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.
Peng 33
Stereolab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It felt so simple and so prodigious at the same time
Incredible things are happening in the world
Magical things are happening in this world
Across the river there are all kinds of magical instruments
While really we keep on living like monkeys
Incredible things are happening in the world
Magical things are happening in this world
The lyrics of Stereolab's "Peng 33" seem to showcase a sense of wonder and fascination with the world around them, while also highlighting a sort of disconnect in how we as humans choose to live our lives. The opening lines suggest that the desire for knowledge and discovery outweighs our fears, and that this pursuit can be both simple and extraordinary at once. The following lines then highlight the idea that there are incredible and almost magical things happening in the world, yet we as a society continue to live in a sort of primitive way, likening ourselves to monkeys.
The use of the word "magical" twice in the song gives a certain whimsy to the lyrics, as though the singer is gazing upon the world with childlike wonder. It seems to suggest that there are unexplainable and enchanting things happening all around us, yet we often fail to notice or appreciate them. Meanwhile, the mention of "magical instruments" across the river adds a sense of mystery and possibility to the lyrics - what kind of instruments are they? What do they do? It's left up to the imagination. Ultimately, the lyrics of "Peng 33" seem to elegantly convey a sense of both awe and disappointment in the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
Curiosity was far greater than our fear
Our desire to explore something new was stronger than our fear of the unknown
It felt so simple and so prodigious at the same time
The experience was both straightforward and extraordinary
Incredible things are happening in the world
There are amazing events taking place all around us
Magical things are happening in this world
There are wondrous occurrences that defy explanation
Across the river there are all kinds of magical instruments
On the other side of the river, there are various mystical tools or gadgets
While really we keep on living like monkeys
But in reality, we continue to live simple and primitive lives
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LAETITIA SADIER, TIMOTHY JOHN GANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind