Six Definitive Songs: The ultimate beginner’s guide to Stereolab
The 1990s gave consumers some of the greatest alternative acts of all time, with one of the most eminent coming in the form of Stereolab. Ostensibly an avant-pop band, over their career, they have cast a wide net that’s seen them draw on genres such as krautrock, lounge and shoegaze, as well as jazz and the music of Brazil. Despite being hailed as one of the first post-rock outfits, Stereolab are ultimately hard to define, with their musical catalogue one of the most eclectic ever established.
Formed in London in 1990, the band are led by the songwriting duo Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, with the latter’s voice instantly recognisable, a deep drawl that has echoes of the late Nico. Combined with this element, their penchant for a motorik beat and vintage electronics combine to construct a sound that has one eye on the past but remains refreshing due to the individualism with which the band approaches music creation.
This substance is aided by the lyrics that have thought-provoking surrealist and situationist messaging, establishing an aural palette in which fans can get lost. This is the brilliance of Stereolab; they straddle the line between intellectual and dream-like, imbuing their name with longevity, which is, ironically, something their critics doubted when they were at their commercial peak in the mid-late 1990s.
The band’s only two constant members have been Gane and Sadier, but at different points, they’ve boasted Mary Hansen, who tragically passed away in 2002, Sean O’Hagan of The High Llamas, Mick Conroy, and even David Pajo of Slint. Presently, Gane and Sadier are joined by Andy Ramsay, Joseph Watson and Xavier Muñoz and have been touring since they returned from a ten-year hiatus in 2019.
To celebrate their legacy, today we’ve compiled their six definitive songs. Get the list below.
Stereolab’s six definitive songs:
‘Jenny Ondioline’ (Jenny Ondioline EP, 1993)
‘Jenny Ondioline’ has been a favourite of Stereolab’s fans since it was first released on the eponymous EP in 1993. A shoegaze-leaning track that boasts one of their classic motorik beats, it is here that the influence of krautrock on the band is readily apparent.
However, it transcends in a way that even the best of the German genre could not do, with some textured guitars, a bouncy bassline and an earworm of a chorus, wherein Sadier sings one of her best political lines: “I don’t care if the fascists have to win / I don’t care democracy’s being sucked / I don’t care socialism’s full of sin (or, I don’t care socialism’s collapsing) / The unbeatable system engenders rot”.
‘Crest’ (Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements, 1993)
I’d argue that ‘Crest’ is one of the most underrated Stereolab cuts, and ever since I stumbled across it on YouTube as a teenager, it’s been a personal favourite. One of the band’s more aggressive, guitar-oriented pieces, this was one of the earliest demonstrations of their knack for building a song up to a whirling conclusion.
Kicking off with the attitude-laden snap of the guitar line, the track features another one of their most infectious chorus melodies, as Sadier repeats the motif: “If there’s been a way to build it / There’ll be a way to destroy it / Things are not all that out of control.”
The ante gradually gets upped, with the dynamics slowly bringing proceedings to a climax, with simple decisions such as the bass dropping in and out and the drums accentuating the crash cymbals. Ultimately, ‘Crest’ is six minutes of glorious noise.
‘French Disco’ (Jenny Ondioline EP, 1993)
One of the group’s best-known pieces, ‘French Disco’ is rightly regarded as one of the highlights of 1990s alternative. Blending the band’s krautrock influences with the vocal melodies of 1960s European pop and a twist of shoegaze mixed in for good measure, this was the moment the band’s rock side fully converged with their surrealist sensibilities. Not only is there a droning guitar, but there’s also bubbling vintage electronics and a variety of other textures, creating a song that has been a fixture of their setlist since it first blew listeners’ minds nearly 30 years ago.
‘Fluorescences’ (Fluorescences EP, 1996)
A highly electronic piece, there are elements of Kraftwerk and Can in ‘Fluorescences’, as well as the serenity of 1950s bossa nova and Brazilian music. This is one of the band’s most dream-like pieces, with the soft motorik of the rhythm section enough to capture the imagination of even those who profess to be confused by Stereolab’s work.
The way the vocals and the varying instruments dovetail is best described as orchestral, with this one of their more intricate pieces. Added to this, as Sadier sings, “I looked at the sun through filters / A hit that drove out lots of colours / I took off high like a feather / Blown to the ground on my shoulder”, the band’s debt to Surrealism could not be more evident.
It also comes with a highly artistic video to boot.
‘Brakhage’ (Dots and Loops, 1997)
An utter masterpiece, taken from what is considered Stereolab’s best album, there is no better song for a sunny day spent sipping cocktails. Fusing jazz and bossa nova influences with a refined electronic outlook, there was no better song to open the album than ‘Brakhage’. Whether it be the shuffling beat, the ethereal ring of the marimba, or Sadier’s enchanting vocal melodies, this was the sound of Stereolab taking their sound up a notch, and it is timeless. I’ll let the music do the talking on this one.
‘Miss Modular’ (Dots and Loops, 1997)
The lead single from Dots and Loops, ‘Miss Modular’ is another classic moment in Stereolab’s back catalogue. Boasting a funky bassline, noisy textures and a majestic-sounding brass section, this was the band really getting ensconced in lounge music, and what a creative decision it was.
There’s a lot to love about the track, with Hansen’s backing vocals as angelic as anything produced by the world of pop in the 1960s, an era to which the track is heavily indebted. The sonic embodiment of a stoned daydream, if this hasn’t already been heard, it will be lodged inside the brain for a long time.
