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.
Cybele
Stereolab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Childhood is very nice
Childhood brings magic
What to do when one has done everything?
Read everything, drunk everything, eaten everything?
Given everthing in truth and in detail,
Wept and laughed in the towns and in the country?
Childhood is the most real
The garden of new visions
The house, the house, of other times
The house, the house that we have left
And the silence
That penetrates me
The lyrics of Stereolab's song Cybele's Reverie can be interpreted in multiple ways, but at its core, it speaks of a person's search for meaning in life. The opening line "But silence-trera means nothing, or it's just for the rhyme" refers to the meaningless nature of language and how sometimes words are used just for their rhythm and rhyme rather than their actual significance. The song then delves into the idea of childhood being a magical time, full of wonder and possibility. However, as one grows older and experiences all of life's highs and lows, they may become jaded and question the purpose of it all.
The second verse poses the question of what to do when one has seemingly done everything there is to do. It can be interpreted as a metaphor for existential crisis or mid-life crisis. The lines "When one has cried on all the rooftops, Wept and laughed in the towns and in the country?" suggest that the person has lived life to the fullest but is still left with a sense of emptiness. Childhood is then contrasted with the present, where the person has left behind the house of their past and is overwhelmed with a silence that seems to engulf them.
Overall, the song is a reflection on the human condition and our search for meaning in life. The juxtaposition of childhood and adulthood, wonder and disillusionment, and noise and silence all add to the complexity of the lyrics and give the song a haunting quality.
Line by Line Meaning
But silence-trera means nothing, or it's just for the rhyme.
The made-up word 'silence-trera' has no meaning, it's just there for the rhyme.
Childhood is very nice
Childhood is a pleasant and enjoyable time.
Childhood brings magic
Childhood has a special quality of wonder and enchantment.
What to do when one has done everything?
When one has exhausted all experiences, what is left to do?
Read everything, drunk everything, eaten everything?
Have you read every book, tried every drink, tasted every food?
Given everthing in truth and in detail,
Have you given everything with sincerity and fullness?
When one has cried on all the rooftops,
Have you expressed your emotions and truths openly and loudly?
Wept and laughed in the towns and in the country?
Have you experienced the full spectrum of human emotions in different places?
Childhood is the most real
Childhood is the most genuine and authentic time in life.
The garden of new visions
Childhood is a fertile ground for new ideas and perspectives.
The house, the house, of other times
The past is a different world, a home that no longer exists.
The house, the house that we have left
We have moved away from the past and can never go back.
And the silence
There is a quietness that fills me.
That penetrates me
It goes deep into my being and affects me.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: LAETITIA SADIER, TIMOTHY JOHN GANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@joaquinflores3051
matières sensuelles et sans suites
matières sensuelles et sans suites
l'enfance est plus sympathique
l'enfance apporte le magique
que faire quand on a tout fait
tout lu, tout bu, tout mangé
tout donné en vrac et en détail
quand on a crié sur tous les toits
pleuré et ris dans les villes et en campagne
l'enfance est plus authentique
le jardin au haut portique
que faire quand on a tout fait
tout lu, tout bu, tout mangé
tout donné en vrac et en détail
quand on a crié sur tous les toits
pleuré et ris dans les villes et en campagne
les pierres, les arbres, les murs racontent
(la maison, la maison d'autrefois, la maison la maison d'avenir
et le silence me pénétrera)
@tomschult133
This is one of those bands that I'm just so thankful that I found. It amazes me how large their discography is, over a relatively short time, and it is all great. And it evolved too, basically the perfect band.
@honiideslysses12
I soooo agree! I was just flipping through CDs back in '93 and happened upon Transient Random Noise Bursts and was intrigued not only by their name, but the artwork as a throwback to the old stereophonic test records from the sixties to their cheeky spelling of "groop". I'd no idea what I had purchased but was smitten from the get go. Their mix of Velvet Underground strum, motorik rhythms, musique concrete, avant garde pop, vintage analog synths and Laetitia's smooth Franco-Anglo contralto crooning socio-political axioms as mantras they've been able to create their own meaningful world through their art; and highbrow art it certainly is. Hard to believe it's been nearly thirty years ago and still to this day there has never been another group as mesmerizingly unique as Stereolab and their messages are more important now than ever.
@precipitam
Listen to "Jupiter Apple/Maçã"
@dorianbeleau825
I want to add: bossa nova. Some way...somehow...there is an element of the bossa nova sound in Stereolab's music. I can't quite put my finger on it but it is undoubtedly there. Astrud Gilberto recently died and so I went on a bit of a bossa nova kick which eventually lead me back to Stereolab who I hadn't listened to for quite awhile. Such a singularly fantastic band. They crafted such a unique, unmistakable sound that is pretty universally catchy
@FRANCISCO99627
Yes ,Not Overrated Nirvana!!
@thejoydivision8
They are so good. I agree with your comment completely
@CliffCutts
by far my favorite Stereolab song, and easily top 5 of all songs. just so good
@thejoydivision8
Lo Boob oscillator is my #1
@bostonseeker
Surrealism plus symbolism. Cocteau meets Mallarmé meets Debussy meets pop. Very French.
@yvesligot7885
Love what you said. I'm very far from an art specialist, but, yes "symbolist" was the first word that came to my mind about this song. I'm happy that we're at least 2 on this.