Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding sound artistry, 7 Jul 2006
Every time I visit Amazon I check to see if this album has received any reviews, and am quite astonished that it hasn't to date. I have been a little nervous of attempting to review it, because I'm not sure that I can do it justice, but I feel it deserves a go.
In fact this album deserves and I hope it gets or has already had critical acclaim, it deserves rave five star reviews, and it deserves to be seen as an outstanding album by an outstanding artist and composer.
Brian McBride is one of the two artists that make up the brilliant Stars of the Lid, the other being Adam Wiltzie. This is Brian's first solo venture. Adam has also released his own album, The dead Texan, which is also excellent.
When I first heard and read about Stars of the Lid it came across that they were experimentalists in sound. Using mainly guitars and recording onto four track tape recorders producing long atmospheric pieces, as found on all of their albums prior to the most popular release called, The tired sounds of The stars of the lid. On that album they ventured into new territory, producing music rather than just moody atmospheric soundscapes, using other classical based instruments along with guitars.
Clearly this was the direction that they were wanting to go, away from the wonderful long droning ambient pieces towards more emotive music, which is clearly evident to hear on both The dead Texan and When the detail lost its freedom. Both artists have shown that they are more than just two guitarists playing about with guitar sounds, they are very accomplished and musically skilled artists and composers, incorporating into their new musical compositions those earlier Lid sounds.
The traditional instruments they're now using they use in the same experimental way as with their guitars. Producing sounds that only they can produce in their way, the way of Stars of the Lid, so that it is hard to distinguish just what instruments they are using to produce their sounds.
When the detail lost its freedom I would describe as being beautifully sorrowful, but not depressing. It is emotive, melancholic, yet running through the pieces is the feeling that OK you're in a sad place or sad state of mind but that that's OK, it's a beautiful place to be. Kind of like when you've been through a sad time, but enough time has passed for you to start thinking about it, and yes you feel sad, but also you're remembering some of the happy times, which makes you kind of happy - sad, if that makes sense. This music is not happy by any means, but it is not depressing either. Music for when you are coming out of a sad time perhaps, music for reveries.
This music touches my soul, or my soul responds to it, recognises it. But every ones soul is different and touched by different kinds of music.
And Brian does it all brilliantly, beautifully. There are no stand out tracks for me, although perhaps the track, and its title, For those who hesitate, sums up the feeling of the whole album. Having said that I guess there are the obvious stand out tracks - Overture (for other halfs), Our last moment in song, or The guilt of uncomplicated thoughts, latent sonata. But it's the other subtle in between tracks that stand out for me, Piano abg, Retinir, I will, Stringer to light feed frenzy, For those who hesitate. But the whole album stands out.
After listening to the album recently I then listened to a new Stars of the Lid track, called Even if you're never awake, from a Kranky compilation album (Kranky being the record label) from a fourth coming album. It would fit perfectly on When the detail lost its freedom.
I can't wait for that album to come out, and for future solo albums from Brian and adam.
Outstanding. If I had to pick a favourite album, this would be it, along with The Pearl by Brian Eno and Harold Budd.
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~ Stars of the Lid
~ Stars of the Lid
~ Dead Texan
~ Stars of the Lid
~ Eluvium
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