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.

Prisoner of Mars
Stereolab Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Searching news ways of laughing
Ones whereby one could
Express and transform
All the shattering
All the gratuitous
The burdens of guilt
Growing these new ways
Will dawn on us if

We look hard enough
Searching and finding

Mais l'arbre tombe
A la terre l'arbre tombe
Le son de ton silence
M'aide a toucher le fond
Et lac sale de l'me
Lac sale o'je ?"meurs"?
Le son de ton silence
M'apprend aussi qu'un jour
Je vainquerai ma douleur
Cette vague de douleur
Qui entre mon bras droit

Searching new ways of yodeling
Once whereby one could
Express and convey
Long lasting virtue
Without destruction
Without rejection
Hoping these new ways
Will dawn on us if
We look hard enough
Hoping and searching

Translation
Searching news ways of laughing
Once whereby one could
Express and transform
All the shattering
All the gratuitous
The burdens of guilt
Growing these new ways
Will dawn on us if
We look hard enough
Searching and finding
But the tree falls
To the ground the tree falls again
The sound of your silence
Helps me touch rock-bottom
And salted lake of age
Salted lake where I die
The sound of your silence
Informs me also
That I'll vanquish over my pain
This wave of pain
Which enters my right arm
Searching new ways of yodeling
Once whereby one could
Express and convey
Long lasting virtue
Without destruction
Without rejection
Hoping these new ways
Will dawn on us if

We look hard enough
Hoping and searching

Overall Meaning

The song "Prisoner of Mars" by Stereolab is a complex and thought-provoking piece with lyrics that delve into the search for new ways of expression and transformation. The song's opening lines signal that the singer is searching for novel ways to deal with the difficult and seemingly insurmountable problems in life. They are looking for ways to express and transform what seems shattering and gratuitous, as well as the burdens of guilt. The song suggests that these new ways will only dawn on us if we look hard enough, urging us to search and find.

The song makes use of metaphorical language to paint a vivid picture of the singer's emotional state. The tree falling to the ground represents the singer's struggles and the sound of silence is a reminder that sometimes we must suffer in silence before we can find our way out of the pain. The salted lake of the soul suggests a depth of despair, perhaps a sense of stagnation or lack of growth. The song takes a hopeful turn in the end, suggesting that the singer will eventually win over the pain they're feeling, with a sense of triumph over the wave of pain that enters their right arm.

Overall, "Prisoner of Mars" is a deeply introspective and imaginative song that reflects on the difficulties of life and the importance of finding new ways to overcome them.

Line by Line Meaning

Searching news ways of laughing
Looking for new ways to express joy and overcome sadness

Ones whereby one could
Means by which people could

Express and transform
Communicate and change

All the shattering
All the pain and brokenness

All the gratuitous
All the unnecessary suffering

The burdens of guilt
The heavy weight of shame

Growing these new ways
Developing these new methods

Will dawn on us if
Will become clear to us if

We look hard enough
We search diligently

Searching and finding
Looking and discovering

But the tree falls
However, things fall apart