Mastering of the new EP is complete. On October 7th 2003 Elektra will issue a 5 track CD EP and on October 13th 2003 Duophonic UHF Disks will issue a 5 track CD and a 7" vinyl edition - probably three 7" disks.
They have been one of the shining lights of pop for a decade now, but does the world actually need another Stereolab record? Is there anywhere left to go after the last few meticulously crafted records? Am I alone in entertaining the thought that maybe, just maybe, Mary's passing might have coincided with the end of the 'labs's golden era? Might they be better off focusing on those myriad side-projects, and closing the door on the 'lab's fine body of work? Or am I just insane? Tell us how much you look forward to a new Stereolab record...
― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Monday, 4 August 2003 04:59 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 4 August 2003 05:03 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 4 August 2003 05:04 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― derrick (derrick), Monday, 4 August 2003 05:21 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Monday, 4 August 2003 05:27 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― nnnh oh oh nnnh nnnh oh (James Blount), Monday, 4 August 2003 05:31 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― Alex in Rotherham (Alex in Doncaster), Monday, 4 August 2003 08:03 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― flowersdie (flowersdie), Monday, 4 August 2003 11:18 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― Alex in Rotherham (Alex in Doncaster), Monday, 4 August 2003 11:22 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
This seems to be a popular view of Stereolab and not one I subscribe to at all. Their scamper away from the indie disco dancefloor down ever-narrowing corridors of fussy detail and texture mirrors my own shift in tastes, and as a result I've loved most of their records (especially Sound-Dust and the last quarter of everyone's favourite one to knock, ...Milky Night).
That said, an end to Stereolab now, after Mary's tragic death, would seem appropriate, but there are unpleasantly humdrum things like brand identity and paying the mortgage to think about.
― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Monday, 4 August 2003 12:19 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― Alex in Rotherham (Alex in Doncaster), Monday, 4 August 2003 12:30 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 4 August 2003 12:33 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 4 August 2003 12:34 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― Alex in Rotherham (Alex in Doncaster), Monday, 4 August 2003 12:38 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 4 August 2003 12:39 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― j0e (j0e), Monday, 4 August 2003 12:41 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
On the contrary, they aren't fun enough
― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 4 August 2003 12:42 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― dleone (dleone), Monday, 4 August 2003 12:43 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
Agreed, this is why I sold Dots & Loops which gradually revealed itself to be not much fun at all.
― Alex in Rotherham (Alex in Doncaster), Monday, 4 August 2003 12:47 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 4 August 2003 14:22 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― nabisco (nabisco), Monday, 4 August 2003 14:43 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 4 August 2003 14:48 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
This could be cool. I remember an Autechre remix (of a song I can't recall) that was completely out of the ordinary for them, and very good. Maybe they should hook up with Matmos or something.
― dleone (dleone), Monday, 4 August 2003 14:57 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 4 August 2003 15:05 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― dleone (dleone), Monday, 4 August 2003 15:48 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
Yeah that could have gone further...although like I said I don't think the D&L melodies are quite up to snuff.
― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 4 August 2003 15:53 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― Johnny Badlees (crispssssss), Monday, 4 August 2003 16:56 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― kieron, Monday, 4 August 2003 20:40 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― Chris Barrus (Chris Barrus), Monday, 4 August 2003 23:34 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― keith (keithmcl), Tuesday, 5 August 2003 00:26 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
Madness! There are some flaccid moments sure, but "Super Falling Star", "Mellotron", "Orgiastic", etc... I ask you?
Am I still the only person who actually thinks Emperor Tomato Ketchup has been the least durable record so far?
― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Tuesday, 5 August 2003 05:49 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 5 August 2003 05:51 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Tuesday, 5 August 2003 06:10 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― Fabrice (Fabfunk), Tuesday, 5 August 2003 06:48 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Tuesday, 5 August 2003 14:04 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 5 August 2003 14:14 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― Mel Starr, Tuesday, 5 August 2003 17:17 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― Dadaismus (Dada), Saturday, 9 August 2003 11:40 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
Laetitia may be impatient with fans -- after a hiatus they produce Sound Dust which is such a good record -- so consistent (i love roughly every second song) -- having heard loops and milky i say it is their best album after tomato, perhaps the culmination of that direction in their sound
that tv program Cold Feet had a millenium special episode that reprised cul de sac perfectly, since the drift/ island/ end metaphor worked perfectly for the 'end of time' hoop-la surrounding 0/0/2000 and the possibilities of ths show drifting, out to sea or beached, which it sure ended up doing, even if they didn't think they were drifting then
i liked those promo photos of stereolab, with the power poles vertically alligned with the pictures perspective -- like harry lime as the giant (film) wheel comes to a stop over occupied vienna, a snapshot, on the road to the castle or back ? waiting for the flood ? (i don't stereolab are misanthropic, the fans tiny dots or dust, as if viewed from harry's perspective)
i like this album art, the indication of a peak, however insular, an acknowledgement by the band that they may well be too disconnected from their audience yet wishing to take the chicago computer collaborations to a decent conclusion .. i bet they knew sound dust was make or break time, if not for the group then at least for that sound, which surely they got right on this album tens times more so than on the two albums seemingly leading in that direction, validating for me those experiments along the way -- good on them for acknowledging the alienating potential, yet admitting that this was the peak of that stereolab at least
yes, i think they will go looking for other peaks, somewhere else (Lionel Stander did get to work in hollywood again, after all)
maybe the boo-boos will have to go and a new angle for the lyrics taken with both Marie's terrible departure and the band learning the hard lessons of producing something so good by their own standards even if these didn't meet the demands of their audience -- the artistic journey has been completed -- that concept in light of Marie's death is almost horribly prophetic in a spooky new way, beyond their worst dreams i imagine (is Polanski a real king midas of horror and despair ? dark forces ?) (i do not wish to trivialise _anything_ in saying this)
of course the album + art stands on it's own feet as beautiful music with a variety of sentiment -- most of the band can return to the main land and pursue some other groove -- after a presumably respectful period of meditation and change of trade-name
― george gosset (gegoss), Saturday, 9 August 2003 14:09 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
― zebedee (zebedee), Monday, 11 August 2003 15:52 (fifteen years ago) Permalink
"hiatus"
http://www.stereolab.co.uk/news/
― Jeff W, Thursday, 2 April 2009 20:12 (nine years ago) Permalink
Perhaps a necessary thing, really.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 2 April 2009 20:21 (nine years ago) Permalink
diminishing returns for a while now
― velko, Thursday, 2 April 2009 20:22 (nine years ago) Permalink
Question: is the future of Stereolab any different than the past of Stereolab?
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 2 April 2009 20:24 (nine years ago) Permalink
:( At least Chemical Chords 2 will still come out (and I'm glad I saw them this last tour)
― Chris Barrus (Elvis Telecom), Thursday, 2 April 2009 21:38 (nine years ago) Permalink
yeah, me too! their show last fall was wonderful. still, if anyone deserves a break, it's probably them. they've never gone more than a year or two without an album over the past 20 years, have they?
― tylerw, Thursday, 2 April 2009 21:40 (nine years ago) Permalink
they've never gone more than a year or two without an album over the past 20 years, have they?
There were a couple multi-year gaps in between Sound-Dust, Margerine Eclipse, and Chemical Chords though I think the box set comes in there somewhere.
― Chris Barrus (Elvis Telecom), Thursday, 2 April 2009 21:47 (nine years ago) Permalink
yeah, maybe i'm just thinking that there are always various collections coming out in between records -- never seemed like they disappeared for any significant amount of time.
― tylerw, Thursday, 2 April 2009 21:49 (nine years ago) Permalink
They were great when I saw them live last year. Like, really great, as much fun as the first time I saw them. If this is one of those permananent breaks then they are going out with a bang, at least as far as live music is concerned. I don't think I have any of their albums from the last ten years, but live performance is at least as important to me.
― The Real Dirty Vicar, Thursday, 2 April 2009 21:52 (nine years ago) Permalink
My thoughts on seeing them in September -- if that's the last time I'll ever see them, then the last song I ever saw them do was a great version of "Jenny Ondioline."
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 2 April 2009 22:43 (nine years ago) Permalink
always thought of cobra and snowbug as sister albums — didn't they come out pretty much at the same time?
― tylerw, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 18:41 (two months ago) Permalink
anyway, i feel like you could pick up like six high llamas albums on CD for about $12 ... worth the bucks.
― tylerw, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 18:43 (two months ago) Permalink
High Llamas rule, fuiud.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 18:49 (two months ago) Permalink
Always wanted to like the High Llamas, but nah, they are rubbish.
― Position Position, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 18:57 (two months ago) Permalink
It's weird they're so polarizing.
Anyway.
― afriendlypioneer, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 19:20 (two months ago) Permalink
Count me in with the - not haters, but uninterested. I had High Llamas "Hawaii". Never took to it, sold years ago.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 20:06 (two months ago) Permalink
They have a bunch of albums I like more than Hawaii, but all of their music is extremely mellow.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 20:11 (two months ago) Permalink
Best entry points: Gideon Gaye, Snowbug, Talahomi Way. Those are the most traditional and song-oriented albums, I think. It's the other albums that I think have earned them their reputation of being a band that's not about songs. I love everything they've done.
― afriendlypioneer, Wednesday, 5 December 2018 15:40 (two months ago) Permalink
I had that Gideon Gaye - it started off very songy, then it got overstuck on a riff for what seemed like hours. Brainticket/Cottonwoodhill be blowed!
― Mark G, Wednesday, 5 December 2018 15:46 (two months ago) Permalink
"track goes by" is one of the best stuck-on-a-riff songs ever
looks the 'lab are playing primavera next year ...
― tylerw, Wednesday, 5 December 2018 19:24 (two months ago) Permalink
whoa
― flappy bird, Wednesday, 5 December 2018 19:32 (two months ago) Permalink
Can Cladders and Beet, Maize, & Corn are also quite good
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Thursday, 6 December 2018 02:16 (two months ago) Permalink
I dare say all of Stereolad* would be happy to join a touring lineup of Stereolab, but there should be a second female vocalist/etc as well
* !!! have toured as their own opening act, playing a set of Stereolab covers, with singer Nic Offer wearing a frock
― sans lep (sic), Thursday, 6 December 2018 05:11 (two months ago) Permalink
I wish I could audition for Stereolab. I could knock out those bass riffs no problem.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Thursday, 6 December 2018 05:30 (two months ago) Permalink
I wish I could audition for Stereolab
OK, new lyrics for Ray Davies to pen..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWGOtxSNhEs
― Mark G, Friday, 7 December 2018 10:09 (two months ago) Permalink
The Aluminum Tunes vinyl release has really brought home for me what a massive collection it is. I think it didn't really sink in originally because I had been experiencing the various parts of it in bits and pieces as EPs and singles. But coming back to it now, it's just a monumental piece of work. It feels like a coherent whole, probably one of their better releases.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Wednesday, 12 December 2018 04:33 (two months ago) Permalink
I find their non-LP work more enjoyable than their proper albums. I think the one-off approach was more conducive to experimentation and transcending their obvious influences.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Wednesday, 12 December 2018 14:38 (two months ago) Permalink
Just got the clear vinyl version of Peng! Really hoping it sounds better than the last reissue, although I'm not feeling very optimistic.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Wednesday, 12 December 2018 21:37 (two months ago) Permalink
"track goes by" is one of the best stuck-on-a-riff songs ever― tylerw, Wednesday, December 5, 2018 7:24 PM (one week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― tylerw, Wednesday, December 5, 2018 7:24 PM (one week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Track Goes By was one of the highlights when I saw them play a couple of years ago, although they didn't stretch it out for fifteen minutes, sadly.
The catchily-titled Retrospective Rarities And Instrumentals compilation is a pretty good overview of their albums up to Snowbug, it's up on Spotify along with pretty much everything else.
― Brainless Addlepated Timid Muddleheaded Awful No-Account (Pheeel), Wednesday, 12 December 2018 22:08 (two months ago) Permalink
Similar to the Peng! reissue, Space Age Bachelor Pad Music comes with nice liner notes by Tim describing how they wrote and recorded all the tracks.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Wednesday, 26 December 2018 19:46 (one month ago) Permalink
It's happening:
Stereolab Set To Perform at Desert Daze 2019, First Announced North American Appearance In Over A DecadeFestival Returns October 10th - 13th to Moreno Beach in Lake Perris, CA; Limited Early Bird Tickets Available Now via https://desertdaze.org
Festival Returns October 10th - 13th to Moreno Beach in Lake Perris, CA; Limited Early Bird Tickets Available Now via https://desertdaze.org
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 12 February 2019 18:28 (one week ago) Permalink
Moreno Beach in Lake Perris, CA
a literal shit hole, yikes.
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Tuesday, 12 February 2019 18:34 (one week ago) Permalink
can only hope this means a bay area stop
― akm, Tuesday, 12 February 2019 20:34 (one week ago) Permalink
have they announced anything except festival dates so far?
― tylerw, Tuesday, 12 February 2019 20:36 (one week ago) Permalink
The Paris date, while technically part of a festival, is at least indoors *checks Eurostar timetable*
― Jeff W, Tuesday, 12 February 2019 20:40 (one week ago) Permalink
I'm very strongly considering going to this with my son. Death Grips, King Gizzard, and My Bloody Valentine are like his dream lineup.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Tuesday, 12 February 2019 21:21 (one week ago) Permalink
Those were last year's performers, FYI
― DT, Tuesday, 12 February 2019 21:24 (one week ago) Permalink
Uh oh. Well that changes things...
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Tuesday, 12 February 2019 21:26 (one week ago) Permalink
i saw their second-to-last U.S. show in 2008, i guess. Richard Swift opened. : /
― omar little, Tuesday, 12 February 2019 21:29 (one week ago) Permalink
Please god let there be a full U.S. tour. I never got to see Stereolab and never thought I would.
― flappy bird, Tuesday, 12 February 2019 22:35 (one week ago) Permalink
I did not attend the 2018 Desert Daze since I really haven't gone to a major music fest since Lollapalooza was a touring entity. But the lineup looked really good and a friend of mine performed in the area where they were doing ambient sets. I might actually go to this one.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Wednesday, 13 February 2019 00:08 (one week ago) Permalink
I was there, and despite some bad calls on logistics and an electrical storm that ended Tame Impala after less than 15 minutes, the Lake Perris site was actually a good one (seeing that big storm come across the lake at us was wild) and the lineup was great. (They did put Ty Segall and White Fence on for the last set of the festival at around 2:30 Monday morning, so also not ideal)
― by the light of the burning Citroën, Wednesday, 13 February 2019 00:14 (one week ago) Permalink
Not to throw cold water on this reunion, I'm eager to see them too, but their last tour was easily the weakest of many that I saw. They got out of sync on a couple songs,which was a bit of a trainwreck, and they seemed to lack passion overall.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Wednesday, 13 February 2019 02:38 (one week ago) Permalink
I enjoyed that last tour! (Which was more than 10 years ago.) Amazing great career-spanning setlist.
― everything, Thursday, 14 February 2019 19:50 (six days ago) Permalink
yeah, the 2008 show i saw was fantastic
― tylerw, Thursday, 14 February 2019 20:19 (six days ago) Permalink
Yeah the last time I saw them, I felt that the band had adjusted to the inevitable loss of Mary and had found a good new approach, whereas the tour before that -- the one that was the first after her death -- you could tell that her absence still hung heavy.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 14 February 2019 20:59 (six days ago) Permalink
I think I didn't like how male-centric the later versions of the band got. I loved Mary and was devastated when she died, but I think they should've tried to replace her. Maybe they weren't interested or just felt like she was irreplaceable, but that dynamic was very important to who they were as a band, especially in a live setting.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Thursday, 14 February 2019 21:38 (six days ago) Permalink
assuming they'll form a similar lineup this time, but if they were to look for another female vocalist, does anyone come to mind we may already know?
― flappy bird, Thursday, 14 February 2019 22:49 (six days ago) Permalink
Margaret Fiedler?
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Thursday, 14 February 2019 23:23 (six days ago) Permalink
Mary Hampton, who sang on the 2nd Imitation Electric Piano album would be good, or maybe Rosie from Pram?
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Friday, 15 February 2019 00:09 (five days ago) Permalink
Morgane Lhote is still making music
― dan selzer, Friday, 15 February 2019 00:57 (five days ago) Permalink
Her absence from Stereolab was also significant, she was their best keyboard player.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Friday, 15 February 2019 02:29 (five days ago) Permalink
while we're here, never seen this!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJRb-5Gh3wc
― flappy bird, Friday, 15 February 2019 05:31 (five days ago) Permalink
Very nice, don't think I've ever seen any of that either.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Friday, 15 February 2019 05:51 (five days ago) Permalink
Yeah, I have an old VHS comptape bought at a record fair, lots of live bits, vids and interviews. This looks much like it came from that, quality wise.
― Mark G, Friday, 15 February 2019 09:03 (five days ago) Permalink
"Yeah the last time I saw them, I felt that the band had adjusted to the inevitable loss of Mary and had found a good new approach, whereas the tour before that -- the one that was the first after her death -- you could tell that her absence still hung heavy."
I miss her voice
― | (Latham Green), Friday, 15 February 2019 18:48 (five days ago) Permalink
from all the live recordings I've heard, she had remarkably good pitch/voice control
― flappy bird, Friday, 15 February 2019 18:56 (five days ago) Permalink
I recently learned that Gina Morris (Stereolab's original co-singer from 1990-1992, NME writer) is now in Australia (where Mary, her replacement, was from).
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Friday, 15 February 2019 18:58 (five days ago) Permalink
Interesting. In Melbourne rather than Queensland, I see. Married the dude from the Paradise Model, who toured with Stereolab in 1998! (Though she wouldn't have been in the entourage on that tour, presumably.)
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Saturday, 16 February 2019 03:52 (four days ago) Permalink
Far out, the Paradise Motel guys were all friends of mine when the band started out. And I was a Stereolab obsessive.
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Saturday, 16 February 2019 05:08 (four days ago) Permalink