One of four new tapes this week on weirdo UK tape label The Tapeworm, and as much as we love all of them this time out (and we do), this one we find is fast becoming our favorite, but then we've never been able to resist deep, dense, dronemusic.
Sinus is a collection of sprawling sine wave tones, which produce the sort of drones, that with headphones on, make your head feel like it's being filled with some sort of thick liquid. Or, if played through speakers at high enough volume, will probably set your whole house to resonating. Lush and layered, the main component a pulsing soft swell of extreme low end, nearly rib cage rattling in its power, but strangely serene, a deep black hole pulse, that throbs glacially, while over the top, other tones offer subtle sonic colorations, and wistful barely there melodies, soft turbulence and bleary slightly blown out textures.
An utterly immersive sonic experience, meditative, bliss out deep drone dreaminess, with just a bit of sinister sonic malevolence, which gives these pieces the feel of some strange arthouse soundtrack, it's not difficult to imagine an empty expanse of deep black space, or some bottomless cavern reaching all the way to the center of the earth, or even a crumbling abandoned city, the perfect score for the end of the world, and with just the tiniest bit of black dub throb, and abstract ambient techno vibe, a murky buried otherworldly propulsion, which at times make Sinus feel like the bleakest, most haunting Pop Ambient jam Kompakt never put out.
It may be surprising that one of the godfathers of hip-hop and DJ culture was a former ad-man who in response to a Tommy Boy remix contest in 1983 delivered one of the best mastermixes of all time. "The Payoff Mix" (aka Lesson No. 1) along with Lesson No. 2 (James Brown Mix) and Lesson No. 3 (History of Hip-hop) are legendary examples of Steinski's (and sometimes partner Double Dee) fast and furious collage style of song snippets, movie dialogue and cartoon bits over an array of classic drum breaks. More amazing because they weren't products of turntablist wizardry but painstakingly put together using a box of records, tape machines and hours of studio editing. Taking cues from of all unlikely places, the novelty records of Dickie Goodman ("Flying Saucer", "Mr. Jaws"), whose interview style parodies using snippets of popular songs as humorous responses provided Steinski with readymade samples of sixties and seventies hits. Steinski would also follow the same path as Goodman in terms of legal troubles from record companies, giving early rise to the debate over sampling and issues of fair use. Which is apropos since this 2 disc reissue is being released on Girltalk's Illegal Art label. What Does It All Mean? collects those early singles along with later production work including darker collage forays into the assassination of JFK and 9/11, with the second disc containing the entire mix album "Nothing to Fear: A Rough Mix" which was made for the Coldcut-associated show Solid Steel on the BBC. That second disc alone will jump-start any party, which you will need after the first disc schools your ass on early hip-hop history!
Stellar Om Source is a one woman sci-fi space-synth, cosmic (or kosmische?) sonic starship piloted by Christelle Gualdi, a fusion of droned out minimal krautrock, raw private press naive electronic experimentation, Carpenter/Goblin influenced retro soundtrack synthscapes, and percolating analog atmospherics, all woven into lush landscapes of low-grade futuristic synthdrone kraut drift mystery.
Culled from three long out of print cd-r's: Ocean Woman, Alliance and Crusader, Trilogy Select gathers up a handpicked greatest hits, and assembles them into something resembling a proper album, a woozy, amorphous drift through dark starlit skies, through vast crumbling futuristic cities, evoking the landscapes of low budget late night science fiction B movies, blocky shapes and neon colors split into jagged sine waves and square waves, kinda like Tron meets Logan's Run scored by John Carpenter as performed by Oneohtrix Point Never (who collaborates on one of the tracks here!). Totally mesmerizing and spaced out, the tracks slip from hushed droney blur to cascades of Riley like repetition, soft cacophonies of layered synth swirl, to sun blasted upper register ur-drone bliss, hazy ethereal new age shimmer, to muted textural thrum, always infused with some sort of dark pathos, and dramatic tension, all very cinematic and atmospheric, hypnotic and totally mesmerizing.
Absolutely essential psychedelic space synth drone music for anyone into Oneohtrix Point Never, Emeralds, Dylan Ettinger, Caboladies, Pulse Emitter, Innercity and other like minded sonic cosmonauts...
Comes with a download coupon as well!
Tapes were always a fickle medium, with the mechanics of the tape liable to fail the more you played it. Similarly, dropouts were always a possibility if you mistakenly hit the record button when you meant to hit stop; and then there was the hiss which rounded off all of the higher frequencies and dulled rhythmic edges. Even if you got a professionally manufactured tape, the hiss was still there. Indeed, tape noise is a particular sound which has faded from the collective consciousness in almost all arenas, except maybe for right here at Aquarius. We've certainly championed more than a handful of brilliant tape-sourced albums, including the best being Reynols absurdistly self-evident Blank Tapes and the maudlin evocations of William Basinski's Disintegration Loops. We can also add to the list Howard Stelzer's brilliantly deadened compositions of densely compacted tape hiss found on Bond Inlets.
Two long tracks roughly equal to what would fit onto a 60 minute tape, Bond Inlets is grounded in a gray noise smearing over all of the low-end thud rumbles and distant field recordings where motion and energy is only the faintest shadow of its former self. Stelzer works in layering piles and piles of this source material and then rips these layers apart along slip-strike faults, leaving decaying echo and gravel throated drones in its wake. While definitely intense in its slow-burning compositional dynamics, it's hard to qualify Bond Inlets as a proper noise album, as this isn't the punishing electrocution of Merzbow, Masonna, or Prurient. Dare we call this a 'mature' noise album? Don't worry, your parents will still hate it.
Howard Stelzer is the man behind Intransitive Recordings, one of the finest experimental-noise-drone-fucked labels of the past decade or so. He's quite an exceptional mangler of sound in his own right, thanks to piles of barely working tape decks and thoroughly gunked up cassettes, promoting a distressed aesthetic of murky tape noise, garbling hiss, gray thrummings of compressed rumble, sea-sickened whirlings, and start-stop mechanics. Stelzer's collaborator here is David Payne, a Canadian noise-junk thrillseeker who might be known to some for his releases in / as Fossils. Admittedly, we're not all that familiar with Payne or Fossils, but Stelzer's broken collage approach is definitely present.
Small Cruel Party like textures amass out of the ever present fog of tape hiss, which Stelzer and Payne push to steam-vent intensity amidst churning, lumbering emanations that crawl out of calcified hums, decayed tones, and wind-sheer microphone obliteration. The tapes are not without their recognizable forms (although for the most part, these mud-crust recordings stay purposefully abstract), as twitterings of a bird and the rasp of car horns puncture the low-tech musique concrete approach from these gritty tape machinations. Grizzly crunches that sound like bones getting snapped in half, to which we have to hope is not the result of Stelzer and Payne setting contact mics on their fingers whilst shattering their own digits. Swelter finds itself somewhere between the first Dry Lungs international noise compilation, Merzbow's really early noise-junk offerings, and Maurizio Bianchi's Sacher-Pelz turntablist warbling. Limited to 200 copies and not long for this world!
During an interview for a Boston weekly, tape experimentalist Howard Stelzer wrapped up the history of his collaborations with Jason Talbot with the pithy statement, "There was silence and we weren't afraid not to fill it." If you want to read any references to John Cage into that statement, they would be found not in Cage's infamous 4'33" but in Fontana Mix, John Cage's classic tape piece where jagged electronic sounds slam against extended passages of silence. The Stelzer / Talbot production Songs is a raw and hostile reinterpretation of the fundamentals behind Fontana Mix within a context of live improvisation. Stelzer with his arsenal of tape decks and cassettes, and Talbot with his abused turntable and tabletop of effects, articulate concise gestures which abruptly stop as quickly as they enter into existence. Reproduced with an incredibly low fidelity, these sounds erupt like distorted blurps and squiggles as if broadcast through an intercom speaker or a walkie-talkie. The claustrophobic intensity of these angry turntable 'n' tape machinations bleeds across the sonic spectrum between noise and silence.
Most aQ customers, when they think of Finland, probably associate it musically with the weird foresty freak folk of groups like Avarus and Kemialliset Ystavat. Or, just as likely, you think of the hypnotic, occasionally metallic space rock of Circle and their various offshoots. But, among geeky metalheads, Finland is probably best known for their underground death metal scene, back in the day. Of course, nearby Sweden is king when it comes to that stuff - there's a whole huge book about it we sell called Swedish Death Metal. But a book could be written about Finnish Death Metal too. Early '90s acts like Amorphis, Demilich, Convulse, and Xysma are up there in the cult death/grind pantheon.
So, when none other than Jussi from Circle told us he was doing an archival cd release on his label Ektro by a Finnish death metal band called Stench Of Decay, we assumed they were a obscure demo band from the '90s... and the cd sure sounds (and looks) like that. Turns out though that Stench Of Decay are much more recent torchbearers for the tradition of Finnish death metal, having formed in 2004 (as fairly young kids, judging from the photo in the cd booklet). The ten tracks collected here come from the band's 2005 debut demo cd-r, a 4-song cassette/12" ep release that came out in 2009, and a 7" single released in 2011. All find SoD ably doing the old school thing, bringing back memories of Entombed, Grave, Bolt Thrower, classic Morbid Angel, etc. One track is a cover of a song from a 1990 demo tape by Finnish death metal pioneers Abhorrence, so Stench Of Decay know their stuff.
And yes, they ARE pretty killer. Press play and you'll be instantly bulldozered by guttural vox, blasting beats, divebombing guitar solos, and churning fuzz - fuzz that somehow seems to consist of serrated sonic saw blades. The tones are THICK, the vibe is SICK, yes what more could you ask for from a death metal album? But, brutal as it is, there's much musical nuance underneath, even melody. SoD have a knack for composing stuff that sounds "classically evil", hummable hellish little ditties you could imagine a being played with less volume and distortion by some sort of sinister chamber quartet...
To reiterate, this is NOT the sort of leather and codpiece clad, Thor-muscled '80s metal that usually inform the antics of Circle's tongue in cheek 'NWOFHM' side projects like Steel Mammoth. No, this is the pure grinding metal of death stuff. It remains to be seen if Jussi's interest in death metal heralds a harsh new direction that Circle and the NWOFHM might take, hmm? And while they sure don't sound like Circle (yet), in their own way, Stench Of Decay are quite brutally hypnotic, with repetitive riffs pulverizing repeatedly...
A lot of the soundtracks we review, are for movies we haven't actually seen. This one though, we had been hearing about forever, and saw the minute it came out. The sci-fi nerds around here were already familiar with the story of the failed attempt by demented genius / cinematic auteur Alejandro Jodorowsky (El Topo, The Holy Mountain) to adapt and film Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel Dune. And sure, some of us dig the version by David Lynch that eventually did get made, but it couldn't hold a candle to Jodorowsky's vision, one that was to include art design by H.R. Giger and Moebius, music by Magma and Pink Floyd, special effects by Dan O'Banon (Heavy Metal, Lifeforce, C.H.U.D., Return Of The Living Dead, Total Recall), and stars Mick Jagger, David Carradine, Orson Welles and Salvador Dali!! Why oh why did that not happen?! In the realm of things that should absolutely exist, Jodorowsky's Dune most definitely is high up on the list. And thus, what a fantastic story, and minus having the actual Dune movie, this documentary is about the closest we'll ever get.
And enlisted to score this tale of what could have been, is none other than aQ pal Kurt Stenzel, one half of local synth duo Spacekraft, who has conjured up a spectacular accompaniment, one that perfectly suits the documentary, but in fact could easily have been the actual score to Jodorowsky's Dune, had it ever come to fruition. It's super evocative, definitely retro, a burbling cauldron of synth tones and mysterious melodies, moody music cues and abstract fragments of sound. In many cases, snippets of Jodorowsky's dialogue from the film are set atop these synthscapes, which only adds a surreal quality to the already far out proceedings, Jodorowsky's voice and delivery are so unique, like some shaman or cult leader sermonizing, even more so with the amazing kosmische backdrop. Stenzel masterfully conjures up classic scores of that era, anyone who's been obsessing on all the various soundtrack reissues on Death Waltz and Mondo, could easily believe that this was in fact some lost score to a crazy eighties B movie. Squelchy analog synths burble and pulse and pulsate, oozing into atmospheric ambience, or coalescing into dramatic chase scene tension, swirling clouds of sound shimmer and glisten, slow shifting fields of texture drift like alien fog, conjuring visions of futuristic cities, of post apocalyptic wastelands, of futures undreamed of, and futures dreamed of only in the past. It's utterly mesmerizing, dreamily psychedelic, and totally fantastic.
Still more Jamaican dance hall. The rhythm this time is "We Thuggin'" (Fat Joe). B-side has some completely unrelated version. Frisco Kid's "soulful" toasting is irritating at best. Ruins an otherwise kickass track.
So lovely! This is a reissue of a '60s Indonesian guitar pop record that Warren Defever of His Name is Alive stumbled upon at the Salvation Army. Attempts to locate the members of The Steps proved unsuccessful, so he reissued it himself on the Time Stereo label (for folks who care, it�s a cd-r). Pastoral instrumentals with a classic, rounded 60s guitar tone. Everytime we play this in the store, someone buys it! -- Yes, it�s that pretty and that unusual. Highly recommended!
The thing that usually makes a band stand out. REALLY stand out. Is the vocalist. It can make or break a band. A mediocre band can become great the minute a singer opens his mouth. But that same moment can just as easily send us diving for the eject button. In black metal vocals rarely make or break the band, as the sonic breadth is quite narrow, growling monster like grunts or shrill demonic shrieks. Or maybe somewhere in between. But a black metal vocalist CAN send a band spiralling into bizarre baffling outsider metal territory, and those are often the bands that we find ourselves digging the most. There's the Ethel Merman like croon of Urfaust, the atonal tuneless Jandekian warble of Circle Of Ouroborus, the anguished shriek of Weakling, the sorrowful over the top wailing of Silencer or early Bethlehem. ALl of these bands are great, but what makes them REALLY great is their abstract off kilter demented approach to the vocals. Thus we have Sterbend. The music is awesome, a blurry Burzumic buzz, midtempo, a moody black blur, relentless simple drumming, huge washes of melancholic keyboards, buzz and buzz and more buzz all over everything. But it's the vocalists that push this WAY into the world of damaged demented whatthefuck black metal. A howling anguished agonized scream, squeal, shriek, hard to know what to call it, take the high pitched wail of Weakling, mix it with the over the top caterwaul of early Bethlehem mix in some shrieking terrified teenager a la Bathtub Shitter, and then up the hysterical level a hundred fold, and now we're talking. Wild and insane and so creepy and fucked up sounding. It's so completely over the top it almost sounds truly terrifying. Track three is the ultimate demonstration of the vocals dedication, opening with a symphony of screams, the vocalist's multi-tracked shrieks of anguish colliding and mixing and swirling into an ear splitting head spinning frightful cacophony before the dirgey black metal buzz kicks in. Woah. Pam thinks it sounds like some fucked up county fair Haunted House, and it sort of does, but the sort of haunted house you never come out of alive!!!! Weird and wacked. And really amazing.
For a limited time we have the super limited, hand numbered (500 copies) silver silkscreened solid black jewel case version. Once those are gone it's back to the rregular jewel case version with you!
Ohh La La! You can always count on Stereo Total for absolute pure fun served up with sass and sparkle. With their love of suave and sassy French pop this German duo have long delivered perfect cocktail party jams over the years and with Baby Ouh! they show they still have their mojo working. It's hard not to just let go and have a carefree great time when you hear their electronic beats and snappy vocal delivery. Whether paying homage to Divine and Andy Warhol or covering Kraftwerk and Brigitte Fontaine, this is a record that shows you can translate great taste into infectious pop music. In lots of ways Stereo Total are like the musical equivalent of our favorite boutique thrift stores, immaculately picking the best parts of the past with snazz and style and bringing excitement and new life to those aged artifacts. So fun!
From the album title to the album's music itself, Stereo Total are pulling no party punches. From the get go, they vault themselves into the bubbliest, brightly hued, campy heights of electronic dance pop -- dishing out covers (of the Rolling Stones, Serge Gainsbourg, Nico & Velvet Underground among others), remixes (by the duo themselves as well as Thieves Like Us, Vredus, Justus K�hncke, Echokrank, Munk and Mad Professor!), new versions of songs from their last album Do The Bambi and more likeminded fare. They once again season each of their songs with a bit of space age lounge, a dash of spy movie, and tons of sticky, chewy, rubbery goodness. Soooooo deliriously fun!
Yay! Yay! Yay! It's time again for some stylin' Euro fun 'cuz StereoTotal have just unleashed a new album. It's called Do The Bambi, baby! Careful tho' you might go into sugar shock from this sparkly kooky multilingual electro-pop explosion. Lead singer Francoise Cactus has perfected the pout in her coquettish '60s Ye Ye Girl vocals, while her ST partner Brezel Goring once again does his best Monsieur Gainsbourg. A whopping nineteen wonderfully silly and gleefully playful songs packed with lots of cheesy Casio-style beats... nay, Bontempi-style beats churned out by a vaguely named "rhythm machine". They close the festivities with a cover of The Velvet Underground's "Chelsea Girls". Party guests include Hawnay Troof and Felix Kubin. Yay!
NOTE: Again, there's a street date of 1/25/05 on this puppy, so we can't sell 'em 'til Tuesday...but you can go ahead and order it if you're doing mailorder.
When we first encountered Stereo Total back in 1999 with this album (originally released by Bungalow Records), our initial reaction was a rather perfunctory "Stereo-Total are Stereolab meets Musical Youth with herky-jerky female vocals you will either love or hate." Over the years, the duo have certainly improved and endeared themselves to a few of us... or maybe back then our hearts were just colder. Now that the folks at Kill Rock Stars have reissued two of the duo's early albums, we've been spurred to revisit 'em. Y'know what? We've been having a grand ol' time kicking up our heels and tapping our toes to this album and its also-reissued follow-up My Melody (with which we were already smitten the first time around). While we can't say that we luv Francoise Cactus' pouty cooing vocals, we sure don't hate 'em either. They make a great companion to Brezel Goring's droll Gainsbourgian delivery. We're happily humming along even if we haven't a clue what they're singing about in French, German, Japanese and Italian! If you dig '60s French Ye Ye girls, bubbly electronic pop, and all things Euro-cute, Stereo-Total is sooooo for you!
Another Euro-pop swingin' shimmy-shake affair from the very cosmopolitan Stereo Total. Once again, a lyrical cocktail shaker of French, German, English and... Turkish! Many moments that would make obscure, eccentric '60s lounge-y/ad jingle composer Charles
Ooooh la la! This was the Stereo Total album that really caught our ears back in late '99 -- especially the irresistible ultra-kicky tune "Vilaines Filles, Mauvais Garcons". Clearly it caught the ears of the Kill Rock Stars folks too 'cause they've reissued it domestically (it was originally released by Bobsled Records) along with their previous album Juke Box Alarm.
Here's what we said the first time around: Quirky German, French and English vocals frolic over a mish mash of tinkly, woobly melodies. A dash of Pizzicato Five, a sprinkle of Francoise Hardy, a pinch of Thee Headcoatees. This is the soundtrack to your next pyjama party, wear your pinkest of lipsticks and fluffiest of pjs... Or perhaps, this is the soundtrack to your next Sanrio soiree, wear your battiest of lashes and froufrou-est of frocks. Go go go!
Making music that is fun is actually a lot harder to pull off then one might think. There is a fine line between playful and charming and kitchy and annoying, and thankfully Stereo Total are one of the few groups who have consistently proven they know how to walk that tricky tightrope. The title of their latest outing pretty much sums up the locales that have shaped so much of their sound. Being from Berlin of course they've been influenced by the rich electronic roots from that country's rich electronic music history and there's no mistaking how fond they are of the irresistible and sassy sounds of French Pop, as this isn't the first time they've covered a Serge Gainsbourg song. Stereo Total are a DJ's dream as there aren't many other bands you could throw on seamlessly between Jane Birkin and Nina Hagen without losing a beat. As always they switch off singing in German, French and English, but no matter what the language, it always sounds fun and more importantly, so damn good!
Five remixes of the instant classic that Stereo Total has been performing live for the past four or so years, only recorded recently for their latest long player, "Musique Automatique". Remixers include Candie Hank (aka Patric Catani of EC8OR, Audio Chocolate, Flex Busterman, et al), Felix Kubin, Christopher Just (producer of a handful of Chicks On Speed tracks), Bis and Brezel
This is easily the best pop record we've heard in a while. Super commercial and catchy, but still crunchy and a little punk rock. When I was in Europe a few months ago, I kept hearing this band over and over again played randomly in punk rock mixtapes and over club P.A.s and couldn't for the life of me understand why all these punk rockers were digging this ultra commercial pop. Maybe it's because they're on the punk rock label Feuled By Ramen? Not that I'm complaining, it just seems a bit strange. Allan and Jeff both think it sounds like Journey, but they both listen to it incessantly. I think it sounds like Y&T, but that probably doesn't mean much to anyone but me. Imagine super glossy production (courtesy of Jawbox's J. Robbins) and unbearably catchy songs. The slow(ish) ones sound like Weezer or Sloan. The fast ones sound like pop punk, but without most of the punk. The new record No Traffic is a lot more glossy and FM radio, VERY Weezer, but I think the one right before it, Three Hundred is better, a little more raw and really rocking. Just buy them both.
We have been so excited for the release of this record. We were kind of late discovering the Stereo, but it took no time at all for their last two records to instantly become way too played, in the store, at home, in the car. Perfect kick ass power pop. Just the right balance of cheesy seventies FM radio catchiness and thick guitars, amazing harmonies, and hooks galore! So I have to admit to being a little bummed when I first heard this. It seemed much less catchy, and a LOT more Journey/REO Speedwagon. And while a few other Aquarians still feel that way, I wasn't about to give up that easily. And boy, was I ever rewarded for my tenacity. This has to be THE pop record of the year. You know how some records immediately hook you and you play the shit out of them until you almost can't stand to hear them anymore? And then there's some records (like the most recent Anniversary for instance) where on first listen, there's not the obvious hooks to hang onto so you sort of dismiss it as 'not as good' as their other records. But often when you return, you realise that albums like that often slowly reveal themselves to be the sort of records that become totally essential, and end up getting listened to way more than those immediately catchy ones. So what I'm getting at here, is that this is definitely the best Stereo record yet, and quite possibly the best pop record this year. The songs are more complex and more subtle, but they still rock, and still have amazing hooks! And this time around there's all sorts of extra unexpected additions: weird production, strange synthesizers and crazy drum programming. But those new elements only add to the pop brilliance these pop punkers can conjure up at the drop of a hat. I swear I have not gone a day without blasting this record since it came out. Think the Posies, Jellyfish, the Anniversary, the Get Up Kids, Superchunk, Weezer, Redd Kross, Silver Sun, Sloan. Totally good time, big guitar, clap along, driving with the top down, mix tape for that girl you like PEFECT POP. Buy this or you'll make Andee very sad.
Comprising ten years of Radio 1 performances (mostly John Peel and Mark Radcliffe show appearances) from '91 to '01, this is a tasty collection of *thirty two* Stereolab hits. Yes, all your favorites are here, from "John Cage Bubblegum" to "Metronomic Underground." While you might expect that these versions might be like the more fired up renditions Stereolab routinely delivers in their live performances, most of them are more thoughtful, slightly slowed down, careful takes. This is excellent, and not only a handy colleciton for the Stereolab fans amongst us but also a fine place to start for the non-Stereolab-initiated. Recommended.
MPEG Download: "Tomorrow is Already Here" [/audio/stereolabtomorrow.mp3]
MPEG Stream: "Tomorrow is Already Here" [/audio/stereolabtomorrow.m3u]
Drag City swears that there is no discernable difference between this pressing and the Duophonic pressing of this record (although we'll do our best to get the rumored future Japanese version that'll be comprised of colored vinyl, a glitter 7", stickers, and a Tshirt in a box.) Regardless, this is a monstrous collection in fold-out packaging consisting of disgustingly rare,out-of-print singles, compilation tracks, and even the tracks for Stereolab's soundtrack to artist Charles Long's Music for the Amorphous Body Study Center. The tracks are from the period in between Mars Audiac Quartet and Emperor Tomato Ketchup and the whole package flows together quite well. Better than Dots and Loops by a mile.
While they released some great 7"s that were compiled onto one disc a couple years ago called Fab Four Suture, it's actually been over four years since these swirling pop masters have released a proper full length. Chemical Chords finds them in top form and while there are still plenty of keyboards, organs and electronics the album's real magic comes from the rich and layered string, brass and horn arrangements. This is Stereolab at their most lush and catchy. mining the gold out of of their love and rich appreciation of '60s French pop, Motown, exotica, and psych-pop. Chemical Chords is filled to the brim with songs that get right to the point and the band effortlessly keeps them filled with the brightest colors and most vivid of sonic shapes throughout. While we're not always crazy about High Llamas records (although we do like some of them) we have to say that the Llamas' Sean O'Hagen's contributions to this record are so striking (he's responsible for all the string and brass arrangements). Like all Stereolab records it's important to remember that it takes several listens for the songs to really reveal themselves and start sinking in. It's easy at first to say this just sounds "like Stereolab" which of course it does, but sounding "like Stereolab" means being one of the best pop bands of our time and Chemical Chords is one more great record to add to their already impressive catalog.
The first batch of these come with a free 7" with two non-album tracks, while supplies last!
For all of the championing we may give to unheralded or unappreciated artists and our cynical (and often contradictory) attitudes to the major label artists, there isn't anything we can say to sway an audience about Stereolab. It seems that critical thinking just goes out the window when it comes to the Groop, so when a record like 'Cobra and Phases...' comes out we'll just say it's out, and let you sort it out. (This means some of the AQ-staff really like it, and some think it's rehashed Mutantes-y stuff, and some think both of those things! We're all agreed, however, that it's better than 'Dots and Loops'.) We'll obviously keep you informed when / if any UK, Japanese, or Tahitian versions of this album come out with bonus tracks, different artwork, etc...
1972 has been on a Stereolab vinyl reissue roll and we're finally catching up. We missed out on reviewing Mars Audiac Quintet and Transient Random-noise Bursts with Announcements (both presumably still available if you'd like to order them), but we thought we better get to these next two, Emperor Tomato Ketchup from 1996 and Dots And Loops from 1997, since they mark the group at both their highest creative and commercial peaks.
Emperor Tomato Ketchup was a summation of all the influences they had been building off of during their first four years together: krautrock, minimalism, avant-garde, lounge exotica, jazz and French pop arranged into a fully formed working unit that exceeded beyond said influence into something wholly original. Seventeen (!) years later and little has changed in our opinion about Stereolab's classic 1996 album. While the groop have made plenty of great records since, this is still the go-to record that we can hear over and over and never get tired of. A timeless multilayered and wide-ranging experimental pop candy headtrip that has it all. If you're looking for *the* Stereolab album though, this is it!
Dots And Loops from the very next year, show the band not resting on their laurels and embracing the (then) future of electronic music. Collaborating with Tortoise and Mouse on Mars, Stereolab veer towards their avant-garde tendencies without leaving their pop qualities too far behind. Mixing bossa nova, electronica, freeform post-rock and even drum and bass (on one track) in a glossier cooler sheen than what came before, one might think that Dots And Loops might not date very well, but the group have always rigorously aimed for a timeless sound despite their retro-futurist leanings and Dots And Loops still holds up as one of their best records. So glad to have both of these classic records on vinyl once again!
Wherein the 'Lab collaborates with the Tortoise and the Mouse on Mars folks, with freeform, lounge-y results. Less pop-song oriented than Emperor Tomato, more emphasis on experimentation. The vinyl should be arriving from Drag City within a few weeks. And yes, we are Trying Really Hard to somehow find a source in England to help us obtain their other, more limited Duophonic releases. We don't like the idea of you guys having to pay Mod Lang's outrageously-inflated prices ($16 for a 7"!), but until the powers that be are convinced, we've got no source. sob sniffle
1972 has been on a Stereolab vinyl reissue roll and we're finally catching up. We missed out on reviewing Mars Audiac Quintet and Transient Random-noise Bursts with Announcements (both presumably still available if you'd like to order them), but we thought we better get to these next two, Emperor Tomato Ketchup from 1996 and Dots And Loops from 1997, since they mark the group at both their highest creative and commercial peaks.
Emperor Tomato Ketchup was a summation of all the influences they had been building off of during their first four years together: krautrock, minimalism, avant-garde, lounge exotica, jazz and French pop arranged into a fully formed working unit that exceeded beyond said influence into something wholly original. Seventeen (!) years later and little has changed in our opinion about Stereolab's classic 1996 album. While the groop have made plenty of great records since, this is still the go-to record that we can hear over and over and never get tired of. A timeless multilayered and wide-ranging experimental pop candy headtrip that has it all. If you're looking for *the* Stereolab album though, this is it!
Dots And Loops from the very next year, show the band not resting on their laurels and embracing the (then) future of electronic music. Collaborating with Tortoise and Mouse on Mars, Stereolab veer towards their avant-garde tendencies without leaving their pop qualities too far behind. Mixing bossa nova, electronica, freeform post-rock and even drum and bass (on one track) in a glossier cooler sheen than what came before, one might think that Dots And Loops might not date very well, but the group have always rigorously aimed for a timeless sound despite their retro-futurist leanings and Dots And Loops still holds up as one of their best records. So glad to have both of these classic records on vinyl once again!
Lovers of both Stereolab and vinyl records, your fave band has offered up another trio of fine 7" singles! Two new tunes a piece, each is limited to 4000!
In many ways singles are the perfect way to experience just how good Stereolab still are. It's so easy to take this group for granted and yes they do have a sound that for the most part they stick to but when you get to hang out with just a couple songs at a time, you really get to appreciate the intricacy and continual level of excellence of their music.
The 'a' side goes along at mid pace until about three quarters into the song when they burst into one of their great krautrock inspired instrumental jams. The 'b' side fizzles with all sorts of great bubbles, time changes, and sequence segues. Two more very nice additions to the Stereolab legacy.
Note: Multi-format fans (and Stereolab completists) please be aware that all of the songs on these three records also appear on Stereolab's current singles compilation cd, Fab Four Suture, along with those that were on the previous three 7"s.
Lovers of both Stereolab and vinyl records, your fave band has offered up another trio of fine 7" singles! Two new tunes a piece, each is limited to 4000!
In many ways singles are the perfect way to experience just how good Stereolab still are. It's so easy to take this group for granted and yes they do have a sound that for the most part they stick to but when you get to hang out with just a couple songs at a time, you really get to appreciate the intricacy and continual level of excellence of their music.
"Eye of the Volcano" is full of their tasteful horns, playful moog and breezy vocals with the great last line "we treat our bodies like machines, fascism from within." The 'b' side almost sounds like Stereo Total in its opening seconds and carries out with a song that sounds like something off of Dots & Loops.
Note: Multi-format fans (and Stereolab completists) please be aware that all of the songs on these three records also appear on Stereolab's current singles compilation cd, Fab Four Suture, along with those that were on the previous three 7"s.
It's oh so easy to take Stereolab for granted at this point; but when it comes down to it, their mandate continues to be about excellence. For those of you vinyl impaired, this is a collection of the onslaught of 7"s and 10" releases that they've released over the last couple years since Margarine Eclipse came out. There is an energy and poignancy in these songs that proves that they are nowhere near being past their prime or irrelevant. Bright and bouncy elegant and breezy cool and confident all sides of Stereolab shine through on these recent singles. They continue to make really smart sounds without ever getting too smarty pants for their own good. There is a belief in their sound and aesthetic that is too often missing in modern music. They've done a really nice job too of bringing the singles together on the cd to make a cohesive record from start to finish.
Stereolab continue to produce records as more of a commodified fetish object and less a piece of music with this new, and dreadfully boring 7 song ep. As of May 19, 2000, there have been no announcements of any other versions or pressings of this record that may have extra tracks, articles of clothing, medical waste, or alternate packaging. What does the music sound like? Who cares. We'll be watching the skies for the sign that the Japanese pressing will be released as a 36 volume box set of 7"s, complete with 144 petri-dishes filled with virulent strains of E-coli, a full haz-mat body suit with Stereolab logo, and of course that one extra track. And some poor sap will buy it on ebay for $42,000.
Newest ep from everybody's favorite Neu! worshipping modern krautrockers. And lucky for us, not much has changed. Propulsive rhythms, bubbling synths, angelic vocals, sun dappled and sparkling, hypnotic and soothing, dreamy and blissed out. Like Neu! meets the Free Design, Enoch Light fronting Can, an easy listening Faust or Tortoise playing the Agitation Free catalog. Lovely as always.
Hurrah, some new Stereolab songs! The band sure seem to have turned over a new leaf where their limited edition collectibles are concerned -- re-endearing themselves with their legions of fans. Perhaps it's been spurred in part by the new partnership between the band's own label Duophonic and Too Pure? Dunno, but after years of frustratingly small run, insanely pricey special releases, they recently offered up the cool Oscillons From The Anti-Sun 3cd/1dvd box set, and have now released these three nicely priced, no frills 7" singles with two songs a piece. Each is a limited pressing of 1000.
This is the punchiest, krautiest pair of their new half dozen, but it's still super pretty. "Interlock" particularly stands out with its groovy bassline, staccato singing and chiming keyboard lines.
Hurrah, some new Stereolab songs! The band sure seem to have turned over a new leaf where their limited edition collectibles are concerned -- re-endearing themselves with their legions of fans. Perhaps it's been spurred in part by the new partnership between the band's own label Duophonic and Too Pure? Dunno, but after years of frustratingly small run, insanely pricey special releases, they recently offered up the cool Oscillons From The Anti-Sun 3cd/1dvd box set, and have now released these three nicely priced, no frills 7" singles with two songs a piece. Each is a limited pressing of 1000.
This one features a pair of very similar lulling numbers with breathy non-word vocalizing (cycles of ba-bas and aaahs) atop subdued drumming and understated instrumental backing that alternates between two notes. Some might call the two parts of Kyberneticka Babicka hypnotically cyclical while others might find them to be somewhat maddeningly repetitive. It definitely contrasts with the more pop-side of Stereolab featured on the other two records which feature prominent and abundant singing from Laetitia.
Long awaited new full length from everyone's favorite psychedelic, French-philosophied kraut-pop lounge groop Stereolab. Their first since the tragic death of member Mary Hansen. But fear not, no maudlin melancholia or dirgey requiems for a lost friend here, just glistening, bubbly effervessence, honoring their lost comrade with transient random noise bursts and space age bachelor pad music. The sound is quite similar to the last few albums, their motorik Neu!-isms tempered by groovy loungey bounce, occasional sputtery drum machine and space-y swoop. Ever present of course are Laetitia's breathy French vocals, Tim Gane's shuffling chiming guitar and the groop's prefectly studied, effortless nonchalance. Nothing new, but who cares, when it all sounds this yummy and dreamy?
We were lucky enough to get this Japanese import back in stock. Great remixes by The Automator, Autechre and Kid Loco.
There are some bigtime Stereolab fans in the aQ crew, so needless to say many of us were way bummed when we heard the band had announced they were taking an indefinite hiatus. Especially since their last album, Chemical Chords, was one of the most infectious and satisfying of their wonderful career. Well, luckily, before going on this hiatus (we're hoping it's really just a brief hiatus), they realized that there was too much great material recorded at the time of Chemical Chords, to not let some of those songs have their moment in the sun. Not Music, though, stands on its own as a totally swirling, seducing and engaging proper album from one of the most unique pop groops of the last quarter century.
Much like Chemical Chords, the record really starts to sink in after a few listens and then every song becomes a stand out single to our ears, and once again we find ourselves totally overtaken and completely smitten with a new set of Stereolab songs. The two remixes included are total stunners too, courtesy of Atlas Sound, and Emperor Machine. Don't stay away too long Stereolab, the world of music is a much brighter, smarter and more exciting place with you around!
After years of ridiculously pricey, absurdly limited edition releases, Stereolab have finally taken kindly to their devoted fans with this 3cd/1dvd boxset. Perhaps they've taken a cue from the series of nicely priced and jampacked 3cd boxsets from Trojan Records? We'd venture to guess that's the case 'cause there's a few other similarities too. Besides being packaged in the same kind of box, much like those reggae compilations, Stereolab's is sadly lacking in the liner note department. Oh well, what can you do? 'Cept delight in immersing yourself in these 35 delicious Stereolab songs (28 of 'em were previously unavailable domestically, most were originally released in the UK on various formats by the band's label Duophonic UHF Disks). Since the recordings span 1993 through 2001, the compilation serves as a pretty great overview of their career. Now, factor in the dvd with its eight videos and three UK television appearances, and you should be more than well-versed in the magic of Stereolab!
Note: The group did keep one element of collectibility in this release. The first pressing includes a limited edition sticker set (eight glossy full color stickers featuring their various EP artwork). So if you're a completist, you know what to do! And if you're new to Stereolab, this will definitely turn you into a fan!
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Classic Sterolab debut album finally available on vinyl again!
Hurrah, some new Stereolab songs! The band sure seem to have turned over a new leaf where their limited edition collectibles are concerned -- re-endearing themselves with their legions of fans. Perhaps it's been spurred in part by the new partnership between the band's own label Duophonic and Too Pure? Dunno, but after years of frustratingly small run, insanely pricey special releases, they recently offered up the cool Oscillons From The Anti-Sun 3cd/1dvd box set, and have now released these three nicely priced, no frills 7" singles with two songs a piece. Each is a limited pressing of 1000.
This one features a pair of dreamy pop songs on which Laetitia Sadier's lovely vocals are as captivating as ever. "Plastic Mile" swings along gracefully while "I Was A Sunny Rainphase" peps things up a bit, and its pulsing groove proves that they haven't lost their love for krautrock (specifically the sounds of Neu!) just yet.
13 songs, all out of print now and hard to find in the first place (the Sub Pop single, that tour-only single I've never even seen, the Duophonic 7"s, etc etc), plus, the wonderfully noisy Clawfist 10" reworking of a Nurse With Wound piece. The vinyl is clear and if you care about this sort of thing, the vinyl sleeves are going to be different when it gets reprinted.
If by some freakish chance, you or someone you know has never heard the music of Stereolab, this is *the* cd to get him/her/yourself. Really, Serene Velocity could easily be titled The Best Of Stereolab collection. Sure there'd be lots of disputing the song selection -- we've all got our personal favorites of course! -- but each time we've played this in the store someone (customers and staff alike) inevitably bursts out an "oooh, I love this song!" for almost every song! The sweet sixteen songs are "Crest", "French Disko", "Ping Pong", "Cybele's Reverie", "Metronomic Underground", "Percolator", "Brakhage", "Miss Modular", "Infinity Girl", "Come And Play In The Milky Way", "Space Moth", "Double Rocker", "Vonal Declosion", and "...Sudden Stars" as well as rare 7" versions of "Jenny Ondioline (Part 1)" and "Wow And Flutter". Sure, devoted fans probably already have multiple copies of each of these tunes, but heck! Even they might find it to be like the yummiest Stereolab mixtape around!
My coworker Cup, whose tolerance for musical sweetness I can only admire and envy, thinks this new Stereolab album displays a lot more thought and effort, and is more intriguingly organic than their recent slick muzak leanings. And certainly the tracks featuring Jim O'Rourke at the controls are very nice. However, in my opinion (and I'm not Cup), this new album sees Stereolab
