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May 01, 2018 Stars of the Lid By Matt the Raven

Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie, the duo better known as Stars of the Lid, have not always been purveyors of heavenly instrumental compositions of pure ambient bliss, but they have always been about ignoring convention and exploring tone and texture by distilling music down to the bare minimum and processing the resulting residues into eclectic sonic wallpaper.

Long before they perfected their ambient niche using glistening glissando guitar tones and soft slumberous string timbres; Stars of the Lid turned the Austin music scene upside down with the minimalist sound manipulations heard on Gravitational Pull vs. The Desire For An Aquatic Life. Conjuring the paranormal, this reissue, originally released in 1996, is less a musical excursion into the peaceful inner spaces of rich ambient harmonies and more of an adventure in constructing processed sound portraits.

The five droning instrumental tracks are built from undulating waves of processed tones that crest, but never crash; instead disappearing with a rippling effect that may slowly evolve into some other form or just as easily fade away into the mist. The murmuring soundscapes are comprised of various ambient textures ranging from the scruffy and eerie to the soothing and sublime. With treated guitars, echoing squeaks, and machine noises, the various elements blend in and out of the shared space and seem to represent the low hum of a city going to sleep in the early morning hours; but just as easily characterize the resonance of a city awakening from its slumber.

While nowhere near the beauty and serenity of the layered, symphonic delights of later releases, Gravitational Pull vs. The Desire For An Aquatic Life is no less intriguing and shows that from the very beginning Stars of the Lid set out to explore the essences of mind-numbing auditory fantasies. (www.starsofthelid.bandcamp.com)

Author rating: 6/10