Stars of the Lid - …And Their Refinement of Decline

One of my favourite albums of 2007 so far! The reviewer has a nice way to transform his perception of the music in funny metaphors. I really love the overall stillness with its sublime and subliminal progressions. The word "progression" may even be too much! The way SotL are absorbing masters of classical and modern electronic music is very interesting. For instance, look (dive into)the piece called "The Evil That Never Arrived". That sounds like the title of a second-class mystery novel, but it is, in fact, a wonderful variation on Brian Eno´s ambient classcis "Discreet Music" and "Music For Airports". For anyone who knows these albums quite well: listen to the piece and switch on Memory Mode: you will realize that Wiltzie and Bride use elements of these two records (harmonic structures, decay lines etc.)and thereby create a totally new piece, much more than an intelligent cover version. For those who love the ambient bliss of Stars of the Lid and don´t know the two Eno albums, go for them - you will discover some wonderful stuff! Funny enough, remembering yesterday´s praise of Neil Young´s "Live At Massey Hall 1971", these are nearly the only cd´s I have been hearing during the last seven days, and it works - the difference of genre doesn´t matter if things turn a bit into timelessness!

Along with Windy and Carl, Stars of the Lid make the most emotional ambient music out there. When I saw them on one of their rare tours, the experience was a spiritual uplift which I will never forget. The Ballested Orchestra is another of their albums that demands classic status.

I'm slightly torn whenever someone like Stars of the Lid or Keith Fullerton Whitman put out a new record. On the one hand, there's pretty much no chance that I'll ever listen to it as much as great "pop" records like OK Computer. But on the other hand, they're basically perfect at what they do. I've not been able to find a single flaw in SotL's last two albums. They're just gorgeous. But because I just can't listen to them with the same frequency as other great albums, I'm a bit torn on whether to declare them to be great records, or just great ambient records.

draglike - I too get this feeling. The only way I have to tell special ambient music from just good or great ambient music is how it makes me feel when I'm listening to it. Being gorgeous is one thing, but the best ambient (i think) evokes different imagery or emotions with each play - like a giant jawbreaker. KFW's Multiples is one of my favorites because of how the music seems to alter the space around me while it's playing. On the other hand, that record from Eluvium last year just didn't do it for me.

oops.. I meant Playthroughs, not Multiples lol