Creative post-rock set of dark-hued, textural songs by members of Fond of Tigers.

Live review in Discorder: "Limbs Of The Stars are probably one of the most talented groups of musicians currently residing in Western Canada, let alone Vancouver. Although I’m not sure how much of the effect non-musicians absorbed during their set, the level of

Creative post-rock set of dark-hued, textural songs by members of Fond of Tigers.

Live review in Discorder: "Limbs Of The Stars are probably one of the most talented groups of musicians currently residing in Western Canada, let alone Vancouver. Although I’m not sure how much of the effect non-musicians absorbed during their set, the level of virtuosity exuding from Stephen Lyons and Skye Brooks (guitar and drums, respectively) alone was palpable to anyone who had ever sat down with an instrument before. Borrowing members from Fond Of Tigers, the foursome eke out a sound one part experimental freestyle jazz and two parts pure fun, and their set earned most of its enjoyment from seeing the intensity and joy with which the musicians plied their equipment for sound, with particular props to Lyons’ ridiculously masterful whole-body guitar solos. Something about seeing musicians of this magnitude jam right in front of you is pretty damn awe-inspiring." - Fraser Dobbs, Discorder

Georgia Straight album review: "Limbs of the Stars' Heartwarmongering is a thinking person’s musical feast" Heartwarmongering (Offseason)

Alternating between propulsive, impassioned drama and glowing, meditative lyricism, Limbs of the Stars’ heartwarmongering shows sides of Stephen Lyons that followers of Fond of Tigers might miss. That band’s tendency to build to maximalist, multi-instrumental explosions is mostly choked back, creating a restrained, pushing-against-the-barriers tension that usually just threatens to soar—although occasional breakouts still occur.

While FoT’s ’70s prog-jazz-meets-avant-rock template is still roughly in place, there’s more romanticism evident here, including a folky/alt-country element, courtesy of Lyons’s plaintive, introspective vocals. See “no more sinners” and “us vs. them” especially: most of the album is instrumental, but there are a couple honest-to-God songs here. Lyons’s guitar doesn’t so much defy genre as employ it at will, making artful, evocative journeys of each track. Skye Brooks’s drumming slips effortlessly between the jazzy impressionism at the start of “falling for falling’s sake” and the Swans-like, pounding intensity at the end. And the freakout that begins the perversely titled “cosby” gives way to super-cool showoff bass-noodling from Shanto Acharia.

This is a thinking person’s musical feast. It doesn’t really matter what your musical orientation is; if you’re smart, you’ll find stuff to like." - Allan MacInnis, Georgia Straight