Stars of the Lid

Stars of the Lid

Stars of the Lid is an ambient and drone group formed in Austin, Texas, and also associated with Brussels. The group is active from 1992 and has consisted of Brian McBride, Adam Wiltzie, and Kirk Laktas, with McBride and Wiltzie the core duo named in the group’s history. Their music is centred on beatless soundscapes built from droning, effects-treated guitars, with piano, strings and horns also used to create texture. Volume swells and feedback often replace conventional rhythm and provide movement within the pieces.

Style and influences

The group draws on minimalist and electronic composers including Arvo Pärt, Zbigniew Preisner, Gavin Bryars and Henryk Górecki. It also takes influence from Talk Talk, whose name appears in the title of one of Stars of the Lid’s tracks, as well as from post-rock group Labradford and ambient musician Brian Eno.

Releases and labels

Stars of the Lid records for Kranky, and their 2001 double-LP The Tired Sounds Of Stars Of The Lid receives generally positive reviews. Its follow-up, Stars of the Lid and Their Refinement of the Decline, is another double-disc release on Kranky and appears as the label’s 100th release.

Related projects

Brian McBride releases solo material under his own name, while Adam Wiltzie records solo work as The Dead Texan. McBride dies in August 2023, and Wiltzie later states that this effectively ends the project, though recordings from sessions throughout the 2010s remain part of an intended future release.