"Once upon a time if you wanted to go away for a while it might have been easier to disappear without being swallowed by the internet.
Lately, there has been a myriad nefarious activity (vacuous sounds uploaded digitally & unauthorised physical product) that it behooved oneself to trademark the Stars Of The Lid moniker. Part of this new endeavour is an official merchandise store Hello Merch We are slowly digging into the archives and re-printing former tour-shirts from ages long ago, starting with these two visible in this post (More arriving in time for Christmas) And in our gruesome passive-aggressive way, eventually some new music, unless the world ends next week, which seems plausible at this point…"
Logan71 wrote:And in our gruesome passive-aggressive way, eventually some new music, unless the world ends next week, which seems plausible at this point…"
I'd love it to be true, but I'll believe it when I see it.
They haven't released anything since 6 years before Tomorrow's Harvest.
Their work together quite literally molded me. Even though we still have Adam I feel their work together had a special unrestrained quality, they weren't afraid to let a relatively raw idea simmer and float for so long that it almost felt like a space you could occupy. Per aspera ad astra Brian.
Saw SOTL on the first show of their North American tour in 2008 at the Echoplex. I remember seeing Brian hanging outside the venue smoking a cigarette and chatting with peeps, a very down to earth guy. if I hadn't known he was in the band I would have thought he was a patron. Ballasted Orchestra/Avec Laudenum/Tired Sounds for my money the pinnacle of ambient drone sonics that brought solace during a dark period in my life RIP Brian x
Broke my heart hearing about this on Monday morning. Some days SotL are all I can listen to. Two of the most spellbinding gigs I've ever seen too. RIP Brian...
IanRedpoint wrote:Broke my heart hearing about this on Monday morning. Some days SotL are all I can listen to. Two of the most spellbinding gigs I've ever seen too. RIP Brian...
They were amazing live. Watching them play December Hunting at their Dallas gig was a spiritual experience.
Stars of the Lid have been a refuge for me in some of the most difficult phases of my adult life. This loss is just massive to me.
And, again, this is right on the heels of losing Harold Budd. And Bowie. And the list just goes on.
terrible news. huge R.I.P. to Brian, a true fucking master.
I discovered Stars of the Lid kinda late in my ambient journeys and was unsure how I'd not found them earlier.
Tired Sounds, Refinement of the Decline, Ballasted Orchestra, and Avec Laudenum ... masterpieces.
"Fall in love with some activity, and do it! Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn't matter. Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough." - Richard P. Feynman
b0qurant wrote:terrible news. huge R.I.P. to Brian, a true fucking master.
I discovered Stars of the Lid kinda late in my ambient journeys and was unsure how I'd not found them earlier.
Tired Sounds, Refinement of the Decline, Ballasted Orchestra, and Avec Laudenum ... masterpieces.
I can still remember the exact moment I first discovered SOTL, I had been mesmerised by Brian Eno's An Ending (Ascent) since hearing it in 28 Days Later and wanted to find something similar, so I googled 'music like....' one day and lo and behold....., so I bought 'And Their Refinement...', that was 2009.
Was so sad to see the news. SotL have had a huge impact on me. My favourite ambient music ever. Even If You're Never Awake/Even (Out) is one of my favourite, most beautiful, most meaningful, emotional pieces of music I've ever heard. Listening to that with headphones and eyes closed is bliss, absolute auditory perfection.
I regret not ever being able to see them live. AFAIK they only came to Australia once while I was a fan, but it was the other side of the country and I was a broke 21 year old. Funnily enough, SotL are also responsible for my support of Fulham FC. The whole Brian McBride connection from Dopamine Clouds Over Craven Cottage led me down the path.
This is heartbreaking...as squid mentioned, Even if You're Never Awake/Even Out is just audio heaven...There's a moment in the past where I listened to this and had what I can only describe as a transcendental experience.
I think listening to them, moving forward, and knowing that Brian is no longer here, will only add another layer to the depth of their compositions.
