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.
Whisper Pitch
Stereolab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
See ourselves as the victims of...
It is always our decision
Tell me I am responsible
Satisfying feeling
Of connection...
?? ??
?? ??
?? ??
It is always our decision
It's the feeling of connection
Depends on our actions
Can't see ourselves as the victims
It's been a long time
Since anyone come to me to call on my deeper senses
Thank you so much
You spoke to me in a way that revived my life essences
It feels so cold
Feels alive and rela... (?)
I can connect with the world
The lyrics of “Whisper Pitch” by Stereolab suggest some introspection, empowerment and connection. The opening lines encourage us to never underestimate ourselves, refrain from feeling like a victim, and to take responsibility for our actions. The lyrics are saying that it is up to us to decide how to approach life and situations that come our way, and if we choose to take control and put effort into them, we can feel that satisfying feeling of connection. The rest of the song is somewhat difficult to decipher due to the vague and ambiguous nature of the lyrics, however it seems to be suggesting that through connections with others and the world around us, we can revive our “life essences” and feel more alive.
Line by Line Meaning
We should never write ourselves off
We should never underestimate ourselves or give up on our abilities.
See ourselves as the victims of...
We should not see ourselves as helpless victims of external circumstances.
It is always our decision
Ultimately, we are the ones who make choices that shape our lives.
Tell me I am responsible
Ask me to take ownership of my actions and the consequences that follow.
Satisfying feeling
A pleasurable sensation that arises from connecting with others.
Of connection...
Of establishing a bond and understanding with someone else.
It is always our decision
We have the power to determine the quality of our relationships and interactions with others.
It's the feeling of connection
The feeling of being understood and accepted by someone else.
Depends on our actions
The quality of our relationships and interactions with others is largely determined by our own behavior.
Can't see ourselves as the victims
We should not adopt a victim mentality and blame others for our problems or shortcomings.
It's been a long time
It has been a significant amount of time since someone has reached out to me and touched me emotionally.
Since anyone come to me to call on my deeper senses
It has been a while since someone has made me feel seen and understood on a deep level.
Thank you so much
Expressing gratitude for the positive impact someone has had on my life.
You spoke to me in a way that revived my life essences
Your words and actions had a powerful impact on me, renewing my sense of purpose and vitality.
It feels so cold
Referencing a feeling of emotional numbness or disconnection before the interaction occurred.
Feels alive and rela... (?)
Referencing a newfound sense of aliveness and rejuvenation after the interaction occurred.
I can connect with the world
As a result of this positive interaction, I feel more capable of forming meaningful connections with others and engaging with the world around me.
Contributed by Jasmine I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.