Brian McBride — the American artist best known as one half of ambient duo Stars of the Lid — has died. McBride's passing was confirmed by the group's longtime label home Kranky, though a cause of death was not revealed. He was 53.
"I am deeply saddened to tell everyone that Brian McBride has passed away," a post from Stars of the Lid's social media accounts reads. "I loved this guy & he will be missed."
McBride formed Stars of the Lid with Adam Wiltzie in 1993 shortly after moving to Austin, TX. Initially a trio with musician Kirk Laktas, the group made their debut with 1995's Music for Nitrous Oxide. Produced without keyboards, the album largely employed drone guitar and sampled source material, including Apocalypse Now, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.
Following the departure of Laktas, McBride and Wiltzie continued Stars of the Lid as a duo, releasing four more full-lengths before the decade was out: 1996's Gravitational Pull vs. the Desire for an Aquatic Life, 1997's The Ballasted Orchestra, 1998's Per Aspera Ad Astra and 1999's Avec Laudenum.
Stars of the Lid would find wider critical success in the early oughts with 2001 double album The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid and what would ultimately be their final full-length, 2007's And Their Refinement of the Decline. Upon the latter's release, Exclaim! wrote that the album found "McBride and Wiltzie [extending] their association with classical instruments to the point where they function mostly as conductors for a miasmic blend of warm, lush tones."
Outside of Stars of the Lid, McBride also recorded music as a solo artist, making his debut in 2005 with When the Detail Lost Its Freedom. The artist would follow that album up with 2010's The Effective Disconnect, which also soundtracked Vanishing of the Bees, a documentary about colony collapse disorder.
McBride also made music as one half of Bell Gardens with Kenneth James Gibson, sharing their debut EP Hangups Need Company in 2010, ahead of releasing full-lengths Full Sundown Assembly and Slow Dawns for Lost Conclusions in 2012 and 2014, respectively.
"I am deeply saddened to tell everyone that Brian McBride has passed away," a post from Stars of the Lid's social media accounts reads. "I loved this guy & he will be missed."
McBride formed Stars of the Lid with Adam Wiltzie in 1993 shortly after moving to Austin, TX. Initially a trio with musician Kirk Laktas, the group made their debut with 1995's Music for Nitrous Oxide. Produced without keyboards, the album largely employed drone guitar and sampled source material, including Apocalypse Now, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.
Following the departure of Laktas, McBride and Wiltzie continued Stars of the Lid as a duo, releasing four more full-lengths before the decade was out: 1996's Gravitational Pull vs. the Desire for an Aquatic Life, 1997's The Ballasted Orchestra, 1998's Per Aspera Ad Astra and 1999's Avec Laudenum.
Stars of the Lid would find wider critical success in the early oughts with 2001 double album The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid and what would ultimately be their final full-length, 2007's And Their Refinement of the Decline. Upon the latter's release, Exclaim! wrote that the album found "McBride and Wiltzie [extending] their association with classical instruments to the point where they function mostly as conductors for a miasmic blend of warm, lush tones."
Outside of Stars of the Lid, McBride also recorded music as a solo artist, making his debut in 2005 with When the Detail Lost Its Freedom. The artist would follow that album up with 2010's The Effective Disconnect, which also soundtracked Vanishing of the Bees, a documentary about colony collapse disorder.
McBride also made music as one half of Bell Gardens with Kenneth James Gibson, sharing their debut EP Hangups Need Company in 2010, ahead of releasing full-lengths Full Sundown Assembly and Slow Dawns for Lost Conclusions in 2012 and 2014, respectively.