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.
La Boob Oscillator
Stereolab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
La lune est libre je crois,
Qui rayonne au-dessus,
Rayonne au-d'sus des toits.
La lune est libre,
Bien plus libre qu'on ne le croit,
Elle fluctue de çà et là,
Les parties qu'on ne voit pas,
Et quand elle est plongée
Dans la froide obscurité,
Donne l'impression qu'elle se noie,
Bien vite reprend pied,
Avec ses apparences instables
Why en a qu'elle fait douter
Bien plus fidèle qu'on ne le croit,
La lune est libre.
Réceptive et absorbante
De la lumière qu'elle renvoie,
Elle rayonne au-dessus des toits
Et fluctue de çà et là.
Changeante, fascinante,
Parfois même éblouissante.
See'est ainsi qu'on l'aperçoit
Disque parfait, disque lumineux
Ne vous rappelle-t-elle pas l'hostie/le style ?
De ceux qui lèvent la tête
Dans l'espoir de s'élever un peu.
Transitoire, unique, symbolique
De quelques visions imaginaires,
Elle en impressionne plus d'un
Qui prennent peur et délirent.
Elle est au-dessus de tout ça,
Elle est au-dessus de tout ça,
Elle est libre de tout ça,
Elle est au-dessus de tout ça,
Elle est libre de tout ça,
Elle est au-dessus de tout ça,
La lune est libre je crois,
Qui rayonne au-dessus,
Rayonne au-d'sus des toits.
La lune est libre,
Bien plus libre qu'on ne le croit,
Elle fluctue de çà et là,
Les parties qu'on ne voit pas,
See'est pas grave ça reviendra.
Disque parfait, disque lumineux
Ne vous rappelle-t-elle pas l'hostie/le style ?
De ceux qui lèvent la tête
Dans l'espoir de s'évader un peu.
Transitoire, unique, symbolique
De quelques visions imaginaires,
Elle en impressionne plus d'un
Qui prennent peur et délirent.
Elle est libre de tout ça.
Elle est libre de tout ça.
Lo Boob Oscillator
(translation) The
The moon is free I believe,
That radiates above,
Radiates above the rooftops.
The moon is free,
Even more than one would believe it,
It fluctuates between that and there,
The parts that one never sees,
It's not important that it returns
And when it has been plunged
Into cold obscurity
Give the impression that it darkens yourself
Quickly get back on your feet
With these unstable appearances
[...] that it can doubt
More faithful than one would believe
The moon is free
Receptive and absorbant
Of the light that it returned
It radiates above the rooftops
And fluctuates between that and there
Changing, fascinating
And at times even a little let go
It's in this way that one percieves it
Perfect disc, luminous disc
It reminds us [...]
Of the one who raises its head
In the hope of getting up a little bit
Transitory, unique, symbolic
Of some imaginary visions
It gives it more of an impression then
[...] it delivers them
It is above everything, (ga?)
It is above everything,
It is free of everything,
It is above everything,
It is free of everything,
It is above everything,
The moon is free I believe
That radiates above
That radiates above the rooftops
The moon if free
Even more than one would believe it
It fluctuates between that and these
That parts that one never sees
It's not important that it returns
It reminds us [...]
Of the one who raises its head
In the hope of getting up a little bit
Transitory, unique, symbolic
Of some imaginary visions
It gives more of an impression then
[...] it delivers them
The lyrics of Stereolab's Lo Boob Oscillator celebrate the freedom and beauty of the moon, and how it fluctuates and changes constantly. The song speaks about the parts of the moon that are hidden from plain sight but eventually return, and how it appears to plunge into darkness only to quickly "get back on its feet" with its unstable appearances. The moon is portrayed as being more faithful and free than one would believe, and is symbolically linked to imaginary visions and the hope of rising above the mundane.
The lyrics also describe the moon as being "receptive and absorbent" of the light it reflects, and how it radiates above the rooftops, fluctuating between here and there, appearing both changing and fascinating, and at times even a little let go. The image of the moon as a perfect disc, luminous and symbolically reminiscent of the host/communion wafer, serves to reinforce the theme of the moon's transcendence and its potential to inspire fear and delirium.
Lo Boob Oscillator is a tribute to the beauty and mystery of the natural world, as well as an ode to the power of symbolism and imagination. It encourages the listener to be more aware of the magic that surrounds us and to appreciate the things that are hidden from sight but that are nonetheless essential to our perception of the world.
Line by Line Meaning
The moon is free I believe,
The singer believes that the moon is free.
That radiates above,
The moon emits light that shines down from above.
Radiates above the rooftops.
The moon's light shines over the rooftops of buildings.
The moon is free,
The moon is free to move and fluctuate.
Even more than one would believe it,
The moon's freedom is greater than people tend to assume.
It fluctuates between that and there,
The moon's movements are unpredictable and unstable.
The parts that one never sees,
There are unseen parts of the moon.
It's not important that it returns,
The moon's movements don't need to have a specific pattern or rhythm.
It reminds us [...] Of the one who raises its head In the hope of getting up a little bit
The perfect shape of the moon, like a host or a disk, reminds people of religious hopes for transcendence.
Transitory, unique, symbolic Of some imaginary visions
The moon is a transient and unique symbol of imagination.
Receptive and absorbent Of the light that it returned
The moon is responsive and absorbs the light it reflects.
It radiates above the rooftops And fluctuates between that and there
The moon's light shines over buildings while its movements remain erratic and unpredictable.
Changing, fascinating And at times even a little let go
The moon's changing patterns are captivating and sometimes disorienting.
It's in this way that one perceives it Perfect disc, luminous disc
The moon's circular shape and dazzling light are beautiful to behold.
Transitory, unique, symbolic Of some imaginary visions
The moon represents ephemeral and abstract ideas in the imagination.
It gives more of an impression then [...] it delivers them
People's impressions of the moon exceed what can be captured in mere words.
It is above everything, (ga?) It is above everything, It is free of everything, It is above everything, It is free of everything, It is above everything
The moon exists in a realm beyond the ordinary, transcending earthly concerns.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LAETITIA SADIER, TIMOTHY JOHN GANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@warsonohadisubroto4203
La
La lune est libre je crois
Qui rayonne au-dessus
Rayonne au-d'sus des toits
La lune est libre
Bien plus libre qu'on ne le croit
Elle fluctue de çà et là
Les parties qu'on ne voit pas
See'est pas grave ça reviendra
Et quand elle est plongée
Dans la froide obscurité
Donne l'impression qu'elle se noie
Bien vite reprend pied
Avec ses apparences instables
Why en a qu'elle fait douter
Bien plus fidèle qu'on ne le croit
La lune est libre
Réceptive et absorbante
De la lumière qu'elle renvoie
Elle rayonne au-dessus des toits
Et fluctue de çà et là
Changeante, fascinante
Parfois même éblouissante
See'est ainsi qu'on l'aperçoit
Disque parfait, disque lumineux
Ne vous rappelle-t-elle pas l'hostie/le style ?
De ceux qui lèvent la tête
Dans l'espoir de s'élever un peu
Transitoire, unique, symbolique
De quelques visions imaginaires
Elle en impressionne plus d'un
Qui prennent peur et délirent
Elle est au-dessus de tout ça
Elle est au-dessus de tout ça
Elle est libre de tout ça
Elle est au-dessus de tout ça
Elle est libre de tout ça
Elle est au-dessus de tout ça
La lune est libre je crois
Qui rayonne au-dessus
Rayonne au-d'sus des toits
La lune est libre
Bien plus libre qu'on ne le croit
Elle fluctue de çà et là
Les parties qu'on ne voit pas
See'est pas grave ça reviendra
Disque parfait, disque lumineux
Ne vous rappelle-t-elle pas l'hostie/le style ?
De ceux qui lèvent la tête
Dans l'espoir de s'évader un peu
Transitoire, unique, symbolique
De quelques visions imaginaires
Elle en impressionne plus d'un
Qui prennent peur et délirent
Elle est libre de tout ça
Elle est libre de tout ça
Lo Boob Oscillator
(translation)
The
The moon is free, I believe
Which radiates above
Radiates above the rooftops
The moon is free
Much more free than we think
It oscillates from here and there
The parts we can not see
It does not matter, it will come back
And when it is diving
In the cold darkness
It gives the impression that it is drowning itself
Very quickly resuming
With its unstable appearances
Why is it making us doubt
Much more faithful than we think
The moon is free
Receptive and absorbant
Of the light it sends back
It radiates above the rooftops
And oscillates from here and there
Changing, fascinating
Sometimes even dazzling
This is how we see it
A flawless disc, a luminous disc
Does it not remind you of the style
Of those who raise their heads
In the hope of rising a bit
Transient, unique, symbolic
From some imaginary visions
It impresses many
Who are scared and delusional
It's above all that
It's above all that
It's free of all this
It's above all that
It's free of all this
It's above all that
The moon is free, I believe
Which radiates above
Radiates above the rooftops
The moon is free
Much more free than we think
It oscillates from here and there
The parts we can not see
It does not matter, it will come back
A flawless disc, a luminous disc
Does it not remind you of the style
Of those who raise their heads
In the hope of rising a bit
Transient, unique, symbolic
From some imaginary visions
It impresses many
Who are scared and delusional
It's free of all this
@twitchygiraffe4636
Hands up if “that hotel” advert currently doing the rounds on UK tv brought you here??
@davidhernandez7696
It just made its way to the desert
@johnhawkins2777
You have me 'banged to rights' with the help of Shazam.what a quality tune!!
@jasonflatley7114
@@johnhawkins2777Couldn’t have said it better myself
@paullaird2358
Hands up if you bought this on 7" in 1993.
Gawd I feel old when the tracks of my youth pop up in mainstream ads...
@NeutronDance
Not just the UK mate
@aquarist9000
Saw the commercial. Would have sworn this was Nico singing. Now I got a new band to check out!!😁
@JohnMoseley
Have you ever.
@live2walk
They have a large consistently good and inventive catalog
@gerryhalle4854
Me too!