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.
Vodiak
Stereolab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the forest at night
I'm not scared of bandits
I cannot suppress it
When I'm alone at night
In the forest at night
I'm not scared of bandits
I'm afraid of the ghost
When I'm alone at night
In the forest at night
I'm not scared on bandits
When I'm alone at night
In the forest at night
I'm not scared of bandits
I cannot suppress it
And why am I irrational?
There are things I cannot control
When I'm alone at night
In the forest at night
I'm not scared of bandits
I cannot suppress it
I'm not oppressive
I'm afraid the ghost
(I'm afraid of the war)
I'm afraid of the war
(I'm afraid of the ghost)
I'm afraid the ghost
I'm afraid of them both
The lyrics of Stereolab's "Vodiak" paint a vividly haunting image of a person wandering alone in a forest at night and the fears and anxieties that come along with it. Although the singer is not scared of human bandits, the real terror comes from something that cannot be seen or controlled - ghosts. The repetition of the first verse throughout the song creates a hypnotic effect, driving home the fear and vulnerability of being alone at night.
The lyrics also hint at the singer's confusion and frustration with their own irrational fears, as they question why they can't control them. The lines "I'm not oppressive / I'm afraid the ghost" suggest that these fears are not self-imposed, but rather a genuine terror that can't be ignored. The ending of the song - "I'm afraid of them both" - shows that the singer is trapped between two fears, with no clear resolution in sight.
Overall, "Vodiak" is a deeply introspective song that explores themes of fear and anxiety, and how these emotions can be both overwhelming and inexplicable. The repeated verses and simple melody create a repetitive yet enchanting effect, drawing listeners in and immersing them in the singer's world.
Line by Line Meaning
When I'm alone at night
The singer is describing being alone in the forest at night
In the forest at night
The setting of the singer's fear
I'm not scared of bandits
Singer is not afraid of people or threats she can see and understand
I cannot suppress it
Her fear is overwhelming and cannot be ignored
I'm afraid of the ghost
The singer's specific fear is of ghosts or unknown and uncontrollable forces
And why am I irrational?
The singer reflects on the irrationality of her fear
There are things I cannot control
She acknowledges that there are things that are beyond her control that cause her fear
I'm not oppressive
The singer is not trying to control or dominate anyone
I'm afraid the ghost
The singer continues to express her fear of supernatural forces
(I'm afraid of the war)
The parentheses could suggest that the singer is afraid of the real-world conflict and violence that are often associated with forests
I'm afraid of the war
The singer's fears expand to include the violent aspects of reality
(I'm afraid of the ghost)
The parentheses suggest the interchangeable nature of the singer's fears
I'm afraid the ghost
The singer reiterates her fear of unexplainable, intangible forces
I'm afraid of them both
The singer concludes by expressing fear of both supernatural and real-world threats
Contributed by Sadie R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.