I always try to introduce people to this band. They've since stopped making albums, and are mostly on their own solo projects. They are "Stars of the Lid"

1995 - Music for Nitrous Oxide

One of their trippiest albums. Contains many references to films and old documentaries. I like to describe this one as drifting in and out of dreams in a humid, back-country motel room with an old TV set tying together sounds from even older programs.

Samples from 'Apocalypse Now', 'Star Trek: TNG', 'Fire Walk With Me', and even an interview with extraterrestrial expert Zecharia Sitchin can be heard in very grainy, yet pronounced fashion.

Favorite song: "Goodnight"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OycCEDxQFoA

1996 - Gravitational Pull vs. The Desire for an Aquatic Life

Fun fact: The band's name is derived from the sensation of closed-eye hallucinations. As bandmember Brian McBride once put it in an interview, "[It's] your own personal cinema, located between your eye and your eyelid."

I felt like this album was one that accentuated that quote. The quiet sounds are almost binaural in nature. Really feels like whatever dreams you were drifting into with their 1995 effort are finally realized here. Really neat drones, distant guitar tunes and orchestral soundscapes.

Favorite song: "Be Little With Me"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie0ZXAd3IY8

1997 - The Ballasted Orchestra

I'd describe this one as a slightly darker version of 'Gravitational Pull'. The soundscapes are about the same, but a lot more cloudy and melancholy. I'd akin this one to spending a day in an overcast forest whilst under the influence of hallucinogenics.

Favorite song: "Music for Twin Peaks Episode #30 Part I" - Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie are both die-hard 'Twin Peaks' fans, and have referenced the show many times throughout their career. I believe there's even a picture floating around of them cosplaying as Sheriff Truman and Cooper, but I thought it looked kinda shopped.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFIimQUIUps

1998 - Per Aspera Ad Astra

The best version I could find of this one on youtube was a recorded LP playing of it. I feel like it doesn't do it justice, but it definitely demonstrates the album's sound in a satisfactory way. The LP is technically two songs separated into three parts: One side is "Low Level Listening", the other is "Anchor States". Side one is pure drone. Somewhat creepy sound, but a great bit of the song is just about the best sleep aid money can buy. The other is orchestral music with drone interspersed. Honestly, the whole album is a something you can fall asleep to.

Favorite side: "Anchor States"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C6aZn49MBQ

1999 - Avec Laudenum

Another one that I could only find the LP recording for. Like "Per Aspera Ad Astra", this one also features one long song separated into three parts known as "The Atomium", another dreamy drone that slips seamlessly between the three portions. Like the previous two, this one serves as an excellent sleep aid.

Favorite song: "I Will Surround You"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pAYUPHVXXU - The Atomium

2001 - The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid

This was the one that introduced me to SOTL and got me hooked in. Just about the most beautiful orchestral-drone I've ever heard. The first song lead me to envision a ranch in the middle of the Texan plains during the turn of the century. It just has a weird, western feel to it that really embraced me. The rest of the album is a dream, with a majority of its songs being like the previous two albums: Portioned in threes.

If you're starting Stars of the Lid and want something great to kick it off with, I highly suggest this one. A Twin Peaks reference can be found in this one in the song "Gasfarming".

Favorite song - "Piano Aqueiu" - When my niece was only a baby, she would often stay up at night. Our usual solution was to put on a Disney channel show with the sound low to lull her back to sleep, but she would usually just stay up watching it for longer than we could manage.

One night, I was on babysitting duty while my sister and her fiancee had a night out. My niece was being restless, so I sat her down in front of the TV and played this song. She fell asleep within moments. Best memory I have since I've been her uncle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaSi7Gut7xM

2007 - ...And Their Refinement of the Decline

Felt like this one was really their defining album. It basically took the sound they were trying to achieve through every album they'd created thusfar and fully realized it in a 2-hour masterpiece. Orchestra and drone interspersed. Perfect for sleeping or studying, or just chillin' back and enjoying. This and Tired Sounds completely occupied my playlists for 4 years when I started listening to them.

Favorite song: "Daughters of Quiet Minds"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et_lDyRymrw

BONUS ALBUM: 2007 - Carte-De-Visite

A decade's-worth of outtakes from their previous efforts condensed into a short, hour-long experience.

Favorite song: "The Kraut"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp7ILFYDNW4&t=0s

You can find most of their songs on YouTube, or if you'd care to buy them (sans Nitrous) - http://www.kranky.net/ is the place to go.

TL;DR - Rad music. Chill stuff. Have a listen.