Per Aspera Ad Astra
is an intriguing 1998 collaboration between tone-generating minimalists
Stars of the Lid
and line-drawing minimalist
Jon McCafferty
, the latter best-known in music circles for the cover of
R.E.M.
's
Green
. After working on a series of paintings inspired by
's 1995 debut (
Music for Nitrous Oxide
),
McCafferty
approached the duo with a collaboration in mind. The recording was created with plenty of
's work around for inspiration (and incorporated environmental samples of him painting), then the sleeve was prepared by
once he'd immersed himself in the album. Separated into two sides,
reveals precious little of
's working habits; except for faint rustlings in the background and passing traffic, the environmental portion is whispery and thin. The concept does allow for a degree of context within
's music, though, always a good thing when a recording is as
ambient
and ephemeral as this. Deep and warmly atmospheric, with (per usual) few nods toward traditional instrumentation, the pair focus on indie-
space
music except at the beginning of side two, when a string section provides a brief interruption. ~ John Bush