Stars of the Lid

Stars of the Lid is an American ambient music duo formed in Austin in 1993 and consisting of Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie.  Among the influences they cite are minimalist and electronic composers such as Arvo Pärt, Zbigniew Preisner, Gavin Bryars, and Henryk Górecki, as well as the band Talk Talk and post-rock artists Labradford,  

Their compositions are largely beatless soundscapes, composed of droning, effects-treated guitars along with piano, strings, and horns. Volume swells and feedback fill the gap of rhythmic instruments, providing dynamic movement. Their sound has been described as "divine, classical drone without the tedious intrusion of drums or vocals."

Virginia (20.03) is off of their 2007 release, Carte-de-Visite, a compilation of outtakes and other unreleased material recorded between 1997 and 2007.

If you like this kind of music, check out any of the similar artists listed above, or simply scroll down to last Sunday's post and listen to Brian and Roger Eno's Celeste, or almost anything by either of the Eno brothers.

Also, Stars of the Lid's Adam Wiltzie has also been involved in a side project with composer Dustin O'Halloran called A Winged Victory for the Sullen.  AWVFTS will be performing Sunday, March 29, in Knoxville, Tennessee at the 2020 edition of the Big Ears festival.