers to the American
soccer playerBrian McBride , who shares his name with Brian McBride of Stars of the Lid. McBride the soccer player plays for London'sFulham FC , whose stadium is calledCraven Cottage .References
External links
* [http://www.brainwashed.com/sotl Official Site]
*
* [http://www.epitonic.com/artists/starsofthelid.html Stars of the Lid tracks and a brief biography at Epitonic]
* [http://www.kranky.net Kranky]
* [http://www.scaruffi.com/interv/stars.html 1998 interview]
* [http://www.myspace.com/starsofthelid Stars of the Lid MySpace page]
* [http://vimeo.com/1847116 Teaser for upcoming Stars of the Lid feature film]
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