Refinement of the Decline

Stars of the Lid | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 3, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Kranky
• ASIN: B000NIIUX8
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,168 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Dungtitled (In A Major)

2. Part 1

3. Part 2

4. The Evil That Never Arrived

5. Apreludes (In C Sharp Major)

6. Don't Bother They're Here

7. Dopamine Clouds Over Craven Cottage

8. Even If You're Never Awake

9. Even (Out)

10. A Meaningful Moment Through a Meaning(Less) Process

Disc: 2

1. Another Ballad For Heavy Lids

2. Hiberner Toujours

3. That Finger on Your Temple Is the Barrel of My Raygun

4. The Mouthchew

5. December Hunting For Vegetarian Fuckface

6. Tippy's Demise

Editorial Reviews

After the near symphonic exercise of engaging the void that was Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid in 2001, it was hard to believe there was anything left to do. Wrong. Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie emerged from the studio in early 2007 with the equally huge And Their Refinement of the Decline. The notion of symphonic here is, without doubt, still present, but not in any normal way. Over two very differently themed discs, and three LPs, Stars of the Lid engage long conceptual ideas from a place one can only call micro-minimalism. An obsession with drones fading in and out on all kinds of instruments is what takes precedent here, whether that be a string section, a solo cello, harp, trumpet or a children's choir. (Yes, all of them are here, and more.) Don't worry, all this deep fixation with drones and classical music doesn't mess up Stars of the Lid's sense of humor. The titles are still hilarious in places (the set opens with a piece titled "Dungtitled (In A Major)"). The sound of drones is prevalent on disc one, though the drones change and are actually held notes. Whether they are played live or simply articulated and then manipulated by electronics doesn't matter. The feeling of being washed over, being gently pulled under water to someplace where language no longer makes sense, feelings get all folded together and an overwhelming calm takes over -- especially at loud volumes -- as single notes are held by the strings for as long as five minutes. The aforementioned piece is like this, as are "The Evil That Never Arrived," and "Apreludes (In C Major)," which moves through one note for minutes at a time with an ever increasing dynamic and textural array of sounds and instruments and begins to feel like the opening theme of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Yet the real bottom line in these pieces, and to a lesser but no less relevant extent, is that these cuts feel like a part of an opening whole that is also at the end of something, like quiet exits from a long-form work, with the feelings of being finished, exhausted, lulled by the lack of energy and motion. It's impossible to say, but when engaging disc two, it feels almost as if it is a mirror image to Gavin Bryars' magnificent "The Sinking of the Titantic" (the second version). Here, where melody dissipates and disappears or never even arrives, as in "The Daughters of Quiet Minds," or the in-and-out of the ether feel in "That Finger on Your Temple Is the Barrel of My Raygun," where actual oceanic and perhaps ship sounds can be heard washing through the mix; and the piece is merely three notes in scale. The sense of drama and restless experimentation are portrayed in back to back pieces ("Humectez la Mouture" and "Tippy's Demise") where on the former a voice in French speaks out of an indescribable series of spaces and noises, and on the latter a cello harmonically plays with the all but absent "orchestra" who have disappeared into the actual feel of the piece rather than remained in its mechanical parts. The set's final cut, "Hunting for Vegetarian Fuckface" begins with voices, muted yet telling, washed into the emerging sound, where chords express themselves, shift and change shape, color and dimension, becoming both something more and something less in the process. At over 17 minutes, more instruments are added, they emerge louder and are more "present" but remain under the guise of absence, as that thing that has already been wiped away. The single- and two-note lines that emerge from the slow, turtle-like pace of the track never move toward anything else even though they assert the theme in various dynamic ways on occasions before re-entering the shadow world of sound. Everything here is rounded. There are no edges on either disc, it's all fuzzy and yet brilliant to hear at the same time. It's music of such quiet and devastating power it can silence a room in five minutes without the volume knob on the stereo being manipulated. There are detractors -- or better yet, cynics -- who wonder why, and how, music like this,

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 51 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another massive and stunning slab of ambience April 15, 2007

By somethingexcellent VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

The Tired Sounds Of came out nearly five and a half years ago and in the time since then has become one of my most trusted ambient releases. Sure, I love my Brian Eno and my more modern work by Deathprod and others, but there's something about the sounds that the duo of Stars Of The Lid put together on that release that call me back time after time. Of course, since that release came out, both members of the group have released solid solo albums (Adam Wiltzie's The Dead Texan and Brian McBride's When The Detail Lost It's Freedom), but neither of those releases seemed to quite match the power of the two when they were working together under that somnolent pseudonym.

And so And Their Refinement Of The Decline is not only a big release because it's their first in so many years, but also because it marks the ten year period of the two musicians working together, as well as the hundredth release on the venerable Kranky label. It's another sprawling 2CD, 3LP release from the group, clocking in at over two hours in length and it's quite possibly even more massive sounding and moving than their previous album.

That's saying a lot, and while it's not quite as immediately melodic as either of the solo albums from each member of the group, it's yet another album from Stars Of The Lid that simply seeps down around you and absorbs into your being. "Dungtitled (In A Major)" opens the release with a wheeze of filtered horns, then dissolves immediately into one of their familiar, yet somehow still highly moving widescreen panoramas of blurring strings, with a horn melody that creeps back in and tiptoes the line between mournful and triumphant. The two-part "Articulate Silences" is some of the most gorgeous stuff the two have ever done, letting breathy chords decay into silence before pushing into the foreground again, with the latter making subtle movements that weaken the knees.

When it was announced that Stars Of The Lid had another album coming out, I have to admit that it immediately shot to near the top of my list in terms of anticipated releases, but this eighteen song set still feels overwhelming (in a good way) at times. On the playfully-titled (one of several) "Don't Bother They're Here," huge waves of filtered drones pulse for over ten minutes while some underlying melodic elements play out slightly more actively, creating a nice juxtaposition of sound. Elsewhere, the ten-minute plus "The Daughters Of Quiet Minds" again feels familiar as a soft scarf or pair of gloves, but again shifts and breathes with just enough of a new edge that it's refreshing.

Yes, there are thousands of artists creating ambient music, and some of them probably have even nudged up slightly against the work that Stars Of The Lid create, but somehow this duo have managed to carve out another solid batch of songs that simply sound unlike anyone else doing this sort of thing. There are hints of modern classical, drone, and sheer textures that you won't find anywhere else, and when played on headphones (or nice speakers) And Their Refinement Of The Decline is literally a moving experience. Call it music for lucid dreaming, call it music for daydreams, or call it music for simply strolling in the dusk, this is another album that will stretch time and take you to another place.

(from almost cool music reviews)

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars And the incline of the supine July 5, 2007

By John Mitchell

Format:Audio CD

After the post-millennial brick that was "The tired sounds of...", I was afraid that I had heard the last of SoTL. With the guys off in different days (Belgium vs LA), the effort needed to pull together and create anything, let alone something to match their previous best (not to bash Avec Laudinum, Ballasted or the others)would have to be signifigant. But with Refinement they have surpassed all my expectations.

This is the finest record to come out of 2007.

From the Bartok-esque opening strains of Dungtitled (in A Major), to the final mews of December Hunting for Vegitarian F*ckface, there isn't a point where my attention wanes or my emotions fail to be stirred. This is music that is at the same time cosmic and microscopic. It is the mechanical dreams of Pioneer 10 as it slumbers its way to infinity. It is the opera of hydrogen atoms. It is the songs of the empty spaces in the ocean, and the sound of dust motes in a beam of light as you sleep on a saturday afternoon with your dog.

With most of the 'ambient' music that is out there (Eno, Koner, Twin's SAW II, etc), it pays to let it enter the background and occasionally pop up to your attention. With SoTL's newest, I stand-sit-sprawl before my speakers in awe, with wonder at the music = no less than the bombasts of Sigur Ros or GSYBE at their finest moments. Do not buy this for sleeping. Buy this for awakening.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Drone-based ambient at its best April 24, 2007

By Manny Hernandez HALL OF FAME

Format:Audio CD

I first became acquainted with Stars of the Lid through the work of their members on their own: Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie (one of the members of The Dead Texan). I instantly fell in love with both, with their endless musical soundscapes that transport you much like the greatest works of ambient, so I figured Stars of the Lid wouldn't be too far from it.

While I can say their music is not for everybody, I found myself quickly devouring the entire discography by the duo. Their work is loaded with sheets of sound that overlay each other in an almost endless fashion. It's drone-based ambient at its best, without any rush or hush to help you sleep like a baby or take you by the hand through your meditation.