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.
Free Design
Stereolab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hundreds of years ago
Extract from the depth
Is but a setting sun
Paradise is scarce
In this light that won't shine
What is our earthly task
Some held it in sight
Scattered, it may have been
They're ready to fight
In a priceless inkling
The request is here
Ready to resurrect
What else can we do
But recover the project
Our earthly design
Can we be so detached?
What crushes our desire
Not to be trapped
When the higher spheres
Tell us to and not to
Everyone agrees
Demanding more veto
Our earthly design
Can we be so detached?
What crushes our desire
Not to be trapped
The lyrics in Stereolab's song "Free Design" reflect on the human condition, asking what our purpose is and how we can recover a sense of purpose in a world where paradise seems scarce. The opening lines suggest that there is something left behind from a bygone era, something that we can still extract even if it seems like a "setting sun." This could refer to ideas or artifacts from the past that we can still learn from or use, even if they may no longer hold the same significance they once did.
The next lines suggest that paradise is hard to come by in our current state of existence. The phrase "this light that won't shine" could be interpreted in various ways -- perhaps it means that we are unable to find a way forward or see a clear path to a better world. Despite this, the song asks what our "earthly task" is, questioning whether we have a purpose or worthwhile goal to strive for. The repetition of "worthy design" suggests that the pursuit of such a goal is important and meaningful.
Line by Line Meaning
Where it had been left
Reflecting on a past time and place
Hundreds of years ago
A nod to the idea that time is long
Extract from the depth
Something valuable that has been uncovered
Is but a setting sun
Despite its value, its time has passed
Paradise is scarce
Ideal situations aren't always attainable
In this light that won't shine
Under these conditions, things can't improve
What is our earthly task
What should we be focusing on in life?
But a worthy design
Pursuing something worthwhile
Some held it in sight
Some have kept this idea in mind
Scattered, it may have been
This idea may have become lost among distractions
They're ready to fight
These individuals are willing to fight for the idea
In a priceless inkling
This idea is worth preserving
The request is here
Someone has made a request
Ready to resurrect
Ready to bring back to life
What else can we do
What other options do we have?
But recover the project
But bring back the project that has been lost
Our earthly design
Our purpose in life
Can we be so detached?
Can we really distance ourselves from our purpose?
What crushes our desire
What is preventing us from pursuing our goals?
Not to be trapped
To be free to move in the direction we desire
When the higher spheres
When those in power
Tell us to and not to
Give us rules and restrictions
Everyone agrees
Everyone is in agreement
Demanding more veto
Asking for more control over our decisions
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
María Peperina
Where it had been left
Hundreds of years ago
Extract from the depth
Is but a setting sun paradise is scarce
In this light that won't shine
What is our earthly task
But a worthy design?
Some held it in sight
For scattered it may have been
They're ready to fight
In a priceless inkling
The request is here
Ready to resurrect
What else can we do but recover the project
Our earthly design
Can be so detached
What crushes our desire
Not to be trapped
When the higher spheres
Tell us to and not to
Everyone agrees
Demanding more veto
Our earthly design
Can we be so detached
What crushes our desire
Not to be trapped?
Mattteus
The Free Design is a group from the 60/70s that is well worth listening to.
Chris Castillo
NOW is the time for LOVE
Sidharth Warrier
Their song Bubbles is so beautiful .
TeeVee Games
Thanks. I'll let My Brother Woody know.
MD
The Free Designs is totally where they stole their entire act from
María Peperina
Where it had been left
Hundreds of years ago
Extract from the depth
Is but a setting sun paradise is scarce
In this light that won't shine
What is our earthly task
But a worthy design?
Some held it in sight
For scattered it may have been
They're ready to fight
In a priceless inkling
The request is here
Ready to resurrect
What else can we do but recover the project
Our earthly design
Can be so detached
What crushes our desire
Not to be trapped
When the higher spheres
Tell us to and not to
Everyone agrees
Demanding more veto
Our earthly design
Can we be so detached
What crushes our desire
Not to be trapped?
I.F. Horus
This is perhaps the most impressive music video I have ever seen, and the fact that the song kicks major ass doesn't hurt either.
elektrochava
groove, voice, lyrics and video top notch. Stereolab a league of their own
Eirini Triantafyllidi
Masterpiece that is magic and i will never forget cause it makes my soul dance
Sho3gaz3r_303
Amazing Band and Beautiful song.. ♥️