Stereolab

Jim · Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 8:43 pm Post subject: Stereolab

I feel generous

wantabodylikeme · Joined: 30 May 2005 Posts: 28887 Location: Scottsdale, AZ

one of the best bands of the 90's (and still kickin today!)

King BuzzO))) · Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 8:46 pm Post subject:

ETK
TRNBwA
MAQ
D & L
Peng

Of what I've heard. Solid band, definately underrated.

Piper · Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 9:03 pm Post subject:

oh, sup Stereolab thread?

I loves me some ETK.

lacuna · Joined: 20 Jan 2006 Posts: 10376

<3 you Jim

Man, are you guys in for treat. Really envy y'all. One of the coolest experiences i've had with music is getting into this band and their huge, near perfect discography. Definitely amongst my top 3 or 4 band of all time at this point.
Hokay then, so stereolab is, on a first couple of listens, a love it or hate it band, but don't be fooled, let this stuff sink in and it will be a part of your life and you'll be humming this stuff before you know it. And the thing with stereolab is, a lot of their best stuff in their compilations.

So, I'm uploading their essential stuff in the order that i think is tops, it's going to take a bit of time so bear with me folks. megapost up later this evening.

ps - ETK isn't the best

Ando · Joined: 17 Apr 2005 Posts: 4753

Low-Fi is a hella good EP

The Switched On series is awesome

Transient Random Noise Bursts with Announcements lands in my top 5 for the 90s, I think.

Emperor Tomato Ketchup is not too far behind.

lacuna · Joined: 20 Jan 2006 Posts: 10376

knowledge^^. Switched On series is definitely one of the best compilation series ever. and Transient is my favourite album by them too Very Happy

joe c · Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 11:26 am Post subject:

Could I get links for Transient and ETK? Have never listened to this band before.

Piper · Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 11:33 am Post subject:

ETK: -http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PW5TBE35

I don't have Transient.

Pnoom! · Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 11:37 am Post subject:

Transient Random
-http://rapidshare.com/files/256496243/Stereolab_-_Transient_Random-Noise_Bursts_With_Announcements.zip

1. Emperor Tomato Ketchup (one of the best ever)
2. Transient Random Noise Bursts with Announcements
3. Dots and Loops
4. Mars Audiac Quintet

all of them are really good.

Kadakron · Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 1:26 pm Post subject:

I think I like some choice songs of ETK more than any song on transient random, but as a whole, TR is better in my opinion.

Piper · Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 2:00 pm Post subject:

Could someone up me Mars Audiac Quintet? I also wouldn't mind Refried Ectoplasm.

eggplant · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 13389 Location: Colorado

lacuna · Joined: 20 Jan 2006 Posts: 10376

Alright, let's do this:

10 stereolab essentials, as ranked by me.

1. Transient Random Noise Bursts With Announcements (1993)

-http://rapidshare.com/files/264689274/Stereolab_-_Transient_Random-Noise_Bursts_With_Announcements__1993_.rar
password:SirensSound.blogspot.com

So, this is it. the masterpiece. Heaps of artists strive for perfection/innovation but reaching it in style, with playful abandon is a rare thing - this is stereolab's most eclectic, alice-in-wonderland record, the band sounds like they're having a blast on this. where top notch bands were watering themselves down with their major label debuts (even SY is guilty); these badasses managed to just be more radical and experimental, even though they wore their krautpop/chanson influences ever so proudly on their sleeves. perfection, and as ando said, a top 5 album of the 90's - this established 'the groop' as one of the finest bands your friends have never heard of. Also, Jenny motherfucking Ondioline. enough said.

track picks: Pack Yr Romantic Mind http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UgTOFW7T8w , Jenny Ondioline, Crest, Pause, Tone Burst.

2. Switched On 2 : Refried Ectoplasm (1995)

-http://burningaquarium.blogspot.com/2009/06/stereolab-refried-ectoplasm-switched-on.html (link halfway down the page)

The thing with Stereolab is, if you've heard and judged all of their albums, you've only listened to about half their good stuff. Their 'Switched On' series compiles some of their scattered singles and other unreleased stuff to fantastic effect; I even consider this amongst the best compilations i've ever heard. Anyone looking for an introduction to the band, this is an awesome place to kick off. Also contains what is perhaps Stereolab's best single ever - French Disko.

track picks: French Disko!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH3aQJj119Y&feature=related , Lo Boob Oscillator, John Cage Bubblegum, Eloge D'Eros, Farfisa

3. Mars Audiac Quintet (1994)

-http://rapidshare.com/files/251508793/Stereolab_-_Mars_Audiac_Quintet.rar
pass:chilloutordie.blogspot.com (if needed)

If Transient established that warm fuzzy drone like sound forever associated with the 'Lab, then Mars Audiac Quintet confirmed it and set it in stone. This is slightly less on the experimental side than it's predecessor, but there's some serious songwriting skills showcased here that makes this just as charming as it's wilder, older brother. Space pop ftw.

track picks: Wow and Flutter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkpXoM0D-Pk , Nihilist Assault Group, Ping Pong, Des Etoiles Electroniques, International Colouring Contest.

4. Dots and Loops (1997)

-http://rapidshare.com/files/251495156/Stereolab_-_Dots_And_Loops.rar
pwd:chilloutordie.blogspot.com (if needed)

The beginning of minimalist, electronic stereolab. Not much to say other than the fact this is just lovely, and as an rym reviewer said, like strolling in the beaches of Sao Paolo in 2055. Any casual fans of electronic should jump on board with this, no questions asked. Is a grower, but a damn fine one.

track picks: Brakhage , Refractions in the Plastic Pulse, Miss Modular, Parsecs, The Flower Called Nowhere http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShAwBv6hSj8 , Miss Modular

5. Emperor Tomato Ketchup (1996)

-http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PW5TBE35 (thanks again noomy)

If 1995's Refried Ectoplasm was any indicator, the band was already pushing toward a new sound. And as with most good bands, their work in their transitional phases make for some of the best in their discography. This was their big one, and though it sometimes feels a bit overrated in comparison to their vast discography, it's still one of the most consistent, and engaging albums of the time. Needs little introduction really.

track picks: Metronomic Underground http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oeb__BGAIMw&feature=related , Percolator, Noise of Carpet, Cybele's Reverie etc

6. Stereolab - Flourescences EP(1996)

-http://rapidshare.com/files/224321688/S96F.part1.rar
-http://rapidshare.com/files/224324404/S96F.part2.rar
pwd: pigandpepper

simply one of the finest EPs ever. Short and sweet document of their transitional phase, these guys were going a thousand feet a second at this point.

track picks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TMoy6DNTO4

7. Switched On: 1 / Switched On 3: Aluminium Tunes (1992/1997)

vol 1 -http://rapidshare.com/files/264530193/Stereolab_-_Switched_On__1992_.rar
vol 3 -http://rapidshare.com/files/264549255/Stereolab_-_Aluminum_Tunes__Switched_On__Vol._3__1997_.rar
Password:SirensSound.blogspot.com (for both)

If any of you guys liked Refried Ectoplasm, check these behemoths out. An absolutely stunning 3 discs of singles, oddities and rarities - and a harkening back to the moog and farfisa the band are so known for. There's only a couple of mediocre tracks on all 3 discs combined - and the good stuff is just as good, if not better than the album material. Couldn't seperate these two so i lumped them together. Switched On 1 predates Transient Random Noise Bursts, and 3 was released juust before Dots and Loops, so it covers a huge step in their musical evolution. Stereolab the versatile? Stereolab the consistent? jake would say indie'd.

track picks: Super Electric http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJPXldB9eG8 , Neon Beanbag, The Extension Trip, One Note Samba, One Small Step, Brittle

8. Sound Dust (2001)

-http://rapidshare.com/files/264686027/Stereolab_-_Sound-Dust__2001_.rar
Password:SirensSound.blogspot.com

This is their alien record. Drawing from a myriad of new influences (dark ambient, cinema scores, post-tropicalia and even phillip glass), the Groop shows songwriting maturity here by discarding most of their original sound and song structure; most of the songs here are in parts/suites. Impressionistic in nature, Sound Dust has a very haunting quality to it that wasn't present in most of their earlier stuff, and as a Stereolab record, it still manages to sound very very different from most of the stuff they'd done. Enchanting and gorgeous, don't be fooled by the lack of hooks. This is one for the ages.

track picks: Spacemoth, Gus the Mynah Bird, Suggestion Diabolique, Baby Lulu http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfA8PiGzVg8

9. Peng!/ Low Fi EP (1992)

-http://rapidshare.com/files/264526192/Stereolab_-_Peng___1992_.rar
-http://rapidshare.com/files/264514820/Stereolab_-_Lo-Fi__1992_.rar
password:SirensSound.blogspot.com

Where it all began. If you guys have been enjoying their stuff as of now, it's pretty awesome to see the humble beginnings, a young band with a nihilistic approach to their musics beginning to bridge indie rock, krautpop, chanson and drone in a way no other band had, or even has until now. Low Fi is a very solid EP as well, 2nd only to Fluoroscences. Heaps of promise of these 2, fulfilled tenfold a decade later.

track picks: Low Fi http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcPhwzsv6VA , Stomach Worm, Surrealchemist, Peng ! 33.

10. Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night (1999)

-http://rapidshare.com/files/264556030/Stereolab_-_Cobra___Phases_Play_Voltage_in_the_Milky_Night__Import_Bonus_Tracks___2000_.rar
Password:SirensSound.blogspot.com

In the quest to make Sound Dust, Stereolab produced this gem, which has a name that I can barely remember for the most part. Sounding like a love child of Dots and Loops and Sound Dust, Cobra and Phases shines because it has bits of that unearthly groove the latter possesses whilst still having the concise buoyant vocal harmonies of Sadier/Hansen, all bubbling against the backdrop of a daydream. Production is surreal too.

choice tracks: Blue Milk, Caleidoscopic Gaze, Emergency Kisses http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmfrPS4K1IQ

So yeah. Truth by told, there's a lot of amazing singles, songs and oddities scattered throughout their discography, I'm still discovering random Stereolab songs that makes me go mhmmm. Either way, they've proved themselves as one of the most unique bands of our time, and I really hope you guys enjoy most of this stuff. They are cemented in stone as a top 10 band of all time for me. Let the feedback begin!

Piper · Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 9:28 am Post subject:

As much as I love what i've heard of Stereolab (ETK, Dots and Loops, "Wow and Flutter", "Lo Boob Oscillator", "French Disko"), I really think that they lost alot when Mary Hansen died. What i've heard of their post-Hansen stuff I didn't like as much as the stuff they did with her.

Kadakron · Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 11:28 am Post subject:

Ohhh you kick ass lacuna, you really do!