Renowned ambient musician Brian McBride, one-half of Stars of the Lid, has died at age 53. The news was announced by the band on in the early hours of Monday morning AEST, and confirmed by their record label, as per Pitchfork.
“I am deeply saddened to tell everyone that Brian McBride has passed away. I loved this guy & he will be missed,” the post on Instagram read. No cause of death has been revealed.
Stars of the Lid: And Their Refinement Of The Decline
Brian McBride formed Stars of the Lid with Adam Wiltzie in the early ’90s and they released their debut album Music for Nitrous Oxide in 1995. They were a prolific duo, releasing an album every year for the next four years: Gravitational Pull vs. the Desire for an Aquatic Life, The Ballasted Orchestra, Per Aspera Ad Astra, and Avec Laudenum.
Their work is now recorded as some of the most influential ambient music ever created, and their final two albums – 2001’s The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid and 2007’s And Their Refinement of the Decline – remain their most popular releases. McBride also released two solo albums, 2005’s When the Detail Lost Its Freedom and 2010’sThe Effective Disconnect.
“Working on the music, for me, it’s kind of important to not fake it in some ways, to not try to force this emotional state out of it, to sort of pay attention to what’s going on in your life, if you’re feeling inspired or motivated just letting it happen,” McBride reflected in an interview with Rolling Stone in 2015. “Especially after you’ve released a bunch of records for a long time, you don’t want to manufacture longing.”
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