They were founded in 1990 by songwriters Tim Gane (guitar, keyboards), formerly of the band McCarthy, and Laetitia Sadier (sometimes credited as Seaya Sadier; vocals, keyboards, trombone, guitar), who is from France and sings in both English and French.
Over the years, Gane and Sadier have enlisted a large number of other musicians to accompany them on stage and on record. The initial line-up featured Martin Kean, formerly of The Chills, on bass, and Joe Dilworth (from their Too Pure label-mates Th’ Faith Healers) on drums, with Russell Yates (of Moose) and Mick Conroy (ex-Modern English) also appearing at early live shows. In 1993 they recruited Andy Ramsay (drums), who has remained in the group line-up ever since, and Mary Hansen (vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion). Hansen’s distinctive backing vocals became an important aspect of the Stereolab sound, and she remained a regular feature of the line-up until her death in a cycling accident on December 9, 2002. Multi-instrumentalist Sean O’Hagan of The High Llamas has also been a frequent contributor, particularly with string, brass and keyboard arrangements to the band’s studio albums. John McEntire (Tortoise) has also contributed keyboard, electronic effects and studio help over the years. Other members have come and (in some cases) gone over the years, including Duncan Brown, Dave Pajo (from Tortoise), Richard Harrison and Simon Johns (all bass); Gina Morris (vocals); and Katharine Gifford and Morgane Lhote (both on keyboards).
Early Stereolab material displayed a heavy influence of krautrock sounds, particularly Neu! and Faust, characteristically relying on droning, repetitive guitar or keyboard riffs, with or without vocals. Early heavy use of distorted Farfisa combo-organ sounds were also reminiscent of early recordings by The Modern Lovers. As the band developed, they incorporated new instrumentation, and an increasingly complex sense of rhythm and structure, frequently making use of irregular time signatures as well as unorthodox chord progressions and melodic intervals. The band has often made copious use of female backing vocal lines.
Lyrically, Stereolab’s music is quirky (song titles evoke memories of 1950s science fiction stories, and are often borrowed directly from old films and records of the period, but have nothing to do with the song’s content), but highly politically and philosophically charged, sometimes with a decidedly Surrealist or Situationist bent. (Sadier notes the libertarian Marxist theoretician Cornelius Castoriadis as a particular inspiration.) Sadier’s lyrics, in both French and English, often read like highly condensed sociological texts, standing in deliberate and distinct counterpoint to the lush hedonic pop sound of the band. A prime example would be “Ping Pong” from Mars Audiac Quintet, which is an explicit restating of Marxist theory concerning the relationship between economic cycles and war cycles.
Stereolab earned a minor place in the Britpop movement, with their sound proving influential to bands like Blur: occasional keyboard-driven b-sides and singer Damon Albarn’s love of retro keyboards showed the influence, and in recognition Laetitia Sadier was invited to provide vocals on “To The End” from Parklife.
Despite the band’s fan base and critical acclaim, Stereolab has not achieved high levels of financial or popular success. On June 7, 2004, suits at the Warner Music label (to whom the band was signed in the U.S.) announced they were dropping Stereolab in response to the poor sales (40,000 to that date) of Margerine Eclipse. This was part of an ongoing effort by Warner to cut costs; The Breeders and Third Eye Blind were also dropped from the label for this reason. Laetitia Sadier is now also a member of Monade, which is essentially expressive of her own singular musical goals.
Come And Play In The Milky Night
Stereolab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Before the
Fragile defense of words
Come and stay
Bring the stars
Play in the milky night
Led astray
Fragile defense of words
Come and stay
Bring the stars
Play in the milky night
The lyrics to Stereolab's "Come and Play in the Milky Night" suggests a journey of discovery and enchantment. The singer seems to be leading the listener away from the limitations of words, and towards something that transcends them. The use of the phrase "led astray" implies a sort of defiance of conventional thinking, or a willingness to get lost in something new and unknown. The words "fragile defense" then suggest that language--our usual defense against the unknown--may not be enough to protect us here.
But instead of fear, the song inspires a feeling of playfulness and excitement. The invitation to "bring the stars" further emphasizes the idea of escape, urging the listener to leave behind anything they thought they knew about the world and open themselves up to new experiences. The final line, "play in the milky night," is an expression of pure joy and whimsy, suggesting that this journey is not just about exploration, but about finding delight in the world and in ourselves.
Overall, "Come and Play in the Milky Night" encourages us to step outside of our normal boundaries and seek out adventure and wonder in the world. It suggests that there are things beyond our usual ways of thinking and speaking that can open us up to new possibilities.
Line by Line Meaning
Led astray
Taken on a path not intended
Before the
Prior to the present moment
Fragile defense of words
The vulnerable protection provided by language
Come and stay
Join us and remain for a while
Bring the stars
Bring the luminous celestial bodies to us
Play in the milky night
Engage in fun and recreation under the starry sky
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: LAETITIA SADIER, TIMOTHY JOHN GANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind