Stars of the Lid
Stars of the Lid was an American ambient music duo that formerly consisted of Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie. The duo formed in Austin, Texas, in 1993. They have been acclaimed for their music incorporating droning, effects-treated guitars along with piano, strings, and horns, described as "divine, classical drone without the tedious intrusion of drums or vocals." History Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie formed Stars of the Lid in 1993 in Austin, Texas. McBride said in an interview that the band's name refers to "your own personal cinema, located between your eye and eyelid", suggesting the colors and patterns one can see with closed eyes (either phosphenes or closed-eye hallucinations). They listed among their influences minimalist and electronic composers such as Arvo Pärt, Zbigniew Preisner, Gavin Bryars, Henryk Górecki and Brian Eno, as well as post-rock artists Talk Talk and Labradford. They recorded their debut album Music for Nitrous Oxide throughout 1993 and 1994 with third musician Kirk Laktas, and released the album in 1995 on the Sedimental label. Laktas did not continue with the group, and the duo of McBride and Wiltzie steadily continued with Gravitational Pull vs. the Desire for an Aquatic Life in 1996, The Ballasted Orchestra in 1997, Per Aspera Ad Astra in 1998, and Avec Laudenum in 1999, as well as the limited edition EP Maneuvering the Nocturnal Hum and a split single with Windsor for the Derby, both in 1998. Stars of the Lid then released their first double album, The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid, in late October 2001. Nearly six years later, the duo released their second double album, And Their Refinement of the Decline, in April 2007 to widespread critical acclaim. In December 2007, American webzine Somewhere Cold voted Stars of the Lid Artist of the Year on their 2007 Somewhere Cold Awards Hall of Fame. Stars of the Lid toured worldwide throughout 2007 and 2008 in support of the album; throughout their European tour, they were joined live by a string trio featuring Lucinda Chua of Felix on cello, Noura Sanatian on violin, and Ela Baruch on viola. Their North American line-up included Julia Kent on cello. The band would very occasionally play shows around the world from 2009 to 2017, usually as part of a one-off event. The duo was active pursuing side-projects and solo releases after And Their Refinement of the Decline. A teaser trailer for a possible Stars of the Lid feature film surfaced on the internet in 2008, but the group did not release any new material. McBride died in August 2023. A subsequent interview with Wiltzie by The Guardian confirmed that McBride's death "effectively ends the project." According to Wiltzie, sessions were done throughout the 2010s with a “list of what was supposed to be the next release” apparently recorded. Wiltzie plans on eventually releasing an album's worth of their recordings, stating, “I can’t yet put my arms around the memory of Brian, but someday I am going to try to do this