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.
Miss Modular
Stereolab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Avoue volontiers qu'il est trompe-l'oeil.
Sur la boite cartonnee un trompe-l'oeil
Avoue volontiers qu'il est trompe-l'oeil,
Donne l'idee do jeu et do mystere,
Un spectacle intime donne l'idee do jeu et de l'humour,
Spectacle qui rime, qui suscite dans les yeux un eclair,
Une muse, certes, donne l'idee do jeu et do mystere,
Un spectacle intime.
Sur la boite cartonnee un trompe-l'oeil
Avoue volontiers qu'il est trompe-l'oeil.
Sur la boite cartonnee un trompe-l'oeil
Avoue volontiers qu'il est trompe-l'oeil.
Miss Modular
On the cased box a trompe l'oeil
Confesses willingly that it is trompe l'oeil.
On the cased box a trompe l'oeil
Confesses willingly that it is trompe l'oeil,
Gives the idea of the game and the mystery,
An intimate spectacle gives the idea of the game and the humor,
Spectacle that rhymes, that arouses on the eyes a flash,
A discovery, an idea that can play tricks,
A muse, admittedly, gives the idea of the game and the mystery,
An intimate spectacle.
On the cased box a trompe l'oeil
Confesses willingly that it is trompe l'oeil.
On the cased box a trompe l'oeil
Confesses willingly that it is trompe l'oeil.
The lyrics of Stereolab's song "Miss Modular" are open to interpretation, but one possible explanation is that the "trompe-l'oeil" or "optical illusion" on the cardboard box suggests an idea of playfulness and mystery. The optical illusion can be seen as a metaphor for the performance or spectacle that the song describes, which is intimate and suggestive, stimulating the imagination and playing with perception. The "Miss Modular" of the title might be the performer, the muse, or the embodiment of these ideas.
The lyrics of the song are in both French and English, reflecting the band's Franco-British background and their eclectic musical and cultural influences. The music itself is a fusion of genres, mixing electronic, pop, rock, and avant-garde elements, and often using repetitive rhythms and harmonies to create a hypnotic effect. The result is a unique sound that defies easy categorization, but that has influenced and inspired many other artists over the years.
Overall, the lyrics of "Miss Modular" can be seen as a celebration of creativity, imagination, and play, inviting the listener to participate in a joyful and mysterious experience, and to question the limits of perception and reality. At the same time, the song is also a reflection of Stereolab's experimental and innovative approach to music, blending different styles and languages to create a new form of expression that is both complex and accessible.
Line by Line Meaning
On the cased box a trompe l'oeil
The singer is drawing attention to the trompe l'oeil on the box
Confesses willingly that it is trompe l'oeil.
The singer acknowledges that the trompe l'oeil is an intentionally deceptive technique
Gives the idea of the game and the mystery,
The trompe l'oeil creates an atmosphere of intrigue and playfulness
An intimate spectacle gives the idea of the game and the humor,
The trompe l'oeil creates a personal, engaging experience that is fun and humorous
Spectacle that rhymes, that arouses on the eyes a flash,
The trompe l'oeil is rhythmic and catches the viewer's attention with its visual appeal
A discovery, an idea that can play tricks,
The trompe l'oeil has the potential to deceive and surprise the viewer
A muse, admittedly, gives the idea of the game and the mystery,
The trompe l'oeil can be a source of inspiration and creativity, evoking play and mystery
An intimate spectacle.
Overall, the trompe l'oeil creates a close and engaging experience, full of surprise and intrigue
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: LAETITIA SADIER, TIMOTHY JOHN GANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@spiko71437
Lyrics:
Sur la boîte cartonnée un trompe-l'oeil
Avoue volontiers qu'il est trompe-l'oeil.
Sur la boîte cartonnée un trompe-l'oeil
Avoue volontiers qu'il est trompe-l'oeil,
Donne l'idée do jeu et do mystère,
Un spectacle intime donne l'idée do jeu et de l'humour,
Spectacle qui rime, qui suscite dans les yeux un éclair,
Une découverte, une idée qui peut jouer des tours,
Une muse, certes, donne l'idée do jeu et do mystère,
Un spectacle intime.
Sur la boîte cartonnée un trompe-l'oeil
Avoue volontiers qu'il est trompe-l'oeil.
Sur la boîte cartonnée un trompe-l'oeil
Avoue volontiers qu'il est trompe-l'oeil.
Miss Modular
On the cased box a trompe l'oeil
Confesses willingly that it is trompe l'oeil.
On the cased box a trompe l'oeil
Confesses willingly that it is trompe l'oeil,
Gives the idea of the game and the mystery,
An intimate spectacle gives the idea of the game and the humour,
Spectacle that rhymes, that arouses on the eyes a flash,
A discovery, an idea that can play tricks,
A muse, admittedly, gives the idea of the game and the mystery,
An intimate spectacle.
On the cased box a trompe l'oeil
Confesses willingly that it is trompe l'oeil.
On the cased box a trompe l'oeil
Confesses willingly that it is trompe l'oeil.
@yaboii2490
The whole album sounds like the color light green its fantastic
@MrMusicbyMartin
Aaah - that’s why Come and Play in the Milky Night sounds so brown!
@AndreCruzat
that's so accurate
@brandonbentley5453
I taste Orange...
But I dig ya! 😊
@rhania.
@@brandonbentley5453you see green but you taste orange
@carmenishere
Dots and Loops is an amazing album.Sonically comforting. If you ever want to feel how the 90s were, give it a full listen!
@jimbrown2350
Please….an another incredible addition to the 90s…even late 80s. Jesus lizard. Sonic Youth. All inspired, including Stereolab. Great times to have been young and knowing what’s good in small clubs. INSPIRED
@larrynewman8861
Very much agree in fact Dots and Loops was a departure from their previous work. This album in particular showcased the risk taking and introduced jazz as an component of indie music which wasn’t the norm.
@mr7clay
It was really an escape from how the 90s were musically. Indie music blossomed into a million directions and top 40 was way worse than the 80s.
@ericrivera8410
Discovered it after I had surgery to rice and replace my ankle in a wheelchair on Percocet and weed drawing on my computer ..created some of my best pain art