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.

Pinball
Stereolab Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

C'est la realite
On ne peut plus aller
Perdre la verite
Tout au fond des bois

Devant la liberte
Pour la sensualite
On ne peut plus alle

Perdre n'importe quoi

J'etais tant prise par le desir
On me disait que c'etait pire
Et maintenant que je suis morte
Il n'est plus question de palir

C'est la realite
Tout au fond des palais
Chercher la verite
Ou s'est-elle donc nichee?

J'etais tant prise par le desir
On me disait que c'etait pire
Et maintenant que je suis morte
Il n'est plus question de palir

C'est la realite
On ne peut plus aller
Perdre la verite
Tout au fond des bois

Naturally live it through desires
Colonize all moral empires

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Stereolab's song Pinball speak to the idea of reality and truth, and how they can be elusive and hard to find. It begins with a statement, "C'est la realite" which translates from French to "this is reality." The singer is acknowledging that this is the way things are, and there is no changing it. They go on to say that they cannot go back and find the truth that they have lost deep in the woods. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for losing one's way or losing touch with reality.

The next section of the song talks about freedom and sensuality. The singer realizes that they cannot go back to the way things were and lose themselves in whatever they want. They mention that people told them that they were making things worse by indulging in their desires, but now that they are dead, they don't have to worry about fading away or losing their passion.

The final section of the song repeats the opening lines about reality and truth being lost in the woods. The singer wonders where truth could be hiding and suggests that it might be in the palaces, but they're not sure. The song ends with a musing on the difficulty of finding truth and sticking to reality.

Overall, Pinball is a thought-provoking song about the nature of reality and truth, and how they can be hard to find, especially when we are chasing our desires or succumbing to societal pressures.

Line by Line Meaning

C'est la realite
This is reality

On ne peut plus aller
We cannot go back

Perdre la verite
Lose the truth

Tout au fond des bois
Deep in the woods

Devant la liberte
In front of freedom

Pour la sensualite
For sensuality

Perdre n'importe quoi
Lose anything

J'etais tant prise par le desir
I was so taken by desire

On me disait que c'etait pire
They told me it was worse

Et maintenant que je suis morte
And now that I am dead

Il n'est plus question de palir
There's no more need to grow pale