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.
Vonal Declosion
Stereolab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Qui frustre quand on n'arrive pas a s'ouvrir
Le carcan le control semblent alors plus faciles
Ne reservent pourtant que des temps difficiles
On le force on le crie on cherche à l'exprimer, l'exorciser
Dans un effort de détente de laisser aller, laisser aller
La volonte de puissance n'est que fait évanescent
On le force on le crie on cherche à l'exprimer, l'exorciser
Dans un effort de détente de laisser aller, laisser aller
The lyrics of Stereolab's song "Vonal Declosion" speak about the difficulties of love and how it can cause suffering and frustration when one cannot open up. The imagery of a "carcan" or a constraint represents the fear and anxiety that comes with vulnerability, and the need for control that can sometimes seem easier. However, the song argues that ultimately, the act of forcing and suppressing one's emotions leads to even more difficult times.
The chorus of the song speaks to the struggle of expressing and exorcising those emotions, with the singer acknowledging that the effort of letting go and being vulnerable is necessary for transformation and growth. The last line, "La volonte de puissance n'est que fait évanescent" (The will to power is only a fleeting fact), suggests that the desire for control or power can be temporary, and ultimately it is love and vulnerability that bring true fulfillment.
Overall, the song speaks to the complexities of love and the struggle of opening oneself up completely. It acknowledges the fear and difficulties that come with vulnerability, but ultimately advocates for the importance of letting go and allowing oneself to be transformed by love.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah, c'est un travail que cet amour qui fait souffrir
Love is a labor that causes pain
Qui frustre quand on n'arrive pas a s'ouvrir
It frustrates when we can't open up
Le carcan le control semblent alors plus faciles
Control seems easier in the moment
Ne reservent pourtant que des temps difficiles
But it only leads to difficult times
On le force on le crie on cherche à l'exprimer, l'exorciser
We force it, we yell it, we try to express it, to exorcise it
Dans un effort de détente de laisser aller, laisser aller
In an effort to relax and let go, let go
Quand l'amour prévaut il invite à la transformation
When love prevails, it invites transformation
La volonte de puissance n'est que fait évanescent
The will to power is only a fleeting event
On le force on le crie on cherche à l'exprimer, l'exorciser
We force it, we yell it, we try to express it, to exorcise it
Dans un effort de détente de laisser aller, laisser aller
In an effort to relax and let go, let go
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: Tim Gane, Laetitia Sadier
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind