Single from the Stereolab (SEE BELOW) lead singer’s solo album Silencio, out now on Drag City.
ROCK SNOB ENCYCLOPEDIA: Stereolab: It may be hard to remember now, but there was a time when “synthesizer” was a very bad word. Over the course of 14 albums and countless EPs and hard-to-find singles, Stereolab has caused a total re-think of what could be done with electronic music. The British band’s fascination with the retro moderne–’50s lounge records, swinging ’60s easy listening, Moog demonstration records–has spurred an entire subculture built around these musty thrift store finds. Not content to merely dust off these exotic relics and declare them cool, Stereolab enmeshes them in obscure reference points: ’70s Krautrock, French pop, Brazilian psychedelia and Sun Ra’s space-age jazz. When these disparate elements manage to coalesce, the results are nothing short of mesmerizing. Beginners are advised to start with Switched on Stereolab and move forward. MORE
STEREOLAB: Golden Ball