Stereolab
Lætitia Sadier
Vocals, Various
Tim Gane
Guitar, Keyboards
Mary Hansen
Vocals, Guitars, Keys ('92 - '02)
Andy Ramsay
Drums
Morgane Lhote
Keyboards ('95 - '01)
Simon Johns
Bass ('99 - '09)
Location: London, England
Genre: Indietronica, Art Pop, Indie Pop, Post-Rock
Years Active: 1990 - 2009; 2009 -
Meaning of the Name: Taken from a division of the '60s label Vanguard Records.
Way of Working: Led by Tim Gane
Associated: McCarthy, Cavern of Anti-Matter
Essential Releases
Peng! (1992)
Lo-fi debut, featuring drones and hypnotic micro-rhythms.
Emperor Tomato
Ketchup (1996)
More melodic. Complex arrangements spanning a wide variety of influences.
Dots and Loops (1997)
More electronic. Smoother. Incorporates jazz, lounge, and bossa nova.
Radical left-wing politics, vintage tech, and pop pastiche combined with a vast array of genre influences to put Stereolab on the forefront of '90s indie music. Drawing inspiration from the avant-garde work of composer John Cage, Stereolab merged academic structure with the sheer joy of infectious pop melodies to great effect. They even named an early single, 'John Cage Bubblegum' (1993), after the electro-acoustic pioneer.
Founded by Lætitia Sadier and Tim Gane, Stereolab is a fusion of French and English musicians which channeled the spirit of multicultural London to pioneer a distinctly metropolitan aesthetic for the 20th century. Hearing their music is like finding hidden gems in the catalogue of an erudite Parisian record collector, encompassing disparate genres such as Brazilian bossa nova and drone.
Enhancing this mood of auditory reminiscence is the band's use of '60s equipment. These include the Moog synthesizer, the Farfisa organ, and the WEM Copicat (a tape-delay machine), which colours their instruments with a warm decay that feels nostalgic. Stereolab didn't just make modern music using the tools of the past; they did so with a fondness that revealed a cultured love of music history, and simultaneously reflected life in one of the world's great cities.
Surrounded in London by bountiful art and metric tonnes of history, Stereolab is sometimes guilty of café society socialism. It's hard to imagine policy having the same cut-through as grand slogans when sung, but efforts like 'Ping Pong' (1994) come ludicrously close by using language that sounds more like prose than lyrics.
"The historical pattern has shown how the economical cycle tends to revolve.Additionally, the band's vocals alternate between the French and English languages, at times even mid-song ('OLV 26'). However, this potentially confusing artistic choice only enhances the overall effect of sophisticated city life. Additionally, when the sumptuous, layered melodies kick in on mid-career songs like 'Les Ypres Sound' (1996), what could be construed as an exercise in experimentalism is revealed as accessible indie pop.
In a round of decades, three stages stand out in a loop"
Earlier albums, such as Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements (1993), concerned themselves with the less immediate sounds of noise and drone, but Stereolab expanded their musical mosaic to include lounge and synth-pop in later years. They also played a key role in pioneering post-rock by using the guitars for texture instead of riffs. When the journalist Simon Reynolds invented the term 'post-rock' in 1994, one of the bands he mentioned as pioneers of the new genre was Stereolab.
Skills
*This is a work in progress. Values are subjective.Emotional Impact
70
Mental Impact
80
Originality
95
Artistry
85
Authenticity
55
Live
90
Production
70
Musicianship
85
Singing
80
Songwriting
70
Danceability
70
Fun
70
Consistency
80
Range
95
Cool
90
Charisma
65
Commercial & Critical Success
Awards
Certifications
Charts
Critics >>>
- Pitchfork - Mars Audiac Quintet - Best Album of the 1990s (2003): 78th
- Pitchfork - Emperor Tomato Ketchup - Best Album of the 1990s (2003): 51st
- Spin - Emperor Tomato Ketchup - Best Album of the 1990s (2003): 46th
