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.
Fluorescences
Stereolab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A hit that drove out lots of colors
I took off high like a feather
Blown to the ground on my shoulder
You fell, are you okay?
Do you need a hand?
Go away, I'm alright
Leave me here
Go back home
I'm okay, you just go
I could hear two sounds in the air
The leaving steps of a guilty sister
The other sound was the water
I leaned and looked into her river
Thanks for the favor
The world little sister
I'm okay, I feel good
I can breathe, fill my soul
I'm okay, feeling good
Why do I swim in blood?
I looked at the sun through filters
The hate it drove out lots of colors
Took off high like a feather
Blown to the ground on my shoulder
Thanks for the favor
The world little sister
I'm okay, I feel good
I can breathe, fill my soul
I'm okay, feeling good
Why do I swim in blood?
I'm okay, I feel good
I can breathe, fill my soul
I'm okay, feeling good
Why do I swim in blood?
La, la, la
La, la, la
La, la, la
The lyrics of Stereolab's "Fluorescences" describe a contemplative moment where the singer (possibly Laetitia Sadier) is observing the world around them. The opening verse describes looking at the sun through filters which creates vibrant colors. This moment of beauty is followed by a surreal image of the singer being blown to the ground on their shoulder like a feather, suggesting a moment of internal turmoil or confusion. In the next verse, the singer is confronted by someone who asks if they need help, but the singer denies any help and asks to be left alone.
The second half of the song has a more positive tone as the singer is surrounded by natural sounds and is filled with a sense of peace and gratitude. They thank a "guilty sister" for something undefined, and listen to the calming sound of water. The song ends with the repeating line, "Why do I swim in blood?" which is open to interpretation but may suggest feelings of being overwhelmed or trapped. Overall, the lyrics of "Fluorescences" seem to capture a moment of reflection and introspection, where beauty and confusion coexist.
Line by Line Meaning
I looked at the sun through filters
I observed the sun through a protective medium.
A hit that drove out lots of colors
The visible light was filtered out by the medium, leaving a limited spectrum.
I took off high like a feather
I ascended rapidly and easily, as if weightless.
Blown to the ground on my shoulder
My descent was sudden and jarring, leading to physical injury.
You fell, are you okay?
You experienced a setback, are you recovering?
Do you need a hand?
Can I assist you in your recovery?
I'm okay, let me go
I am fine, please let me handle it on my own.
Go away, I'm alright
Your presence is not needed, I am capable of handling this on my own.
Leave me here
I prefer to be alone in this moment.
Go back home
Please return to your residence.
I could hear two sounds in the air
I perceived two distinct auditory signals.
The leaving steps of a guilty sister
Someone who is related to me is departing hastily in a manner that suggests wrongdoing.
The other sound was the water
The second signal is the sound generated by water in motion.
I leaned and looked into her river
I tilted in order to observe the running water more closely.
Thanks for the favor
I express gratitude for the advantageous action taken.
The world little sister
A term of endearment for someone who is considered to be a younger sister.
I'm okay, feeling good
I am free of physical and emotional pain, and experience a sense of euphoria.
Why do I swim in blood?
I am confused as to why I am experiencing such unsettling emotions.
La, la, la
Non-specific vocalizations expressing elation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LAETITIA SADIER, TIMOTHY JOHN GANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sad Sam
One of their best. Thanks!
JayLeePoe
been a while; might still have this on a corrupted, dead hard drive. Thank you so much
(Seagate, pffft)