The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid

Ambient · 2001 · 19 tracks

The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid

Stars of the Lid

October 29, 2001 · Kranky

A low, tape-hissed hum of brass and strings slows the breath, turning the vastness of modern classical music into something intimate and heavy. This double album perfected the art of the glacial drone, transforming home-recorded tape exchanges into a monumental, two-hour cathedral of sound.

By stretching minimalist arrangements until they hover on the edge of silence, the duo refined their raw, early experiments into a definitive masterpiece of ambient weight.

You do not merely listen to these drifting, saturated chords; you inhabit them, feeling the exact threshold where classical elegance dissolves into beautiful, infinite space.

Tracklist · 19 Tracks

01

Requiem for Dying Mothers, Part 1

6:38

02

Requiem for Dying Mothers, Part 2

7:37

03

Down 3

5:46

04

Austin Texas Mental Hospital, Part 1

2:49

05

Austin Texas Mental Hospital, Part 2

12:19

06

Austin Texas Mental Hospital, Part 3

5:48

07

Broken Harbors, Part 1

3:31

08

Broken Harbors, Part 2

6:47

09

Broken Harbors, Part 3

9:17

10

Mullholland

6:49

11

The Lonely People (Are Getting Lonelier)

10:06

12

Gasfarming

3:19

13

Piano Aquieu

10:56

14

FAC 21

3:08

15

Ballad of Distances, Part 1

3:36

16

Ballad of Distances, Part 2

3:01

17

A Lovesong (for Cubs)+, Part 1

6:46

18

A Lovesong (for Cubs)+, Part 2

8:05

19

A Lovesong (for Cubs)+, Part 3

7:46

Moments Worth Listening For

01Requiem for Dying Mothers, Part 1The slow, mournful string loops on 'Requiem for Dying Mothers, Part 1' gradually swell over a faint, low-frequency hum.

The duo constructed the album's vast, two-hour architecture entirely by mailing physical tapes back and forth to one another.

13Piano AquieuA rare, delicate piano motif emerges from the silence on 'Piano Aquieu', offering a brief moment of acoustic clarity.

19A Lovesong (for Cubs)+, Part 3The final movement of 'A Lovesong (for Cubs)+, Part 3' dissolves into a long, fading drone that mimics the slow cooling of a room.

Reviews

Sputnikmusic5/ 5

Pitchfork8.6/ 10

Drowned in Sound10/ 10

The Winnipeg Sun3/ 5 stars

StylusA-

AllMusic4.5/ 5 stars

The Globe and Mail3/ 5 stars

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