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.
Tone Burst
Stereolab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your only way ahead your way to go far
Your reasons that you do who you really are
The decisions in your head it will be far
Prejudice does no service to you
Break your shackles it's up to you
Be your own master owe it to you
It's hard in this cruel world to be who you are
It might mean hardship it might take a while
Struggle, conflict, causes they all have their power
Don't let anyone hurt your heart
Your desire...broken truths blew
But you don't see what we will use upon you
Refuse to blink when that thing wants you to
You can't take your life hypnotized
Don't let anyone hurt your heart
You have an evil side of you
We can live apart in the end
What I decide to be is what I am
What you invest with it is in my command
My reasons that you do won't ?deal? with romance
I wanna stress myself to be who I am
?Toss 'em off? is the best I can do
Why kill a man to achieve other things?
To explain, very cruel
Self-doubt inner you, I still bleed
I don't let anyone hurt my heart
Don't want to be taken apart
I have innocence in the end
The song "Tone Burst" by Stereolab is a reflection on individualism and the pressures that come with it. The first stanza suggests that one's identity is determined by their own choices and the decisions they make. The lyrics encourage us to break free from societal norms and prejudices that restrict us from becoming our true selves. The lines "It's hard in this cruel world to be who you are, It might mean hardship it might take a while, Struggle, conflict, causes they all have their power" remind us that embracing our individuality requires courage and may lead to challenges or conflicts.
The second stanza reflects the challenges that come with having an individual identity. It encourages us to protect our hearts and not allow anyone to hurt us. The lines "Don't let anyone hurt your heart, Your desire...broken truths blew, But you don't see what we will use upon you, Refuse to blink when that thing wants you to" suggest the importance of standing firm in the face of outside pressures that try to mold us into something we are not. The lyrics seem to be citing the fact that despite the challenges there is always hope for self-discovery and preservation of one's inner innocence.
Line by Line Meaning
What you decide to be is what you are
The choices you make define who you are
Your only way ahead your way to go far
Your path to success is determined by your actions
Your reasons that you do who you really are
Your motivations reveal your true self
The decisions in your head it will be far
Your internal thoughts and choices have far-reaching consequences
Prejudice does no service to you
Discrimination harms both the victim and the oppressor
Break your shackles it's up to you
You have the power to free yourself from limiting beliefs and social constructs
Be your own master owe it to you
You have a responsibility to yourself to take control of your life
Self-doubt inner you, I believe
The artist empathizes with the internal struggle of self-doubt
It's hard in this cruel world to be who you are
The world can make it difficult to express one's true self
It might mean hardship it might take a while
Being true to oneself can be a difficult and lengthy process
Struggle, conflict, causes they all have their power
Challenging situations have the power to shape and strengthen us
Don't let anyone hurt your heart
Protect yourself from emotional pain caused by others
Your desire...broken truths blew
Your aspirations may be obstructed by obstacles and falsehoods
But you don't see what we will use upon you
Others may use your vulnerabilities to their advantage
Refuse to blink when that thing wants you to
Stand firm in the face of pressure to conform or look away
You can't take your life hypnotized
Don't let yourself be controlled by external influences
You have an evil side of you
Everyone has the capacity for darkness within themselves
We can live apart in the end
Ultimately, we are all individuals with unique experiences and perspectives
What I decide to be is what I am
The singer takes responsibility for their own identity
What you invest with it is in my command
Others cannot dictate or influence the artist's sense of self
My reasons that you do won't ?deal? with romance
The artist's motivations are not fueled by romance or love
I wanna stress myself to be who I am
The artist desires to express their true self
?Toss 'em off? is the best I can do
The singer will discard anything that inhibits their self-expression
Why kill a man to achieve other things?
The artist questions the morality of sacrificing a life for personal gain
To explain, very cruel
To justify such actions would be callous and unjust
Self-doubt inner you, I still bleed
The singer still struggles with self-doubt
I don't let anyone hurt my heart
The singer remains guarded against emotional pain
Don't want to be taken apart
The artist wishes to remain whole and intact as an individual
I have innocence in the end
The artist believes that their true self is pure and untainted
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LAETITIA SADIER, TIMOTHY JOHN GANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind