Stars of the Lid

Hazy, ethereal music from guitarists Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie. The duo create a variety of pulsating swells and haunting drones, sonically manipulating volume surges, tape loops and samples. Their first album Music for Nitrous Oxide was aptly named: organically developed songs with subtle rhythms gently massage the unfeeling inner parts of your brain. More recently they have collaborated with groups like Labradford on remixes, and created boundary-breaking multimedia work with painter Jon McCafferty. You don't have to listen closely to each part of each song to appreciate Stars of the Lid; listening is a total experience, with complete compositions coursing through shifting minimalist experiments.