Just back from seeing them in LA and echo everything Karlnsaid about this his experience above - sounds like they did more or less the exact same set. Requiem for Dying Mothers and December Hunting were by da the standouts of the evening - truly transcendent in moments. DHfVF reached a level of chaos that I don't associate with SotL, but it worked. Requiem, especially the second half, was a gorgeous build. Adam and Brian seemed totally silent while the string quartet did all the work - and then the two guitars finally came in and the whole song went to a new level. What a show.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Friday, 25 September 2015 06:59 (eight years ago) link
New old tune, and I'm seeing them on Saturday! Will be the second time I'm seeing them live.
Also, Zach, only just now read your lovely review, kudos my man.
― the tightening is plateauing (Le Bateau Ivre), Tuesday, 27 September 2016 17:54 (seven years ago) link
Was that in a tiny club in Amsterdam that was full of smoke? They mentioned it, complained that the barbican was too big for the smoke machine :)
Set felt short, 4 tunes, a shade under 90 mins I think, no encore. I don't remember the guitars being so inscrutable last time I saw them - like, what are they contributing to the sound? Are they even playing them? All became clear at the tumultuous end of December Hunting though.
Impressive monumental organ drones from support act Claire M Singer.
― dancing jarman by derek (ledge), Monday, 3 October 2016 11:17 (seven years ago) link
It was actually! :-) Just before they started a smoke machine puffed some clouds into the room and my brother and I were like: lamest on-stage effect for SotL ever. But boy, did it make sense once they started! Stunning visuals because of the smoke. Will post some pics later.
It was amazing. They played four pieces, two of which were encores. The first was a half hour suite (with movements of Requiem for Dying Mothers and other pieces). They only got their first applause after that suite, and you could hear a pin drop the entire time. Rarely experienced such a quiet audience.Oddly, after the first piece McBride said "we're going to play the last song now". That turned out to be Vegetarian Fuckface, which all in all lasted more than 30 minutes as well? I wouldn't have even minded if they'd stopped right there and then, but they came back for two more pieces cause the crowd never stopped applauding. First one was with the string quartet (perhaps it was 'Mulholland'). The last encore was just the guys on guitar and someone using that monster of a Moog on stage, droning out for 10 mins.
― the tightening is plateauing (Le Bateau Ivre), Monday, 3 October 2016 11:59 (seven years ago) link
sounds like the same set minus the encore fakeout. yeah it was great, no complaints really. people falling over each other to leave after the last piece at the late hour of 9:45, hopefully they were keen to get to the pub, not bed.
― dancing jarman by derek (ledge), Monday, 3 October 2016 12:03 (seven years ago) link
The same happened in Amsterdam. Very odd. Lots of lonely 40+ males though, perhaps they couldna hack it any more.
― the tightening is plateauing (Le Bateau Ivre), Monday, 3 October 2016 12:52 (seven years ago) link
i just ctrl_f's "debate" with no luck butmcbride is a debate whiz who has done the UT-austin debate camps for high schoolers and i have half a mind to convince my school to let me take students up there so i can stalk him
― 6 god none the richer (m bison), Tuesday, 4 October 2016 02:36 (seven years ago) link
i wish i could make music like this but i wouldn't even know how to start
― na (NA), Monday, 28 November 2016 21:07 (seven years ago) link
ha, yeah, it sort of seems like it wouldn't be toooooo hard to do, but it is! i was trying to do some ambient-y kinda things recently and couldn't get a grip on it. anyone check out this? might scratch the stars of the lid itch: https://scissortail.bandcamp.com/album/diminished-composition
― tylerw, Monday, 28 November 2016 21:30 (seven years ago) link
― na (NA), Monday, November 28, 2016 4:07 PM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
seems to me a volume pedal + analog delay + knowledge of basic guitar chords and voila but what do I know
― Wimmels, Monday, 28 November 2016 23:42 (seven years ago) link
There's a new AWVFTS out on Erased Tapes... a film soundtrack. Haven't spent enough time with it but, perhaps unsurprisingly, it didn't seem at the level of Atomos. Felt a little more generic.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Tuesday, 29 November 2016 02:36 (seven years ago) link
Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie has the "Salero" soundtrack at Erased Tapes, while AWVFTS have the "Iris" soundtrack available at the usual electronic haunts now (look for the bonus version w/ 2 tracks from ABW's EP), as well as the cd/vinyl versions for pre-order at Erased Tapes.
― the body of a spider... (scampering alpaca), Tuesday, 29 November 2016 03:25 (seven years ago) link
New material from Brian McBride (from 25 mins in): https://www.mixcloud.com/NTSRadio/kranky-w-brian-mcbride-5th-july-2017/
― toby, Friday, 7 July 2017 05:26 (six years ago) link
jesus, it's been 10 years since the last one
― Karl Malone, Friday, 7 July 2017 05:28 (six years ago) link
stars of the lid, that is. every time this thread is revived i'm literally crossing my fingers
me too :(
― flappy bird, Friday, 7 July 2017 05:32 (six years ago) link
https://soundcloud.com/adambryanbaumwiltzie/sotl_twin-plotkin_v2
"For fans of SOTL's earlier minimal drone era. This Lost recording from 1997 of a remix of Stars of the Lid's Twin Peaks Episide # 30 Part 1, by James Plotkin. (Commissioned for $100USD)During this particular moment, the glory days of pre-file sharing, we had been considering and gathering remixes via the post for a potential release but as many things go in the world of Lid, the idea became a bit stale. Mostly due to our own boredom. We are not sure if this thing is of any decent quality, but if you listen at low levels then the effect could possibly lead to a good nap at the very least...."
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Wednesday, 20 December 2017 18:09 (six years ago) link
damn
― In a slipshod style (Ross), Wednesday, 20 December 2017 18:45 (six years ago) link
every time this thread is revived i'm literally crossing my fingers
― Simon H., Wednesday, 20 December 2017 18:47 (six years ago) link
same
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 20 December 2017 19:01 (six years ago) link
wait, i said thatstill the same, i guess
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 20 December 2017 19:02 (six years ago) link
the tired sound of this thread revival
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Wednesday, 20 December 2017 20:00 (six years ago) link
it's kind of weird to introduce a remix by someone else with "we are not sure if this thing is of any decent quality"
i like it though!
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 20 December 2017 20:04 (six years ago) link
I get the sense that SotL have a case of crippling perfectionism and truly cannot tell if anything they do is good.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Wednesday, 20 December 2017 21:00 (six years ago) link
Hence the self deprecating song titles :)
― In a slipshod style (Ross), Wednesday, 20 December 2017 21:29 (six years ago) link
I'm seeing them live for the first time at the Sigur Ros thing next week.
― michaellambert, Wednesday, 20 December 2017 22:02 (six years ago) link
those recent shows they did in some church in NYC looked transcendent, would love to see them :/
― global tetrahedron, Wednesday, 20 December 2017 23:35 (six years ago) link
I saw them in LA 2.5 years ago and they were phenomenal.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Thursday, 21 December 2017 05:41 (six years ago) link
how hard is it to stay awake during their sets, just curious
― In a slipshod style (Ross), Thursday, 21 December 2017 05:47 (six years ago) link
not hard, it's an enthralling experience.
Man, the refinement of the decline of this thread and its updates, indeed
― ♫ very clever with maracas.jpg ♫ (Le Bateau Ivre), Thursday, 21 December 2017 13:54 (six years ago) link
was just clowning around tbh
:)
― In a slipshod style (Ross), Thursday, 21 December 2017 16:53 (six years ago) link
👊
― ♫ very clever with maracas.jpg ♫ (Le Bateau Ivre), Thursday, 21 December 2017 19:59 (six years ago) link
They were great tonight in Reykjavik. Beautiful and medative. I did find my eyes closing over a few times, but didn’t fall asleep.
― michaellambert, Saturday, 30 December 2017 20:19 (six years ago) link
totally fell asleep at a Boston show ~2003, no regrets
― Uhura Mazda (lukas), Friday, 12 January 2018 18:53 (six years ago) link
“Atomos” will be on TV
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2018/dance-season?#heading-atomos
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Wednesday, 18 April 2018 11:52 (six years ago) link
awesome!
― dyl, Thursday, 19 April 2018 02:16 (six years ago) link
Pfork article on Adam Wiltzie scoring the new Whitney Houston documentary.
― the body of a spider... (scampering alpaca), Wednesday, 11 July 2018 13:34 (five years ago) link
We work on stuff, but I don’t know. We’re weird people, Brian [McBride] and myself. After 2007, we could feel this—I don’t know why I would ever feel like Stars of the Lid was starting to feel hyped—but there was some madness starting to happen at the end of touring that last record [And Their Refinement of the Decline]. If we had just kept going, it would have turned into something else. For me especially, I just thought I should do something different. [Sighs] Like let’s move on and do something else. We come back to it and still enjoy making music together. Hopefully, we’ll try to poop out one more Stars of the Lid record before we pass on.
poop it out! poop it out! poop it out! poop it out!
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 11 July 2018 18:18 (five years ago) link
lol
― tylerw, Wednesday, 11 July 2018 18:19 (five years ago) link
what is with that embarrassing headline
― flappy bird, Wednesday, 11 July 2018 18:31 (five years ago) link
yeah, it's awful
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 11 July 2018 18:35 (five years ago) link
maybe it'll catch on
hold up a second, you're telling me there's a lost coltrane album featuring his classic quartet?
wope, wope, wope - dave grohl recorded new music and i'm writing about it?
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 11 July 2018 18:39 (five years ago) link
Whoa whoa whoa, slow down - Elvis Costello? DEAD?? No way
― flappy bird, Wednesday, 11 July 2018 18:40 (five years ago) link
https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/now-wait-a-damn-minute-here-let-me-get-this-straight-youre-saying-that-elvis/
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 11 July 2018 18:44 (five years ago) link
'a guy from stars of the lid' smh
guess i'll be seeing the whitney doc!
― dyl, Thursday, 12 July 2018 01:44 (five years ago) link
going to see laurie anderson at the Art Institute of Chicago tonight, and afterward i will definitely be making a trip to see the Stars of the Lid installation:
Stars of the Lid ··· “Installation for People with Special Powers on the Run from Government Exploitation” ··· Inspired by the Sculpture CourtLocation: Gallery 161
will provide trip report when i get back. also on the docket tonight are site-specific installations by midori takada, visible cloaks, kaitlyn aurelia smith, tashi wada and julia holter, and more.
― Karl Malone, Sunday, 17 February 2019 17:52 (five years ago) link
https://midwinter.pitchfork.com/schedule/
i am very excited because i didn't think i would be able to see any of this since i had 0 dollars when the shows were announced, but my partner secretly bought us a ticket and i just found out recently. :)
― Karl Malone, Sunday, 17 February 2019 17:53 (five years ago) link
that's awesome. i went on friday night and thought i was going to volunteer/see stuff for free on sat but that fell through. tonight i promised to go to a friend's show BUT it includes another friend playing in the "secret Slowdive side project" (lol) that played last night. it was a pretty engaging enterprise, hope they do it again!
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Sunday, 17 February 2019 17:56 (five years ago) link
did you end up seeing any of the installations on friday night? i'm not sure what to expect
― Karl Malone, Sunday, 17 February 2019 17:59 (five years ago) link
they were not well labeled imo -- i also have to admit to having trouble reading the program because it was so tiny BUT you may have an easier time knowing where things are if you have read about where and what it is beforehand? i wanted to see the stars of the lid one but failed to find it. on the upside, haley fohr's performance was amazing and i'm glad i saw it.
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Sunday, 17 February 2019 18:05 (five years ago) link