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And Their Refinement Of The Decline - Stars Of The Lid
Metascore
83 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 13 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 13
  3. Negative: 1 out of 13
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  1. Tiny Mix Tapes
    100
    I can confidently say that this is some of the most astonishingly beautiful music being made today.
  2. musicOMH.com
    100
    It is also one of the most jaw-droppingly beautiful albums that I have heard since its predecessor.
  3. All Music Guide
    90
    It's an awesome thing, this album, and anyone, virtually anyone who encounters it will be in some way moved by the impure music it contains.
  4. PopMatters
    90
    Their work, especially that displayed on Refinement, stands as some of the more original and evocative music being produced today, smart and technical without sacrificing atmosphere and feeling.
  5. Pitchfork
    86
    This stripping down and moving away from easily definable mood makes And Their Refinement of the Decline a bit harder to grasp initially than any previous SOTL record.
  6. Almost Cool
    85
    Call it music for lucid dreaming, call it music for daydreams, or call it music for simply strolling in the dusk, this is another album that will stretch time and take you to another place.
  7. Stylus Magazine
    83
    The listener who comes away from the two-hour experience of …And Their Refinement of Decline without becoming a bit misty at least once is too hardened for my friendship.
  8. cokemachineglow
    82
    If nothing else, Stars of the Lid have achieved Adam's goal of making music "to really relax to," abjectly defying intent listening, laying waste to the established vocabulary of music production and appreciation.
  9. Lost At Sea
    82
    This double-album is just as hypnotic, just as overwhelming, and awesome enough to win over a new battalion sleepyheads for the next six years and beyond.
  10. Dusted Magazine
    80
    Stars of the Lid and Their Refinement of the Decline is a return to the same blissful twilight as before, virtually unpaused.
  11. Prefix Magazine
    70
    And Their Refinement of the Decline is a nearly two-hour opus that at times dares us to deny that it can, in fact, be classified as music. That spirit in Stars of the Lid is commendable--even if it makes for a project that often seems more an experiment in deconstruction than an attempt at creating a universally enjoyable listen.
  12. MSN Consumer Guide (Robert Christgau)
    42
    This two-hour double-CD/triple-LP, their first product since 2001, is grand, somber, amelodic, arhythmic and slow, leaving plenty of time to admire the notes' altered states.
  13. Sputnikmusic
    30
    ...Their Reinforcement of the Decline is a boring, tedious, cold, sterile album that has next to no redeeming qualities.
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User Reviews

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User Score
7.0 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 93 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 67
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 67
  3. Negative: 17 out of 67
  1. Bezet
    10
    This is one of my favourite albums of all time. "Even If You're Never Awake" is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. People giving this album negative reviews because it is a "bunch of random tones slowly fading in and out" should educate themselves on drone and ambient music; it's like giving a negative score to Metallica because "there is too much of electric guitars and shouting" or to 2Pac, because "his music is just talking over a beat".… Full Review »
  2. mkayser
    9
    This album doesn't require an epiphany or hard work on the part of the listener -- you either like it or you don't. I'm not sure whether it was "hard to create" or not -- my guess is that it was not easy. But regardless, to me it's beautiful and revelatory. Don't worry about hype or fashion: just turn the music on, listen for a while, and decide whether you like it. If you don't like it, no problem.… Full Review »
  3. AntonyP
    10
    Just returning to this, I didn't get it at first, but this is really a classic, like in fact most Stars of the Lid records.
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