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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
And Their Refinement Of The Decline
Universal acclaim
Based on 13 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 91 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Kranky
Release Date: 07 April 2007
Discs: 2 disc
Genre(s): Rock, Electronic
Summary
The Austin-based duo releases its first new album in six years.
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
musicOMH.com
It is also one of the most jaw-droppingly beautiful albums that I have heard since its predecessor.
Read Full Review >Tiny Mix Tapes
I can confidently say that this is some of the most astonishingly beautiful music being made today.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
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.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
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.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
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.
Read Full Review >Almost Cool
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.
Read Full Review >Stylus Magazine
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.
Read Full Review >Lost At Sea
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.
Read Full Review >cokemachineglow
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.
Read Full Review >Dusted Magazine
Stars of the Lid and Their Refinement of the Decline is a return to the same blissful twilight as before, virtually unpaused.
Read Full Review >Prefix Magazine
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.
Read Full Review >MSN Consumer Guide (Robert Christgau)
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.
Read Full Review >Sputnikmusic
...Their Reinforcement of the Decline is a boring, tedious, cold, sterile album that has next to no redeeming qualities.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 6.9 (out of 10) based on 91 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Antony P gave it a10:
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.
Boho G gave it a10:
I'd like to know what the people who say this record sound like a fridge or whatever would say if they heard some drone which is genuinely lacking in harmony, or even slightly more obtuse than sotl. i mean wtf this is one of the most innately beautiful albums i've ever heard. people who don't like this just don't understand music.
C H gave it a10:
Pretty? Pleasant? It sounds like people need to learn how to listen to other forms of music aside from voice. If voice or repetitive beats are needed to capture your attention, you might want to reconsider voting at all for such an album or genre. This album is simply stunning.
Jonathan W. gave it a10:
I'm seeing people discuss this as electronic music. First and foremost, I'd like to point out that while electronic elements are certainly in use here, most of the sound comes from more classical instruments, from clarinets to trumpets to loads of strings, even a children's choir. Part of the allure for me was trying to place those sounds within the recording, which sounds so cold at first that, yes, it could turn people off (and obviously does). But it's called me back more than most other albums that have come out in the past decade, still retaining the air of mystery while my expectations for the melodic changes become more and more filled with excitement.
Eric C gave it a9:
Well, here's another reason why idiots should not buy a record on a high metascore alone. How hard is it to go to Amazon or Allmusic.com and listen to some samples? A 2 disc, about 2 hour drone album is not for everyone. I don't mean to sound like an elitist jerk, but you have to learn how to appreciate ambient. Albums like these reward patience, and you may have to approach it differently than standard rock or pop. But enough whining and preaching. This is another stunning Stars of the Lid album. It may not show the same kind of evolution as other releases (it is very similar to Tired Sounds, which is surprising given the long break between the two) but that hardly matters, as it carries more emotional weight then most other music out there. SotL are the most signifficant drone composers, and they are still at the top of their game.
61 38 gave it a10:
Incredible album, every realease of this guys is better and better compared to its predecessors. not foor everyone, but if you like ambient/drone/classical-contemporary music you can't be wrong with this!
Matt D gave it a10:
Perhaps the most important music being made today.... Stars of the Lid could just bridge the gap between classical and pop music.
