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.
The Black Arts
Stereolab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Somebody to share my scarcity.
All cut from the world, unrelated
(Need somebody, somebody, need somebody)
This time I need somebody to be family,
Some to inspire, to die in fire.
Surrounded, the world on top,
Holding my breath to repossess.
I need somebody, I feel so lonely
(Need somebody, need somebody, need my body)
This time I need somebody to be family,
Some to inspire, to die in fire.
My heart (my brain), my heat, my sweat, my feet.
I need my bones and my blood too,
Need somebody in my body.
The Stereolab song "The Black Arts" delves into universal feelings of loneliness and the human longing for connection and belonging. The opening lines, "I need somebody, I feel so lonely, somebody to share my scarcity," reveal the singer's desperate search for companionship and unity. The use of the phrase "somebody to share my scarcity" emphasizes the singer's sense of lack or inadequacy, as if they are incomplete without someone else to fill in the gaps.
The second verse delves deeper into the singer's emotions as they describe feeling "cut from the world" and "disconnected." The repetition of "need somebody" in the chorus emphasizes the singer's intense desire for a sense of community and belonging. The line "some to inspire, to die in fire" suggests that the singer wants someone who will motivate and challenge them, even if the risks are high.
The final lines of the song bring the focus back to the body, with the singer listing off various body parts like "heart, brain, heat, sweat, feet, bones, and blood." The repetition of "need my body" emphasizes the physicality of the singer's need for connection, as if they are hoping to find someone who can fill every inch of their being.
Line by Line Meaning
I need somebody, I feel so lonely,
The singer expresses their loneliness and need for someone to share their life with.
Somebody to share my scarcity.
The singer wants someone to share their limited resources with.
All cut from the world, unrelated
The singer feels disconnected from the world and doesn't have any close relationships.
(Need somebody, somebody, need somebody)
The artist emphasizes their desperation for companionship.
This time I need somebody to be family,
The artist wants someone who will be like family to them.
Some to inspire, to die in fire.
The singer seeks someone who will inspire them and potentially even die for them.
Surrounded, the world on top,
The singer feels overwhelmed and oppressed by the world around them.
Disconnected, digging my soul,
The artist is emotionally disconnected and introspective.
Holding my breath to repossess.
The artist is trying to regain control of their life.
(Need somebody, need somebody, need my body)
The artist continues to express their desperate need for companionship.
This time I need somebody to be family,
The singer reiterates their need for someone who will be like family to them.
Some to inspire, to die in fire.
The artist repeats their desire for someone who will inspire them and is willing to die for them.
My heart (my brain), my heat, my sweat, my feet.
The singer lists all the parts of themselves that they want to share and connect with someone.
I need my bones and my blood too,
The singer further emphasizes their need for someone to be intimately connected with them.
Need somebody in my body.
The singer concludes the song by restating their desperate desire for companionship and connection.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: LAETITIA SADIER, TIMOTHY JOHN GANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind