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.
Fractal Dream of a Thing
Stereolab Lyrics
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To me it seems vested with an important light
Particular, a light, sacred, a light
To address this universe with nobility, emotions
As long as man will exploit man
As long as humanity will
As long as man will exploit man
Split between masters and servants
There will be no normality and no peace
There will be no normality and no peace
The lyrics of Stereolab's song Fractal Dream of a Thing describe the singer's perception of reality as being imbued with a special, almost sacred quality. While some may see the world as mundane or ordinary, the singer sees it as filled with an important light. The light referenced in the lyrics could be interpreted in a few different ways. It could represent a sense of purpose or meaning that the singer feels is often overlooked by others. Alternatively, it could be a reference to something divine or spiritual that the singer feels is present in the world.
The lyrics go on to describe the idea that in order to truly address the universe with nobility and emotions, humanity must move away from systems of exploitation and inequality. The reference to masters and servants implies a kind of class divide or power dynamic that the singer sees as harmful to society. The repeating phrase "as long as man will exploit man" underscores the idea that this is an ongoing problem that needs to be addressed in order for there to be any hope of normality and peace.
Overall, the lyrics of Fractal Dream of a Thing convey a sense of frustration with the way that the world currently operates, and a desire for something more noble, equitable, and peaceful.
Line by Line Meaning
To some, reality appears normal
Certain individuals perceive the world as regular or ordinary
To me it seems vested with an important light
From my perspective, existence possesses an essential radiance
Particular, a light, sacred, a light
This particular light is sanctified and distinct
To address this universe with nobility, emotions
In order to approach the universe with dignity and compassion
As long as man will exploit man
As long as one person takes advantage of another
Split between masters and servants
A divide becomes apparent between those in control and those subservient
There will be no normality and no peace
Under these circumstances, normality and peace will remain unattainable
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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