Stars of the Lid

Guitarists Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie launched the ambient drone duo Stars of the Lid in Austin, Texas, where Wiltzie also played in Windsor for the Derby and worked for years as Bedhead’s soundman. The pair first appeared on record in 1994 with Music for Nitrous Oxide and followed it a year later with Gravitational Pull vs. the Desire for an Aquatic Life. After signing to Kranky they returned in 1997 with the epic The Ballasted Orchestra. A 1998 collaboration with painter Jon McCafferty produced Per Aspera Ad Astra, which was followed by the Sub Rosa album Avec Laudenum. Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid appeared in 2001 and And Their Refinement of the Decline arrived in 2007; both double albums served as the duo’s final full-length releases.