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Review Summary: yawn-o-delic Releasing their first full-length album in 1995, Stars of the Lid flew under the ambient-electronica radar for about six years. It wasn’t until 2001 when the Texas Natives released The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid, a massive, epic double-disc album filled with soothing tones and rich, spacey keyboard touches. When asked about their influences, Brian McBride & Adam Wilitze (the two main members of the group) listed groups/artists such as Brian Eno, Talk Talk, and Labradford. Much like their influences Stars of the Lid are very ambient based utilizing real instruments such as violins, keyboards, guitars, and trumpets. Six years after their break through record The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid these two punks finally released what everyone was waiting for...(drum roll) another double-disc album! Unfortunately Stars of the Lid Their Refinement of the Decline is one of the most boring records that I have ever heard.
I must admit that I enjoy the duo’s earlier albums such as The Tired Sounds... and Avec Laudenum. Unfortunately Stars of the Lid and Their Refinement of the Decline is a disaster. Clocking in at just about two hours long this double-disc album is extremely lengthy. Sporting a total of eighteen tracks (ten on the first side, eight on the second) a majority of these songs run at about four to six minutes long, which isn’t very unusual for ambient based songs. Not only is it difficult to make it through a single song I can’t imagine sitting through both of these discs all the way through. The albums opener “Dungtitled (In A Major)” features gentle keyboard and violin tones fading in and out while being accompanied by an odd sort of trumpet sound. While coming off as mildly soothing, the track seems extremely lifeless, stuffed, and dull. Unfortunately it doesn’t get much better; describing the title track basically sums up the whole album since every song sounds so similar. There are a couple of exceptions such as the lush, piano influenced “Dopamine Clouds Over Craven Cottage” and the calm, ocean-esque “Articulate Silences, Pt.2.”But even those two highlights can’t save the album because it’s so challenging to shuffle through so many identical, dead sounding songs.
Unlike The Tired Sounds..., ...Their Refinement of the Decline sounds extremely cluttered and dense rather then soothing and palatial. I think that there are to many strange instruments in each song, the album is over cluttered with out of place cellos, brass instruments, and harps. Whereas the duo’s previous albums had a much more captivating, lively sound this album sounds extremely lifeless and tedious. It’s not like Stars of the Lid’s previous efforts where filled with booming dynamics and a wide variety of sounds, but you could easily differentiate each track from each other. ...Their Refinement of the Decline meshes together as one two hour song with next to no dynamic range or intriguing sounds.
Instead of enthralling the listener with relaxing soundscapes or calming orchestrations Stars of the Lid create a double-disc album that is nearly impossible to sit through. Filled with disorganized brass instruments and out of place orchestrations ...Their Refinement of the Decline is a boring, tedious, cold, sterile album that has next to no redeeming qualities. Being a fairly big fan of ambient and electronica music there is no progression or variety presented on this album, just a bunch of faint tones fading in and out. Although an assortment of different websites claim that this is one of the most shocking albums of the year I just don’t hear it and never will.
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Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
Aquabats >>>>>>>>>>>> Stars of the Lid
| | | Album Rating: 2.0
I didn't think this was that bad. I dunno. Certainly not scintillating but it's very pretty and any 3 tracks in a row make for a good 15-20 minute listen.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
To actually retort to this review, seriously, I find it ridiculous that you think this album is tedious, lifeless, boring, cold, and whatever else 5 cent adjective you used to describe this album. Just because it does not have upbeats, vocals, or blaring horn lines does not mean it is lifeless. I think there is a deep passion found within this record, whether you want to believe it or not. Listening to "December Hunting for Vegetarian Fuckface" is a perfect example of their serene placidity is used effectively until the violin whisks away the album for the very last time.
To say every track sounds the same is almost laughable. To be honest, I am not even sure if you listened to the second disc. That is considering your lack of mentioning any track from that disc. To add to that, finding this not to be relaxing or calming is almost disturbing considering how relaxing it really is.
"Filled with disorganized brass instruments and out of place orchestrations" Please cite the incredible disorganization and out of place orchestrations because it sounds pretty cohesive to me.
I don't think there's enough Ritalin in the world to keep your attention. Goodnight, hopefully I can go to sleep to this unnerving and uncomfortable record.
P.S. I'm almost positive it's a flugelhorn used (mainly), not a trumpet, in Dungtitled (In A Major).
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I almost forgot about these guys. I've never had a problem with their other stuff though so I'll have to look into this.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
This album rules.
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From the way you describe it, this actually sounds pretty good to me :D
Maybe I'll check it out. I'm a sucker for roughly-avantgare ambient music, Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works 2 is among my favorite electronic albums.
| | | Album Rating: 1.5
[quote=isitluck]To actually retort to this review, seriously, I find it ridiculous that you think this album is tedious, lifeless, boring, cold, and whatever else 5 cent adjective you used to describe this album. Just because it does not have upbeats, vocals, or blaring horn lines does not mean it is lifeless. I think there is a deep passion found within this record, whether you want to believe it or not. Listening to "December Hunting for Vegetarian ****face" is a perfect example of their serene placidity is used effectively until the violin whisks away the album for the very last time.[/quote] That was funny.
[quote=isitluck]To say every track sounds the same is almost laughable. To be honest, I am not even sure if you listened to the second disc. That is considering your lack of mentioning any track from that disc. To add to that, finding this not to be relaxing or calming is almost disturbing considering how relaxing it really is.[/quote] Nearly every track is structured the same exact way. Dense tones fade in and out for the majority of two hours; there may be some extremely minor differences from song to song but it's not worth mentioning since the changes are so subtle that they're barely noticeable. I'm sure if I sat through this album three times in a row I could point out useless details for a couple of tracks but they all sound so similar that there's no point.
[quote=isitluck[/quote]I don't think there's enough Ritalin in the world to keep your attention. Goodnight, hopefully I can go to sleep to this unnerving and uncomfortable record.[/quote] That statement was the most ridiculous you've made yet seeing as I'm a huge fan of Brian Eno, Mark Ishan, Steve Roach, Aphex Twin etc.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
Nearly every track is structured the same exact way.
Okay. First, lol. Second, if you consider a huge majority of bands out their, they use a specific structure that they master. If you like a variety of structure so much, check out bands like the Locust, because they can't seem to lock down a specific structure for their songs. Otherwise, check out the other 95% of the bands in the world and see that they are following the same structure with their songs, the only difference between those bands and Stars of the Lid is they sounds drastically different.
I will use an example that you and I both know. Sunny Day Real Estate. They seem to use the usual intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus for most of their songs. So why no beef with them because they use the same structure?
My point being is their structure is perfectly fine and fits Stars of the Lid perfectly considering they aren't exactly your run-of-the-mill band.
| | | Album Rating: 1.5
[quote=isitluck[/quote]I will use an example that you and I both know. Sunny Day Real Estate. They seem to use the usual intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus for most of their songs. So why no beef with them because they use the same structure?[/quote] Because I can differentiate every one of their songs from one another. And when I said structured the same way I meant instrumentally as well.
We obviously disagree on this album. I'm really glad that you're trying to start a discussion but I don't see why my opinion on this album is so baffling.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
It's the 1.5 that hurts my eyes.
| | | Album Rating: 1.0
Wow Zebra, don't you really feel the king of the world since you can decide whether this album is the album of the year in metacritic or not? Well, whatever. I agree with you completely. I think you made your points pretty clear. I pretty much liked The Tired Sounds... but this is just unbearable.
| | | Album Rating: 1.0
BTW, it should be "refinement" and not "reinforcement", shouldn't it?
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...so clearly a knee-jerk response to other reviews, and the record's resultant ranking on metacritic. Why are you reviewing this months after its release? Last-ditch grasp at relevance from a second-rate website. This Message Edited On 12.13.07
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'Tard^.
| | | Album Rating: 1.5
[quote=flipper]Why are you reviewing this months after its release?[/quote] Because I kept on listening to the album hoping that it would grow on me.
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Wait a minute, so you said you can't imagine someone listening to the album all the way through... does that mean you yourself did not listen to the album all the way through?
This review seems inspired by the "Everyone is Entitled to My Opinion" episode of home movies. Maybe it's just the melodramatic combinations of so many adjectives, coupled with the factual inaccuracies (the way you talk about stars of the lid's old music makes it seem like you haven't heard the majority of their work, especially the track I took my username from). And your review is just straight up poorly written, that really drives home the home movies comparison.
Well, this gets my vote for worst review of 2007.
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...I kept on listening to the album hoping that it would grow on me.
He clearly listened to it all the way through.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Well, this gets my vote for worst review of 2007.
XD
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
review kind of makes me sick sometimes.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
I'm excited to see the confusion of this being a staff pick and the review having a 1.5 rating. Good thing I temporarily fixed this epic fail.
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