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.

Space Moth
Stereolab Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ce film n'a pas été joué par des acteurs mais vécu par des femmes, des hommes
On ne sait ce qu'il va bien pouvoir dévoiler, mais on espère la vérité
Morin et Rouch voudraient savoir comment vivent les personnes, sont-ils heureux
Malheureusement l'Homme est réduit à son travail qui bien souvent brise l'idéal
Une partie de moi s'adapte mais je sauvegarde l'autre, c'est ma partie authentique
La possibilité de s'accomplir malgré tout et envers tout
Je vis dans la mesure où j'accepte des compromis terribles
Je voulais me heurter à la réalité

Ne pas vivre par compensation
Me mettre en relation avec quelque chose qui me fasse sortir de moi
Je n'ai même pas le droit de me tuer, ce serait faux, tout faux
La caméra
Était bien là
Ils ont joué sincérité
Ce film nous
Réintroduit

À la vraie vie
Nous met en cause

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Stereolab's "Space Moth" describe the making of a film that is not acted, but rather lived by real people. The filmmakers, Morin and Rouch, want to explore how people live and whether they are truly happy. However, the reality is that jobs often consume and crush the ideal lifestyle. The singer of the song acknowledges this truth and admits to living a compromised life. Instead of living to compensate for something, the singer wants to connect with something that will take them out of themselves. The camera records these moments of truth, reintroducing the viewer to the reality of life and causing them to question their own existence.

The song explores the search for authenticity in a world that often demands people to live a life of compromise. The lyrics show a desire to connect with something that is honest and true, even if that means living a challenging life. The use of the documentary film as a metaphor highlights the idea that life itself can be seen as performance, and that people often need to strip away the facade to find what is real.

Line by Line Meaning

Ce filme n'a pas ete joue par des acteurs mais vecu par des femmes des hommes
This film was not played by actors but lived by real people

On ne sait ce qu'il va bien pouvoir devoiler, mais on espere la verite
We don't know what it will reveal, but we hope for the truth

Morin et Rouch voudraient savoir comment vivent les personnes, sont-ils heureux
Morin and Rouch want to know how people live, whether they are happy

Malheureusement l'homme est reduit a son travail qui bien souvent brise l'ideal
Unfortunately, man is reduced to his job which often breaks his ideals

Une partie de moi s'adapte mais je sauvegarde l'autre, c'est ma partie authentique
One part of me adapts but I preserve the other, it's my authentic part

La possibilite de s'accomplir malgre tout et envers tout
The possibility of achieving despite everything and towards everything

Je vis dans la mesure ou j'accepte des compromis terribles
I live to the extent that I accept terrible compromises

Je voulais me heurter a la realite,
I wanted to confront reality

Ne pas vivre par compensation
Not live by compensation

Me mettre en relation avec quelque chose qui me fasse sortir de moi
Put myself in relation to something that makes me get out of myself

Je n'ai meme pas le droit de me tuer, ce serait faux, tout faux
I don't even have the right to kill myself, it would be false, completely false

La camera
The camera

Etait bien la
Was really there

Ils ont joue sincerite
They played sincerity

Ce filme nous
This film us

Reintroduit
Reintroduces us

A la vraie vie
To real life