Gravitational Pull Vs. the Desisre for An Aquatic

Stars of the Lid | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 22, 2000)
• Original Release Date: October 14, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Kranky
• ASIN: B000001PW9
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #206,694 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #95 in Music > Indie Music > Dance & DJ > Ambient

Editorial Reviews

Gravitational Pull..., the second release from Austin, TX's Stars of the Lid, quickly became a favorite among illbient DJs, leading the Kranky label to issue it on CD with an extra track. Even more so than most ambient projects, the Stars create an atmosphere that's akin to a sensory deprivation tank, reducing everything to pulsating waves of sound -- Gravitational Pull... is consistently effective at this, and is even less dense, at points, than some of the group's other releases. ~ Nitsuh Abebe, All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Long, dry trips through the desert., January 8, 2001

By 

"[e-mail]" (St. John's, NF, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gravitational Pull Vs. the Desisre for An Aquatic (Audio CD)

I'm a big fan of Stars of the Lid. I rank them up there with the likes of earlier Tetsu Inoue and the atmospheric side of Steve Roach. STOL produce some of the most chilled, consistently excellent ambient and drone I have ever heard.

Gravitational Pull reeks of drug induced summer afternoons, lazily shifting light tones and textures and incorporating very vague sounds. It is quite effective any time of day, as SOTL have obvious talent and this music serves as an excellent companion for bedtime or mid afternoons. As long as work is far far away and it's time for some relaxation or introspection.

Considered an EP in some places, Gravitational Pull is a solid 51 minutes, and there's not a minute wasted. I'd name the highlights but all tracks are important and delightfully good. Start your Stars of the Lid collection here.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid introduction, December 27, 2001

By 

Roger Fingas (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gravitational Pull Vs. the Desisre for An Aquatic (Audio CD)

There are two Stars of the Lid albums anyone interested in the group should start with as a primer - Tired Sounds, or this one.

The title of the CD reflects the way the album plays out. The first two tracks, "The Better Angels of Our Nation" and "Cantus II," have a murky sound which implies gravity of the emotional kind. From "Jan. '69" onwards though the album develops a liberating psych-rock feel, which peaks in the rising guitars of "Be Little With Me."

The overall effect is supremely calming. It makes me wonder why we don't hear SotL on the radio alongside Enya. On so-called New Age programs, anyway.

4.0 out of 5 stars Feeling Gravity's Pull, September 22, 2011

By 

kabalabonga - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gravitational Pull Vs. the Desisre for An Aquatic (Audio CD)

No sense of sustained explosive release, circular directionality, or heavily textured distortion characterizes the type of drone that the tracks comprising the sophomore release of Stars of The Lid are centered around.

Not heavy in amplitude or in modulation, they're single-toned and ambient in nature, constructed primarily from what sound like treated guitar, and at first listen can seem repetitive, if not dowwnright monotonous. But that's only true if you're listening on a purely superficial level. Grab a pair of headphones or earbuds, and listen to that rascal again.

You're not going to hear the kind of levitational, shimmery drones that created by Windy and Carl, the massive, elongated tonally expansive drones that Landing traffic in, or the visceral, heavily-grained, roar-of-the-universe distortion harnessed so effectively by Bardo Pond. What you will hear on "Gravitational Pull Vs. The Desire For An Aquatic Life" is something more akin to what Brian Eno pioneered in the '70's, the radiating ambient drone. Sure, it sounds like it's going nowhere at first, and yes, the second track ,"Canto...", could benefit from some radical editing. But listen carefully to the rest. It's not about amplitude and dynamic tension; it's more about subtle alterations in the level of magnitude, a sense of shifting from peak to valley and back again in a minimal yet accretive fashion.

"Gravitational Pull..." is best experienced in one sitting, preferably while in a state of relaxation. It's definitely not something you want to cue up when you feel the need to listen to something catharctic. But for it is meant to do it does well, and fans of Labradford should find a comfort zone with this.