And Their Refinement of the Decline is the seventh studio LP by Stars of the Lid

Stars of the Lid

Stars of the Lid is a duo specializing in drone-based ambient music. They list among their influences minimalist and electronic composers such as Arvo Pärt, Zbigniew Preisner, Gavin Bryars, and Henryk Górecki, as well as Talk Talk , post-rock artists Labradford, and ambient innovator Brian...

, which was released on the Kranky Label in April 2007. The album features minimal, droning compositions of varied length created from treated guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

, horn

Horn (instrument)

The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....

, piano

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

, and other classical

Classical music

Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

 instruments

Musical instrument

A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...

.

The track "Dopamine Clouds Over Craven Cottage" refers to Craven Cottage

Craven Cottage

Craven Cottage is the name of a football stadium in the Hammersmith and Fulham area that has been the home ground of the association football team Fulham F.C. since 1896....

 in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, the home stadium

Stadium

A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...

 of English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 football club, Fulham F.C.

Fulham F.C.

Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...

. At the time of the album's release, their captain was ex-United States soccer international

United States men's national soccer team

The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...

 Brian McBride

Brian McBride

Brian Robert McBride is a retired American soccer player who finished his career for Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer , but spent the majority of his time in MLS playing for the Columbus Crew. For much of his career he played in Europe, notably for Fulham in the English Premier League...

, who shares the same name as Brian McBride

Brian McBride (artist)

Brian Edward McBride is a musician best known as one half of the duo Stars of the Lid. He has also released two solo albums, When The Detail Lost Its Freedom and The Effective Disconnect on Kranky Records using his own name. McBride moved to Austin, Texas in 1990 where he met Adam Wiltzie, forming...

 from Stars of the Lid. The track "Don't Bother They're Here" uses the melody of Stephen Sondheim's 1973 song "Send In The Clowns"

Send in the Clowns

"Send in the Clowns" is a song by Stephen Sondheim from the 1973 musical A Little Night Music, an adaptation of Ingmar Bergman's film Smiles of a Summer Night. It is a ballad from Act II in which the character Desirée reflects on the ironies and disappointments of her life. Among other things, she...

.

Disc one

1. "Dungtitled (In A Major)" – 5:54
2. "Articulate Silences Part 1" – 5:24
3. "Articulate Silences Part 2" – 5:37
4. "The Evil That Never Arrived" – 5:05
5. "Apreludes (In C Sharp Major)" – 3:44
6. "Don't Bother They're Here" – 10:10
7. "Dopamine Clouds Over Craven Cottage" – 5:55
8. "Even If You're Never Awake (Deuxième)" – 9:20
9. "Even (Out) +" – 4:51
10. "A Meaningful Moment Through a Meaning(less) Process" – 4:32

Disc two

1. "Another Ballad for Heavy Lids" – 4:32
2. "The Daughters of Quiet Minds" – 13:21
3. "Hiberner Toujours" – 1:49
4. "That Finger on Your Temple Is the Barrel of My Raygun" – 5:04
5. "Humectez La Mouture" – 5:31
6. "Tippy's Demise" – 8:18
7. "The Mouthchew" – 3:40
8. "December Hunting for Vegetarian Fuckface" – 17:45