Coming soon: Ambient/Drone

Review: Stars of the Lid's debut might lack the sculptural finesse of their later classics but its mood is unmistakably theirs: listless, weightless, slightly faded at the edges. Made with a four-track, borrowed samplers and a shared instinct for stillness, it drifts between raw tape experiments and embryonic drone compositions - half-thoughts suspended in air. 'Down' and 'Lagging' sink into grainy oblivion, while 'The Swellsong' offers a rare hint of light through the murk. Rather than aiming for the transcendence of The Tired Sounds..., this feels grounded, like something captured at night through thin apartment walls. There's charm in how fragile it all sounds - the gear was basic, the fidelity low, but the intention is clear. From student radio collage work to long-form ambient abstraction, this is where that arc begins. It's a modest first step that holds uncanny weight, not for what it says, but for the space it opens. Even now, it feels like a secret - not quite formed, but already whispering something deep.