Per Aspera Ad Astra
Two side-long pieces built around field recordings of the painter Jon McCafferty making the cover.
Stars of the Lid, 1998
- Released
- 18 November 1998
- Label
- Kranky
Released by Kranky on 18 November 1998 (KRANK 028) in a gatefold cardboard sleeve, the album is divided into two pieces, Low Level (Listening)+ and Anchor States, each in three parts. The band used field recordings of the painter Jon McCafferty working in his studio while he painted the cover, which he did while listening to the band's earlier releases.
The band wrote that the merging of color and sound was something they had thought about quite often. Sara Nelson played cello, Craig McCaffrey did the design, and Bryan Anderton mastered the record. Pitchfork's Mark Richardson later passed on Samir Khan's line that Stars of the Lid make music that makes consciousness seem like an annoying state.
Track listing
- Low Level (Listening)+, Part 16:22
- Low Level (Listening)+, Part 28:42
- Low Level (Listening)+, Part 35:29
- Anchor States, Part 14:27
- Anchor States, Part 28:51
- Anchor States, Part 36:46
Personnel
- Adam Wiltzie performer
- Brian McBride performer
- Sara Nelson cello
- Jon McCafferty painting, tape
- Craig McCaffrey design
- Bryan Anderton mastering
More from Stars of the Lid
Music for Nitrous Oxide (1995), Gravitational Pull vs. the Desire for an Aquatic Life (1996), The Ballasted Orchestra (1997), Avec Laudenum (1999), The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid (2001), And Their Refinement of the Decline (2007)
Sources
- Stars of the Lid: Avec Laudenum, Pitchfork (2003-01-12)