Stereolab are a UK-based band whose style, mixing 1950s–1960s pop and loung… Read Full Bio ↴Stereolab are a UK-based band whose style, mixing 1950s–1960s pop and lounge music with the “motorik” beat of krautrock, was one of the first to which the term “post-rock” was applied. People frequently refer to their style as being "avant-pop." They are noted for the use of vintage keyboard instruments like Moog synthesizers and Vox and Farfisa organs. Stereolab is also notable for founding their own record label, Duophonic Records, with a grant from UK charity The Prince’s Trust. The band is often referred to as “The Groop” by their fans (and in the title of their song “The Groop Play Chord X” on the album Space Age Batchelor Pad Music).

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.

Laisser-faire
Stereolab Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It will come to us as a shock
but we're letting it happen
people with their carelessness
governments with their laisser-faire
are going to lead us straight to it
that's for sure

history will only repeat itself once more

the western world is going more and more right wing
yearning for some sort of protection, too scared to do anythng
not to take the path that's dragging us down, oh no
remember it's in our power not to go down
I can feel it more and more
In ten years we'll have a war

I can feel it more and more
In ten years we'll have a war

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Stereolab's song "Laisser-faire" provide an insightful analysis of contemporary society and the future it inevitably leads to. The song speaks to a growing sense of apathy and indifference, with people and governments alike displaying a careless attitude towards the world's problems. This laisser-faire approach, according to the lyrics, is set to lead humanity towards an inevitable disaster - a war in ten years' time.

The lyrics indicate a concern about the current political climate, with the western world increasingly leaning towards right-wing ideology in search of protection. Instead of taking responsibility, individuals are too scared to act, allowing history to repeat itself once more. The song urges individuals to recognize the power they hold to prevent such a future from happening.

The lyrics "I can feel it more and more / In ten years we'll have a war" are particularly haunting, painting a bleak picture of the future. The song suggests that the war is not a matter of if, but when, a somber prediction that reinforces the need for people to act urgently to prevent it.

Line by Line Meaning

It will come to us as a shock
We will be surprised by what is coming

but we're letting it happen
We are allowing it to happen

people with their carelessness
The general public’s recklessness

governments with their laisser-faire
Governments with their hands-off approach

are going to lead us straight to it
Will guide us directly towards the result

that's for sure
No doubt about it

history will only repeat itself once more
The past will repeat itself one more time

the western world is going more and more right wing
Western society is leaning more and more towards the right

yearning for some sort of protection, too scared to do anythng
Desiring protection but too frightened to take action

not to take the path that's dragging us down, oh no
We should not follow the path leading us down, no way

remember it's in our power not to go down
We have the power not to let this happen