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.

Velvet Water
Stereolab Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Vois la vague se creuse comme la braise dans le vent
Voilà, c'est ici qu'à son aise il s'enfuit, le temps
Par moment
Quand le temps qui passe qui s'égard ne se retrouve pas
C'est la lumière du sombre regard qui guide mes pas
Vain combat

Vois la vague se creuse comme la braise dans le vent

Voilà, c'est ici qu'à son aise il s'enfuit, le temps
Et pourtant
Quand il se dévoile
L'éblouissement
De la flamme
Au corps nu

Quand le temps qui passe qui s'égard ne se retrouve pas
C'est la lumière du sombre regard qui guide mes pas
Vain combat

Vois la vague se creuse comme la braise dans le vent
Voilà, c'est ici qu'à son aise il s'enfuit, le temps
Et pourtant
Quand il se dévoile
L'éblouissement
De la flamme
Au corps nu

S'arrache à la nuit
Ou scintille l'âme
Du temps dévolu
De la flamme
Au corps nu

C'est la flamme
Au corps nu
Où scintille l'âme
Le temps est devolu
Là y brille une flamme
Le nageur n'a plus peur
Il plonge sous la lumière
Vit dans les éléments

Éperdu dans la mer
Sa bouche veut le sel

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Stereolab's song Velvet Water are written in French and translate to English as follows:

"See the wave hollow out
Like embers in the wind
Here, at its ease, time runs away
At times
When time that passes, that wanders
Doesn't find its way back
It's the light of a sombre gaze that guides my steps
A vain fight

See the wave hollow out
Like embers in the wind
Here, at its ease, time runs away
And yet
When it reveals itself
The dazzling
Of the flame
On the bare body

When time that passes, that wanders
Doesn't find its way back
It's the light of a sombre gaze that guides my steps
A vain fight

See the wave hollow out
Like embers in the wind
Here, at its ease, time runs away
And yet
When it reveals itself
The dazzling
Of the flame
On the bare body

Torn away from the night
Where the soul sparkles
From the fallen time
Of the flame
On the bare body

It's the flame
On the bare body
Where the soul sparkles
Time has been spent
There, a flame shines
The swimmer is unafraid
He dives under the light
Lives in the elements
Lost in the sea
His mouth wants salt."

The lyrics of Velvet Water focus on the concept of time and its passage, as well as the beauty and transient nature of life. The opening lines describe a wave "hollowing out" like embers in the wind, an image which evokes both the power and fragility of nature. The chorus repeats the idea that time "runs away" or "does not find its way back," emphasizing its fleeting nature. Despite this, the song also celebrates life's beauty, with the imagery of a dazzling flame on a bare body, and the swimmer who is "unafraid" and "lost in the sea." Ultimately, the song is a reflection on the contradictions and complexities of existence.

Line by Line Meaning

Vois la vague se creuse comme la braise dans le vent
Watch the wave hollow out like smoldering embers in the wind

Voilà, c'est ici qu'à son aise il s'enfuit, le temps
Here is where time escapes comfortably

Par moment
At times

Quand le temps qui passe qui s'égard ne se retrouve pas
When the wandering passing time cannot be found

C'est la lumière du sombre regard qui guide mes pas
It's the light of the dark look that guides my steps

Vain combat
Futile battle

Et pourtant
And yet

Quand il se dévoile
When it reveals itself

L'éblouissement
The dazzling

De la flamme
Of the flame

Au corps nu
On the bare body