187. Stars of the Lid - The Tired Sounds Of (2001)

Stars of the Lid are drone. This album is basically a series of rising and falling tones which alternate between electronic, string and electric--that's drone. The problem with this is that aside from a strong introduction, it doesn't go anywhere. The whole thing is more than two hours long and it becomes a chore to listen to after about twenty minutes--the endless fading in and out is not particularly evocative of anything except maybe a huge blank sea, the tide pulling in and out, and I like a little bit more variation, even in my mood music. What's especially galling about this is that Stars of the Lid's next album And Their Refinement of the Decline is far superior in almost every way--yet doesn't appear on this list. Maybe 2007 was too recent to judge the merits of another gigantic double album? Basically this album seems like little more than a dry run for that one, and there's no point in buying a weaker version of something else. Aside from a few moments of real beauty, that thankfully come early, this is one of the most emotionally inert records I've ever heard.

MY RATING: 3.5

Stars of the Lid - "Requiem for Dying Mothers (part 2)"

(NOTE SEVERAL MONTHS LATER: I may have underrated this record. The problem is that it doesn't work when listened to directly. It works quite well, however, as background music.)