Reviews (page 2 of 7)
Another of my favorites. Easy 5 for me, the whole album front to back is sonically interesting and geeky. Metronomic Underground is one of the best long-form songs I've ever heard, and it has a trance that just connects.
Bringing the sexy back...to socialism. Blips bleeps and beats accompany anti capitalist screeds. More fun that it sounds because of perfectly matched intention and execution.
Utter Genius
Another band I was due to listen to, and patiently waited for its selection on this list to do it. And yeah it's really good, especially for a synth weirdo like me. Looks like they have a fun discography to get into if you like this stuff. CAUTION: French
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE
Stereolab are a one-of-a-kind band — their music is very distinct. They expertly stack layers of rhythm and melodies on top of each other, sometimes even one layer at a time so that you can really hear how the song was built. And when it all comes together, it's like a symphony. Their style is so cool. It's whimsical and strange, with a rock edge at times and a light air at other times. They can get pretty spacey and psychedelic but they always stay locked into a rhythm like a well-oiled machine. They make pop music that doesn't always follow a pop structure. It has more in common with electronica in terms of how it's structured and paced. They take their time, looping rhythms over and over, and building on top of them. I listened to a bunch of Stereolab in college and whenever I'm reminded about them, I realize I don't listen to them enough. This album is the big one. Every song has a memorable hook or melody. It's complex and detailed, but also really accessible. Great album (with a great title too).
Really fun album, I'm interested in hearing what else these guys have done
A French- influenced take on Krautrock - cool! This would be perfect in a cafe, or a brasserie, as well as being something I would love to see played live - lots going on, with driving rhythms and cool vocals
This is the future we were promised.
No sé por qué pateé escuchar este álbum siendo que es una maravilla. Me gustó muchísimo y es un álbum que escucharía habitualmente. Esa vibra francesa combinada con ese sonido extravagante me encantaron.
i thought this was going to be like stereophonics
I was introduced to Stereolab by a friend back in the late 90s, and this was the album they used to make that introduction. For that reason alone, this one will always stand out for me, with its quirky avant-garde tunes and musical vocalisations. In some ways it puts me in mind of Jean Michel Jarre's Zoolook album, which I love, so it's hardly surprising I'm going to give this one five stars.
no sé por qué nunca les di bola. lo puse, me prendí uno y entré en un invierno europeo imaginario (en pleno calor chaqueño) puse la versión expandida y escuché hasta los demo juas
I'd sort of forgotten about Stereolab, a band beloved to my flatmate in 1999 who played this album back then. Never did much for me. However 27 years later turns out I absolutely love this now and it was lovely to be transported back to a different time in a way only music can!
Jedan od meni najdražih njihovih albuma. Metronomic underground koja otvara album mi je njihova najdraža pjesma. Savršena je
#253/1001. One of my alltime favourite albums by one of my alltime favorite bands. This record never gets old, it is music made by an honest band who loves music, old electronic instruments, respecting them, not use them for a gimmick. By this album their balance with rock guitar sounds and all the mellotrons and whatnots was perfect, one or two albums before and after are excellent material as well (Dots and Loops anyone?). You can put this record on any moment and immerse yourself in this sea of sound, which lets you float as you admire some of the artificiality: the lyrics, the French, the dual vocals. This reminded me to book a flight and catch them live in Ireland in a few weeks. What are reviews built on? They are built on words and they are built on laughter.
Kan vara deras bästa skiva
Really dug this one, the combo of weird spacey noises and female vocals is right down my street
Still love this album and a really good slice of that era electronica style stuff. Has held up well.
Splendid
I'd be happy with anyone giving this 4 stars, but I think that undercuts how much of a new sound and how influential the sound was when it was released. It predates Radiohead's Kid A by several years...because it influenced that and so many other sounds that came at the tail end of the 90's and into 00's.
I have a friend who's super into Stereolab, but I've never really given them a shot until now, which is a shame, because I really dig their sound on this album. 4.5 bumped up to 5.
I have always loved Stereolab. They're mix of 60s French pop, synth and guitar drones, with themes of space and revolution are always perfect. My slight annoyance here though is that this is not their best work in my opinion. Ok, it has "Cybele's Reverie" is a great song, but much of the rest is kind of standard Stereolab stuff. This is fine, but an album like "Mars Audiac Quintet" has more memorable lyrics. "Sound-Dust" and "Margerine Eclipse" have much more developed sounds. It could just be me, but "Emperor Tomato Ketchup" just never struck me as much as some of their other work. But I love the band anyway, so it's still 5 stars from me.
I had no idea what to expect, as Stereolab is one of those bands I've managed to avoid entirely from a lack of exposure. What a pleasant surprise! It almost felt like getting a warm hug from the concept of 1996.
Groot fan van Stereolab en hoewel dit album wel echt de beste sample van hun sound is zou ik eerder dots & loops in de lijst zetten, toch een tikje meer een completer en beter album. Desondanks is deze ook een easy 5. Live ook erg goede band!
Saw the name, was prepared to hate it. Turns out I love it. Just fun.
A gem in the rough of 90s electronica. Hypnotic and easy to listen to, making it the perfect accompaniment to household chores and other sundry activities. I like it a lot.
I like everything I've heard from this band. Only thing I can knock them on is that it starts to all blend together at a certain point. Great execution of the sound. Easy listening but not boring. 4.5/5
I liked this one a lot, good jamming Will I listen to again: 100%
Lounge jazz, motorik rhythms, and analog synths collide in the coziest possible way, building grooves you could happily get lost in for hours.
Ah, Stereolab. One my very best discoveries through the book. Instantly became one of my favorite bands with their mix of 90's Indie, 70's Krautrock, 60's Space Age Pop, Exotica, French music, and indietronica. Truly original, even imitators fail to capture what makes the Groop special. Emperor Tomato Ketchup may be my favorite of theirs and also a great introduction to them, as it falls right between their more psychedelic and noisier early work and their more electronic and lounge-ier later work. This includes some of their best track, such as the pretty chamber pop of "Cybele's Reverie" or the Krautrock masterclass "Metronomic Underground". For Stereolab, vocals are just another instrument. Reaping the same phrases over the course of an entire song is not unusual for them, but even then they managed to make it sound fresh by introducing different elements throughout. The listener is kept engaged and entranced in the hypnotic effect this creates. I could take or leave the Marxist-Leninist lyrics, though. Although this album has historically been seen as the band's peak, in recent years it's its follow up, the also excellent Dots and Loops, that has been capturing the imagination of a whole new generation of listeners, which is great. I would really recommend the Groop's entire ouvre to someone who enjoys this one, and even their non-album work, which contains a lot of their best songs. Luckily, the myriad of loose singles and EPs have mostly been collected in the Switched On series of records and that gives these otherwise obscure tracks more accessibility. I do welcome and encourage everyone to take a plunge in the Stereolab world, there's nothing like it out there. Key tracks: Metronomic Underground Cybele's Reverie Percolator Les Yper Sound OLV 26 The Noise of Carpet Emperor Tomato Ketchup
Wasn’t expecting an album called “Emperor Tomato Ketchup” to be a genuinely beautiful, fantastic experience
Strange and wonderful. Elements of krautrock, easy listening, pop and more, with just enough noise and nonsense to keep it interesting.
An easy 5 star album. This sounds like parts of many things, but I can't think of anything else that really sounds like this. Brilliant.
Beautiful voices in incredibly creative melodic and moving synth tech. This is as good as synth gets.
Cuando un disco me hace decir "wooow" en voz alta es que vamos bien. Este disco tiene muchas ondas, desde rock indie, pasando por electrónica y puede crear ambientes en los que te gustaría existir. Se me pasó volando.
this was the most recent record i got obsessed with before my current relative music drought, further proof that this site has me bugged. its wonderful ofc, and im glad i get to talk ab it in a state of reflection more than raw reaction. i had a thought in my early listens of this record that it captured my beliefs, which is true in some sense, but its more that it captures Why i believe them. its so vibrant and joyful and creative and never feels constrained or stiff at all, but its also precise metronomic (ayy) clockwork propelling everything forward...its a strangely cogent musical expression of the record's marxism as a kind of inevitable advancement powered by Numbers and Mathematical Inevitability (a pillar thats often under-explored even by leftists). this also speaks somewhat to the post-cultural ideological expression of krautrock i suppose, but stereolab makes the optimism unmissable by pouring incredibly sweet pop elements all over it to bubble all the hope and unfettered harmony with The World As It Actually Functions to the surface. an irresistibly golden disc, and one of my new very very favorite albums. (quick addendum: i listened to this on a walk, and it didnt last me the whole walk home. in an attempt to keep my music energy rolling beyond my daily album, i decided to throw on There's A Riot Goin On, which has some shockingly similar musical appeal but also that coked-out emotional and sensory numbness as a stark contrast. very cool double feature!)
Much like Daft Punk or Air, Stereolab feels both timeless and futuristic. I dig it. I also dig any band that commits so hard to a consistent graphic design motif in its album covers.
I really like the vibe, its like busy but also calm enough for work hard to explain
'Metronomic Underground' sets the tone with looping bass hooks, motorik grooves, and a swirl of organs, synths, and vibraphones. The album channels the spirit of French yé-yé, and 'Cybele’s Reverie' is typical of that, string-laden and reminiscent of early Cardigans. This melodic charm is often offset by cool in (both senses of the word) deadpan vocals and mechanised rhythms that recall Kraftwerk or Neu! 'Percolator' brings a retro-futurist 'Foux da Fa Fa' energy, with a killer bassline, while 'Motoroller Scalatron' is a standout (amongst standouts) - an angular, jaunty anti-capitalist jingle. It's a bit retro Euro-pop, a bit Slits-style punk. Where it sits in the Stereolab discography, I’ve yet to find out. But I’ll return to this a lot: a blast of French detachment, wrapped in shimmering electropop. I think it's great.
What a find, how have I never listened to this before. It's like finding a room in your house you've not been into before in a dream. Sublime
Kraut rock influenced post punk, synths and wild tempo changes. Really glad I found this band
Spellbinding. I'm a fan.
I would take a star away from another album to give this one a bonus star if I could. But I love Stereolab. Love them period, but love them even more because my wife is smarter and more successful than me, but hates them, so when I listen to them I’m constantly reminded I’m at least cooler than she is.
I don’t know which of the Stereolab albums are my favorite but I know I never turn off one of their songs when it comes on
This album is my kind of weird. They blend a lot of different genres really well. Especially enjoyed the vocals. I'll probably check it the rest of the catalog. Another unknown gem from the generator.
This was great! Wonderfully quirky, funky and groovy - much as you'd expect from something with such a bonkers title
Great
Stereolab is just so cool. Maybe the French makss it sound fancier than it really is, but it feels like a natural and progressive step in synthetic music where the production really lets it shine compared to its peers in the previous decade. Cybele's Reverie is an amazing song, and my other favorites here are Percolator and Monster Sacre.
A seminal album. Sonic brilliance.
Have always liked this group, especially Dots and Loops, and Sound-Dust. This one was unfamiliar to me and I enjoyed it a lot, and even listening to the bonus 15 tracks on the expanded edition. Fun melodies, love the vocals, and singing in French!
4.5/5
I recently finished reading Bonjour Tristesse. I hated every second of it. It’s been nearly 8 years since I finished reading a book; I used to be a precocious, intense, and passionate reader: largely of classical literature, big tomes written by Russians and translated by women, modernist experimenters, and post-modern political theory that called moderate liberalism fascism…and then I went to graduate school, gained 75 pounds, began an all-consuming career in nonprofit fundraising in toxic small organizations that convinced me they were saving the world so I should make their mission my #1 priority on a $50K salary in NYC , and felt as if my brain had oozed out of my ears and my passion for anything serious died with my passion for life itself. The last two years have been a slow, extremely difficult crawl back to the surface, largely inspired by my egg cracking and finally not feeling like death was better than being alive, because accepting my transness makes me want to be alive, yet, during that process, I rejected a lot of my past in an attempt to only look forward, waving my hand at my pre-transition self as a pretentious prick with an ego in comparison to my stable, professional, superficial new persona, because god, was I looking forward to disconnecting from my past– on the brink of starting my medical transition, feeling some professional success and relief after 3/4th of a decade, and settling. And then, 3 months ago, it all came crashing down again as federal funding cuts forced me to be laid off, forcing me to pause any major life decisions, freeze any summer plans and habitual outings, and stripping me once again of any of the passions I had cultivated over the last two years as I sat and reflected, asking myself, “What do you actually want out of life, bitch?” And look, while being unemployed and constantly concerned that I won’t be able to pay my NYC rent is not an easy day-to-day life, at night, I have a lot of downtime to reflect, so I began to reflect and reckon with my past self and rediscover passions and attitudes I ditched in favor of a career as a fairly uninteresting yet safe transgender woman. The only real old passion I had held on to was music via this generator, but I felt the need to put that on pause while I figured my shit out, and, in the absence of music, I found my passion for reading (and creative writing) bubbling back up. Given the scorching heat of summer, I figured a short, summery book that fit in my purse would be a good place to re-enter the world of legitimate literature. And then I read Bonjour Tristesse and felt so much hatred toward every word on the page. Yes, I found it adolescent; yes, I found it privileged; yes, those two elements clashed with my current life so deeply that I couldn’t tolerate it. (That’s not even mentioning that I found the plot and the literal writing on a sentence-level to be unforgivable.) But most of all, I hated Bonjour Tristesse because it was French, and god, do I hate French sensibilities. Anyway, this rant is largely irrelevant to Emperor Tomato Ketchup, except to say that I fully expected to loathe this for its French sensibilities, as well. But I don’t! Actually, I kind of love it for that. It’s got a ‘90s indie rock vibe but with a lot more bleep boops, and how can I not love that about it! And while maybe its English sensibilities save it from being pretentious, there’s something adorable about the version of pretentiousness Stereolab inhabit. It’s chic in an assumed French way, but also effortless and sincere in an actually French way. And I think maybe I need to remember that who I am myself should be effortless and sincere, even if it’s a bit pretentious, because that’s always chic. Being literary and pretentious isn’t necessarily a negative trait, as I think I’m realizing, but using that to develop and excuse a superiority complex is obnoxious. Bonjour Tristesse is obnoxious; Stereolab is not. Huge huge huge fan, 100% going to binge their discography ASAP.
This was great. Really enjoyed it. I can see it's influences in lots of bands that came after this.
Full bops
Some OG shit. In a class of their own before being a 'French' band was cool.
Extrem nices und entspanntes Album
yessss
A perfect record
Cybele's Reverie is excellent including the organ and violin. So is Percolator and self-titled. Monstre Sacre and Slow Fast Hazel too. French lady singing over pleasant music. I wasn't expecting much due to the album art but it's quite good.
This is an all time classic and singular record which holds a special place in my heart. Absolutely love it, and it's been a long time since I listened to it.
no notes
Awesome album. Not something I thought would be my type of music but the first song absolutely enraptured me and then it went from there. Really glad I got introduced to Stereolab
I enjoyed it more and more as it went on. A nice discovery
Groove filled chill out music. It's repetitive, but I like it...which is weird for me, so something's working here. Liked songs added: - Metronomic Underground - Percolator - Spark Plug - The Noise Of Carpet
This type of music almost never connects with me, but they really figured out a nice, trance-y groove that had me for the entire album. This is my second time going through it, and I was fully preparing myself to ask what I actually saw in the first listen that made me love it. Instead, I received confirmation of why I do. Favorite track: Olv 26
Like Slurm, it's surprisingly addictive.
♥️. I spent several months listening to a live version of “slow fast hazel” basically on repeat.
5 under my new and improved paradigm
I've listened to several random Stereolab songs over the years, but never a full album until today. They keep getting recommended to me and now I know why. I friggin' loved this.
It sounds quite simple when you first listen to it and then the layers appear. It's almost children's nursery rhymes updated for adults.
I really liked this album a lot. It combines intimate production with open, expansive sounds, samples and loops galore, terrific instrumentation, and a fantastic devotion to rhythm. The string and synth beds and organ sounds are fantastic, lush, and whimsical, but serious politics pervades the lyrics. What a fascinating album. Adding it to the library right alongside Zero 7 and some of those other early 2000 loopmeisters.
Oh, what a ride. What a wild, kaleidoscopic, pleasurable ride. What a rich, unique, bombastic contribution. I am not even sure what musical landscape it is contributing to. It is one that is full of colors, that is spacious and intimate at the same time. One that can unfold and reveal itself more over time. One I can dance and daydream and feel the melancholy of time. It is serious music that does not take itself seriously. Music is love, pleasure, feels, and play, and these people have managed to create something beautiful to bring me along. Definitely worth a 1001 listens.
I really love this album. When I first came across Stereolab (on the High Fidelity soundtrack I think), I really hadn't heard anything like them before. They somehow managed to make weird, experimental, and noisy music that also sounds beautiful. After several years of owning this album, I still feel like I'm getting to know it. But it's very transporting, and I keep coming back to it.
I randomly picked up a Stereolab cd in the early 2000s and have been a fan ever since.
This is twee in all the ways I love. Stereolab set out to make a thing, and by god, they made it. So much of this 1001 album project is subjective -- music *is* subjective -- so with that grain of salt, when I hear an album here for the first time, and I find it sonically compelling to the degree I want to add it to my collection so I can listen to it later, that's a star on its own.
Perfect album that I could listen for days on end - which I kind of did once I saw it on this list.
Erg leuk, super divers album. Favoriete nummer(s): Percolator, Olv 26, The Noise of Carpet
catchy and sophisticated unremitting bossa-pop from another plane of existence. not everyone would be too keen on the soundscapes that this band lays upon listeners but i am absolutely obsessed with them. if i saw them live i think i would die.
Ekki láta Ketchup nafnið blekkja ykkur, þetta er æðisleg plata. Fyndið hvernig maður þekkir Stereolab strax án þess að hafa endilega heyrt lögin áður. Þetta er æði, svaka töff tíundi tugur.
I do love me a bit of Stereolab. Consciously retro and nostalgic for a time that never was (is it the mid-70s or late 60's perhaps?) Poppy and intense- their sound envelops you.
beautiful and mesmerizing. probably a 4 on a lot of days, but Cybele's Reverie and Emperor Tomato Ketchup, among other tracks, just hit me perfectly tonight
Maraviiiiiiiilla
It was approaching summer 2015 and I was going to be moving out of the city into a different one. Walking around the neighborhood one many more times, I can recall having this as a soundtrack. I may have had other Stereolab that was heard since then but none of them scratch the itch that this does. A perfect blend of electronic space age kosmische from three countries and two continents, named after an obscure Japanese film. Bright, eccentric, all-encompassing; as futuristic as it is nostalgic. A crazy, sturdy torpedo.
Great album, encompasses everything the 90s were about.
10/10 experimental alternative rock is the best
9/10 - I loved almost all of the songs. The worst one was sadly Emperor Tomato Ketchup. Cybele's Reverie was absolutely fantastic and gave toro y moi energy.
Fun!
Experimental sounds, seamless album. Great vibes
This is glorious. This is what I want from this list. Fantastic music from a band with a hefty catalogue I've never heard before. This is chill but keeps it mainly upbeat throughout. Perfect for doing chores around the house. I can't explain why I like this so much the more I listen the higher I want to rate it. It's just great fun. 9/10
super funky psychedelic French jams
Not big on electronica but I really liked this and added it to my library
I dont know what it was, but I REALLY liked this album
Another one of those bands that have gone on to influence a large portion of the music I now listen to. I love how upbeat and playful this album is. The electronica elements are also really great.
"Emperor Tomato Ketchup" es un álbum de Stereolab que te hace sentir muchas emociones diferentes mientras lo escuchas. Tiene canciones que suenan como un sueño y otras que te hacen sentir lleno de energía. Algunas letras están en francés, lo que le da un toque especial. El álbum trata sobre muchas cosas, como recordar el pasado y pensar en la vida. También tiene diferentes estilos de música, como música psicodélica y experimentos musicales. En resumen, este álbum es como un viaje emocionante a través de diferentes sensaciones y estilos musicales, con canciones en diferentes idiomas.
Yes! Love Stereolab. One of my favorites bands and basically tied for my favorite album by them. I love this so much. I place a high value on tone and texture and Olv 26 is a very nice example. Overall, the mix of smooth French / English female vocals, philosophical / political lyrics, chill Krautrock moog with strings vibes is right up my alley. 5/5
Love this (and all other Stereolab - surprised Dots and Loops is not in this list). This still sounds completely fresh. So good! Listened to this about three times in the past day.
i mean, it's stereolab, so it's a five. i absolutely adore their sound, it's really unlike any other band i've ever heard. and the vocals are so unique as well, they have a really soothing and nostalgic feel to them. i don't really know how this album compares to their others as i haven't listened to most of them - i think dots and loops is a bit better - but i enjoy this one's combination of synthyness and rock elements. and stereolab is always a little weird, which i think adds to it.
Stereolab rocks
я готов кружиться в этом альбоме бесконечно. Он не надоедает, он тебя кружит и веселит. При этом достаточно легко слушается фоном алкоальбом: белое вино и сырная тарелка
Really really enjoyable. I have a soft spot for females singing in French, and for this kind of chill electronic music.
One big vibey extravaganza... more of this please.
I am in genuine shock that I love this album so much. It's like if Daft Punk were French and formed in the 90s...oh wait. Favorite track: Olv 26
I've heard of the band and was initially impartial to the music, but as the album went on, it just clicked for me. I couldn't explain why it works since I'm somewhat picky on things but this just started to work in the right spot.
Practically everything McCarthy did in the 80s and Stereolab in the 90s is 5 star. I am inclined to go for Peng or Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements or one of the two Switched On compilations, as I like the motorik sound more, but ETK is the best example of their more sophisticated sound. Great lyrics. Great songs.
Still an amazing album. The odd meter tracks Percolator and Motoroller Scalatron are my favourites.
When I first heard Stereolab, I was instantly hooked. They're like nothing I had heard but they've had plenty of influence since.
Fav tracks: Cybele's Reverie, Percolator, Les Yper-Sound, The Noise Of Carpet
Fantasy damn album. My goodness. Art.
"Emperor Tomato Ketchup" is the fourth studio album by English-French band Stereolab (although they also had complilation albums and singles released). The album was named after a 1971 experimental film by Shūji Terayama. You can categorize this as experimental pop-rock. On this album, they experimented with composing songs around loops as opposed to riffs; the keyboards definitely are forefront here. A lot of the songs start simple and build with layers of vocals and keyboards. The layered vocals of Lætitia Sadier and Mary Hansen are highlights. This is an outstanding album and one of my favorite in that mid-90's time frame. There is a scratching-sound start to "Metronomic Underground" which continues throughout as a loop. The rhythm is almost groovy. The layered vocals. Criticizing war. Strings start "Cybele's Reverie" but this is a more straight-forward rock-pop song. Happy sounding with the guitar. The loss of innocence and wonder from childhood. A classic keyboard-bass loop and chorus drive "Percolator." Maybe, the one Sterolab loop I can't get out of my head once I hear it. I liked the way in the first four songs, the English-named songs are sung in French and the one French-named song is sung in English. My favorite song on the album "The Noise of Carpet" starts rockin' with the distorted guitar. More straight-forward pop-rock. The layered vocals are excellent. Weird keyboards noises. Trying to provide hope to a cynical person. "Emperor Tomato Ketchup" kind of reminds me of a mix between a Talking Heads and Wilco song. Repetitive and drving rhythm. Weird synth noises effective again. They go into baroque pop territory on "Slow Fast Hazel" with the strings. Beats change. A beautiful sounding song. Perhaps going into some Marxism here with the lyrics. I like most of the Sterolab I've heard. This album is at the top for sure. Worth a listen for everyone.
Love Stereolab! They definitely have a recognizable sound and sometimes their songs can start to sound alike but it doesnt bother me because theyre all bangers
What a Sunday Lego session soundtrack. Couldn't have picked anything more suitable. A real find and I will listen to this again. Thanks 1001! A little gem for the time invested.
Stereolab is always great
Gave me some serious existential Tuesday think and loved every minute of it.
Love Sterolab and it was a pleasure to sit down with this one again.
I like it a lot
This is so cool and brings me so much joy. Metronomic Underground is such a great opener and the follow two tracks just keep up the vive. Les Yper Sound is also great and Spark Plug just booms. Too many songs to mention, the title track is also awesome.
Superb
I just love this band, they have such a friendly sound that's so iconic and instantly recognizable. One of a handful of bands that I first heard by randomly pulling their CD at the library, then felt like I discovered a secret that no one else knew. At least my friends had not heard them at the time. I don't know their discography well enough to know how this stacks up, but it's certainly on par with the stuff I've heard, and seeing as this is likely their only album on the list, it's a solid 5-star for me.
good for focus- upbeat fun
Love Stereolab.
I really liked this one! Groovy and it had some interesting musicality in it. :)
Love the vocals and groovy funky instruments
starkes Album. geiler Sound, wie cleane und etwas ernstere Stereo Total
Esta muy chingon todo este viaje de sonidos que nos lleva este pedo
Otro de esos álbumes (como el de Saint Etienne que salió por acá) que tienen todo lo que me gusta. Sonidos de variada procedencia, a caballo entre lo experimental, lo pop, con buenas letras, a veces hasta inteligibles. De acá escucho cosas como lo que después sonaría Broken Social Scene, entre varios en quiénes pensar. Favs: el inicio y el final ("Metronomic Underground" y "Anonymous Collective"), "Cybele's Reverie", "Olv 26". Sin embargo, no skips. 10/10
c'es l'avenir! fav track: percolator
Really helped paved the way for indietronica to be a thing
i'm sure i've heard of stereolab before but this is my first time actually hearing their music. i'm into the sound i think, especially for the first 20 mins or so. i really like the dueling vocals, especially on "cybele's reverie", which is probably my favourite track from this album, and they got the electric organs going throughout which is always a plus for me. but to be honest..... on every single listen i've found myself clocking out mentally by about halfway through. the back half isn't bad, or even just less interesting than the front, but it somehow really starts to drag on. the tracks can be quite repetitive, which in isolation i think works pretty well and gives them a kinda hypnotic quality, but combined with the length of the album as a whole..... maybe a double album was a misstep i think. it's a pretty good album but, i really struggle to lock onto it. cool sound though!
This is real real good 90s french pop that was totally top of its game when britpop was running rapant and we had real dirgey stuff over here. It's playful and fun and one of their best I reckon! I love booping about to this!
This one passed me by in 1996 - I wish it hadn't! Also, doesn't seem to have aged at all in 30 years.
Stereolab is good, actually.
Stereolab is another band that I need to spend more time exploring. This is their second album that I've listened to, the first being "Dots and Loops" (which should be on this list). It seems like they have a pretty consistent discography so I definitely need to check out more from them. Favorite track: Metronomic Underground
pretty cool album, unusual
Dødsbra album! Treffer godt! Veldig kul indie fra 90 tallet!
I really liked this one. I had listened to Dots and Loops before so I kinda knew what to expect from them going in and that may have helped me prepare. I don't always enjoy Krautrock, but these guys are great.
i liekd it
Yeah, that'll do. Wasn't entirely sure at first, but once it gets moving this is really decent and different enough to deserve a place here.
Really cool, now I gotta listen to Dots and Loops I guess
I had zero expectations or ideas as to what this album would sound like. I had never heard of this band before, and I didn’t take the time to look at the Wikipedia page. So all of this was completely new to me, and I really liked it. It’s so relaxing and pleasant. Right off the bat though I have to admit alot of the album is in French so on a literal level I did not understand/connect with the lyrics in the same way I would with a band singing in English. But I don’t think that got in my way from enjoying this album. The instrumentals are repetitive but creative and original. There are moments where it’s electronic leaning, then there’s moments where it feels like a small indie rock band, and then there’s even movements that feel epic and orchestral. This album truely has a great sense of variety and creativity that I always harp on almost every single album about. Seriously this album is a powerhouse of creativity. The only small negatives to me were at moments it was painfully repetitive like the opening track, and a few songs near the end of the album didn’t really grab me in anyway. But seriously I really love this album, definitely go check it out.
Alright, so this is a mid-90s electronic rock album? More accurately, it sounds like a more modern version of krautrock. The songs are often long and very groove-driven, and they often have heavy amounts of synth and electronics mixed in. Hell, even the vocals sound Can-esque. Unfortunately, this doesn't come close to the quality of Tago Mago's greatest songs despite solid songwriting. On that album, they swell dramatically and change constantly, showcasing huge dynamic range that this lacks. However, this is by no means a bad album. It still has much of the appeal of krautrock as a style even if it's not a true great of the genre. This album is ranked #14 of 28 albums for 1996. Other 1996 albums rated by me: The Score(1/28)-4 Tigermilk(8/28)-3 Everything Must Go(11/28)-3 1977(13/28)-2 Better Living Through Chemistry(15/28)-2 Oedipus Schmoedipus(23/28)-3 Now I Got Worry(27/28)-4
1001 albums to hear before you zone out 128# So, i love the sound of this. Sounds timeless, not from a given space in time, but from a diverse time space. The only issue is that some tracks become a bit tiresome, becoming a loop that doesn't really go anywhere. Even though the loops are satisfying as hell, but it just goes on for a bit longer than it should. Great sound they made in 96, if I had to give this a date of release I'd say around 150 before christ and 2350 after christ.
God, I love when an album grabs me from the first notes. I had never heard of this band, and was immediately mesmerized. My enthusiasm tempered somewhat by the end but I still enjoyed this unique sound enough to give it 4 stars
Quirky and cool.
This wasn't what I was expecting when I saw it was listed as electronica.... I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. Perhaps reminiscent of hookworms? Yeah yeah yeahs too? Either way it was way better than I was expecting. I do think the first half was stronger than the latter. The first couple of tracks and "the noise of carpet" were the highlights. Good though. 3.5
kind of great
I kind of think it sounds like Krautrock made in Ableton. It's mostly progressive looping and layering, where various melodies constantly recontextualise what came before. It's a very atmospheric listen which explores every angle of the core of each track. It becomes quite hypnotic. But where the album excels in harmonic layering, it sacrifices rhythm variation. This is of course a staple of Krautrock but it leaves a lot of the burden on the melody, and I think the melodies tire quicker to the ear than a repeating drum loop ever would. Without rhythmic evolution to carry the weight, the tracks can feel a bit static. Several tracks offer a break from that mechanical rigidity. "Monstre Sacré" is atmospheric and contemplative. But the real standout for me is "Slow Fast Hazel." It's a dynamic track which is fun, jazzy, and spacey. It makes a nice change from the rigid, looping, progressive structure found elsewhere on the album. Ultimately, this is an album of evolving textures rather than narrative journeys, and that will probably put off some listeners. I enjoyed it though. I'd consider checking out their other stuff. 4/5
Good album
- This has always been my favourite Stereolab album, and I've listened to it a lot. I don't actually know most of the lyrics, but I should, lol. - Love the sound effects, cool and unexpected vocals/harmonies, and laid back groove. - There's a lot of variety on this album for something that's so singularly its own. - I love the first half most, but I like most of the songs and prefer to listen to this completely as an album than as singles. - I do find it goes on a little too long.
super enjoyable. I prefer the repetitive/hypnotic side of this album to the more rock-oriented tracks.
I think this is a really interesting mix of Krautrock, electronica, and indie pop. They kind of come across as an electronic Yo La Tengo. It's really pretty and hypnotic at times. Highlights for me are "Metronomic Underground", "Cybele's Reverie", "Olv 26", "The Noise of Carpet", and "Tomorrow is Already Here". 4.5 stars.
Ended up listening to Stereolab in the background all day. Good work music.
Кайфовый альбом
Love the autobahn riff and generally finger snapping is very much a thing I do
Overall: 7/10 This album opened up with a noise that was so grating to my ears that it took me a couple songs to really get into it. Here's a tip for any aspiring musicians, if you want people to like your album instantly, don't open it with the brown note. Once I got over that little mishap, this ended up being a really cool album! I found myself rocking out quite a bit, and there's some unique and interesting instrumentation here. The female vocals are also very pretty and relaxing. There's a mix of french and english lyrics as well, and I honestly prefered the french stuff. It fit very well with this music. That cover is straight garbage though, I always assumed I would hate this just from looking at that thing. Thankfully I didn't. Fav Song: Tomorrow is Already Here
CRAZY STURDY A TOR PEDO 🗣️🔊🔥🔥🔥
понравилось, кое-что сохранил, напомнило alvvays)
Revisiting this album confirms it is a banger. I do prefer Nars Audiac Quintet, but happy to see Stereolab on here.
Great album: love the sound, love the grooves
This played heavily in my late 90’s playlist. It brings back Portland Or. memories…. Their style, stunning vocals, the name - an album I’m happy to revisit.
I remember listening to this album on a school trip to Paris in 98, it’s a good album, when it hits it really hits, a couple of the tracks are a little flat and long for me but overall it’s interesting, in parts groovy and pretty unique. 3.6
love these guys, love this album it's groovy, ambient sound is perfect background chill
This album resonates like a skydive. Intensity and tension, which rarely let up, surrounding a spiritual awe.
Super fun listen that was never on my radar. I knew the name of the band but was not familiar with their stuff.
300/1001 Stereolab - Emperor Tomato Ketchup Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ✅ I was very late to discover Stereolab, so hadn't got to this album of theirs yet. It's as I expected from the band. The combination of psych and a chilled out delivery works well. It's perhaps not as muscular as their most recent output, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I had a lot more fun than I was expecting with this album. From the opening track alone, I thought I was in for quite a long and not too exciting ride, but then, as repetitive as it is, I started to actually really like 'Metronomic Underground'. Something about the soothing vocal lines and almost hallucinogenic backing track really started to pull me in. It was once this track was over and the others started to play that I was really invested. Although I think it's hard to connect to music that isn't in a language you understand, this was somehow an exception. I really liked the switches between French and English throughout the album; it gave you something new to listen to each time. I really enjoyed a lot of the tracks, but my favourite track is my number one by a mile. It is just so beautifully made from the first note. Favourites (in order): Cybele's Reverie Percolator Emperor Tomato Ketchup
I love the Krautrock influenced monotonic driving music. Sterolab do it with the best of them. I find that the album drags a bit in the back half but still a great listen whenever I return to it.
computronic funky, so futuristic to be an old songs
Love Sterolab and this album, they really put out a challange on the first track. Thin the crowd about, but greatness follows. Was so unique at the time,forward looking yet rooted in the past. 4.5 rounded down Heard before? Yes Owned: Yes: 69/279 (24%) Will I get: Already have
Solid zone out / background music. Low four stars, but there's a high four stars 40 minute cut in there.
Great album for desk work/studying! Not quite lofi but very easy listening- the kind of thing I want on at a coffee shop or maybe a club when it’s closing.
Jazz and Funk infused progressive rock. Thoroughly enjoyed this album.
Love whatever incomprehensible alien language they're speaking
I dig it. I think I've heard a few of these before but definitely not the whole album. Added cybelles reverie
8/10… indietronica / avant pop / *1996 👂
C'était très sympa Belle musique d'ambiance J'adore
Je ne connaissais pas Stereolab J'étais un être incomplet sans le savoir
That was pretty fun
Definitely heavy use of loops and digital sounds but that is right up my alley. ITs the kind of album I would like to have as a local band at a cafe that I can just hang out with and always enjoy. The French aspects of the songs are clear and not bad either. Overall glad to have discovered the band.
There are moments where this sounds like modern, electronic, (French?) Bossa Nova and it's absolutely brilliant... and then there are other moments I can't remember at all. But nothing I totally hated. On balance, I think that means this is a solid 3.5 for me and since their catalog seems to lean into Bossa Nova adjacent vibes, I'm willing to round up.
Wow, this was fabulous! I love the layered/looping vocals and lyrics sung in French and English. The melodies are captivating and pulled me into the music, which is lush, rich and textured. There are grooves to be found here, but also slower moments where the vocals have an almost choral feel - such as Monstre Sacre which sounds almost sacred. The music is weird, psychedelic and beautiful, which means it’s fully in my wheelhouse and was immediately added to my library.
Usually when you come up on the words "experimental" and "post rock" and such on this list, you know you're in the world of boring slow shit. Thankfully, this is one of those rare cases when an album doesn't sound like that at all.
This music is giddy and infectious. It's a whole vibe, as the kids say.
had zero clue what this was going to be from the title or cover but I loved every minute of it
8/10
Two bangers in a row. This was awesome. -.25 for the album name; +.26 for the album cover.
Stereolab are able to blend genres in a way that nobody else really can. The electronic style is definitely dominant, but they do such a good job at keeping their sound so interesting with many rock and indie elements too. It's hard to even tell exactly which instrument is making which sound, which to be clear is very much a good thing in this case, and small things like that are really what help to make this such a unique and unpredictable listen.
Very cool
Layers of electronic sounds and repeated vocal samples, very entrancing. Metronomic Underground lays down a groove that builds over 8 minutes, different instruments and melodies filtering in and out. I'm digging it. Cybele's Reverie is different, brighter, uplifting at first with strings and female vocals - it's another good one. Percolator is deeper and darker, rumbling bass and chimes. There's tons of great moments later on. I love the acid sounds on Spark Plug and the deep bass of Olv 26, to name a couple. Tomorrow Is Already Here has a slightly awkward stop-start rhythm that somehow works really well. Back to back, the childlike nostalgia of the title track and the stripped back, ominous Monstre Sacre is a great juxtaposition. It's a fairly long listen, and I can see how this won't appeal to everyone. But it needs to be rated highly.
The first half absolutely bangs. The loop based songs lead to a really cool feel throughout the album. The second half didn't live up to the first, but it was still pretty good
funky funky
This sounds like a nice warm spring breeze
I really liked this one. It reminded me of the Velvet Underground but more sugary and dance able. Very cool stuff
Trying to not hold it against this album that Dots & Loops is not on this list and this one is instead. It's a good album and I enjoy it, but I didn't imprint on it and listen to it hundreds of times.
Huh, funny to see a rateyourmusic recommendation here. Let's see what it's about:) maybe an early birthday gift? Maybe I'm being too generous... Whatever, my rating system is all over the place anyway. I cann always give it 3 later if I want
This album is pretty much beast
Mix of dance with French lyrics
Funky techno vibe
4.1 2x great tracks
3.5 ближе до 4. Класичний альбом від класичного гурту. Люблю їх.
This was a fun record. Creative, wild. Had not heard it before, but will check their other records as well.
8/10
Hard to believe this is a 1996 album. It would fit right in with the indie music of 2010. Clean beats, beautiful low-key vocals. Varied tracks that show range. Love it!
Nice find. I’m into this. Not my first exposure to stereolab, but have never paid much attention before now.
Melódicamente hipnótico, apoyado de una voz suave y unas letras repetitivas y playful. Idk.
7/10
What a great album, so glad this one came up today. I already own this on vinyl and the more I listen to it the more I like it. On the first listen I thought there was a few great songs and now I think the whole thing is great. It is a very cool fusion french jazz, 90's indie, electronica, krautrock and even some punk. I can't help but to bop along with this whole album
It was ok, very repetitive though
Even though I didn’t understand most of the lyrics, this really resonated with me. Just awesome 90’s alternative production with some genre mashing layered on top was awesome to listen to.
This one’s catchy, full of fun grooves, and it keeps growing on me with each listen. I’m glad it’s on the list, definitely a pleasant surprise.
Super cool album! Very much in line with what artists like Beck were doing in the 90’s.
Always happy to chill out to Stereolab.
I enjoyed this way more than I was expected. I could definitely see my self throwing it on in the background for any occasion.
This was such a weird album, but I had so much fun with it. The first track, Metronomic Underground, felt like a fever dream, but I can in fact get behind a good fever dream. The influences in this album seem a bit all over the place, but I’m vibing with it. Cybeles Reverie brought me back to my high school French courses. I quite liked it though, I haven’t really listened to anything in the language since then. Not that I understood it other than a few words, so it’s time to play a game of how many words can I pick out from my 3 years of French training (thank you Canadian public school). Jokes aside, Percolator is a really cool song. I love the little riff that goes throughout the whole thing. It’s absolutely insane but I love it. Les yper-sound had some really cool musical ideas and Spark Plug was actually a genuinely good listen. I liked how the took it back a step in Olv 26. It still has some of the wacky sounds of the rest of the album, but is nice and melodic too. I loved the Noise of Carpet solely for the name. It was also incredibly fun, but the name just makes me laugh. The Marimba in Tomorrow is already here… beautiful, amazing (if it is marimba, that would be embarrassing if it’s not). The title track sounded exactly how I’d expected it to sound! I enjoyed it. It then brings it right back down low with Monster Sacre which I absolutely adored. It was slightly creepy which added a really cool effect. Slow fast Hazel had a lot of fun to it, and the closer, Anonymous Collective, was exactly what I’d expect out of this album. Overall, 4/5 ⭐️, 8/10. A lot of this was really out there, but I genuinely enjoyed my listen through. I don’t think it’s something I’ll come back to, at least not as a whole album, but I had a very good time with it. 31/1089
Phwoar yeah, this is very cool indeed. It's a little slight in places, and of course suffers from a very silly name. But that's neither here nor there in the grand shake down. I really like the laid-back, quite sparse production. It's very (gesticulates wildly in search of a better description) French.
These lil french fuckers on to something here, likes this way more than I thought I would
I like this but i dont know why. I cant list anything about it that i like, bit i like it
Cool electronic music, fun vocals
Good vibes!
Really funky and cool
ok instant 5 sterndli für de titel han erst geg de schluss cheggt, dass immerno de erst song lauft hahah, iwie ischs na cool? wenn au nöd gad megaa vill passiert ich find französisch töned d lieder meistens besser - iwie passt ihri stimm (und vlt au d musig) besser dezue? jaa isch ihri muettersprach, wahrsch ischs für sie au natürlicher sound of carpet isch na cool haha so vill stimme emperor tomata ketchup hani easy gern bis jz es 3. find was sie mached chani wenig degege sege aber es löst au nöd so vill uus bi mier. NOMAL jaa würkli die mehrstimmige melodie sind eifach cool CRA-ZY STUR-DY A TOR PE-DO OHHH NEI ÄHMMM he es macht SPASS jz bim 2. mal lose ok es isch chli z lang...aber jz vor allem bim 2. mal lose hanis easy cool gfunde, s französisch het so guet passt
I loved this French little piece of funk
Retro-future grooves half way between lounging in a space age batch pad and gyrating in the revolution. 60s French chanteuse pop shipped with new age popidelica. What is not to like? Love me some Stereolab
Lots of fun: airy but also somehow grounded, and always delightfully bizarre.
When to listen: chill and funky vibes. Love the experience of listening to Stereolab but don't have much to say from a music theory standpoint—just that it was engaging and interesting!
good background music
I like the French songs more than the English ones. Second best Stereolab album I have heard. They have a great style that is timeless and very unique. 8/10
first listen super super cool
Up my street - could grow to 5. Cybele's Reverie is an amazing track.
Really enjoyed this, such a unique blend of styles, and I like the polyrhythmic layering of little guitar riffs, percussion, and particularly vocals. Reminds me a bit of indie bands I came to love in college like Deerhoof and Belle and Sebastian. I think the opening track is the star, but little bits of stuff I loved throughout. Just a very interesting listen and I'll definitely check out more of their discography.
Stereolab is so friggin' dope. I'm more of a Mars Audiac Quintet guy, so I never paid as much attention to Emperor Tomato Ketchup. What a vibe. During this period, Stereolab had two female lead vocalists (Lætitia Sadier and Mary Hansen) who sang so differently yet often blended their styles in complementary ways over a loungey atmosphere, layered with aggressively hypnotic synths. Add to that socialist/nihilistic lyrics that can state some of the deepest tendencies of the human experience in comically simple terms, revealing the absurdity underneath: "You go in that team I go on this team Divide everything A flag or a number Make 'em opposites So there's a reason Stigmatization Okay, now we can fight " Now that's a recipe for some top-notch art rock. That being said, part of the point of the Stereolab sound is layers over hypnotic drone, which, while always pretty, can feel a bit samey to me over the course of an entire record. For that reason, I can't give this record my personal full marks, but there will be many people who either gel with this material more than I do or, let's face it, have a better attention span, who will love this album even more. Four stars.
4+ Stars (10/15)
I can see myself listening to this more often. Right up my indie alley.
Album No. 0097 on my list. I have to admit that I had never heard of either Stereolab or the album "Emperor Tomato Ketchup" before this album appeared on my list. Which is a shame, because I did really enjoy listening to the album! It feels like an cool mix of Electronica, Britpop and something like... well Krautrock kinda thing. Since I don't speak French, I didn't understand half of the lyrics, but I didn't mind all that much and the mixture of English and French has a certain cute vibe to it. Speaking of cool - the aforementioned genre mixture creates a pretty cool groove as well. I can't point towards a specific song that really stuck in my head (which is why I'm a bit reluctant to give the full five stars), but I'll add "Metronomic Underground", "Cybele's Reverie", "OLV 26", and "Emperor Tomato Ketchup" (the title track) to my playlist, because I feel they are representative of the album as a whole. Cool stuff! 4/5 stars!
Strong 3,5
¿Qué es esto? Es indie-pop, pasado por el túrmix de sintetizadores y sonidos años 60 transformados en loops armónicos que te sumen en unos mantras impredecibles aptos para todos los públicos (menos para los fans de Taylor Swift, probablemente). Este disco, por lo menos, llama a la exploración y exige una escucha activa. La mezcla francés-inglés se hace especialmente deliciosa. Válido para la meditación y para el disfrute más cotidiano.
The best. Saw them a few months ago after they surprise-announced they were touring again after many years. The venue was full of a genuinely inspiring group of aging, gentle weirdos and young, gentle weirdos. Aka, some of the best weirdos. Some malign Stereolab as background music, but to me that's often the best compliment you can give. Not all music is fit to radically shift a mood without also disrupting or demanding your full and complete attention. It's a special skill. Stereolab's music goes even further, creating a distinct cinematic feel to whatever it is you're doing, the weaving French female counterpoint vocals only adding to the effect. In terms of sounds and textures, they were ahead of their time, even on this album where the band is just beginning to explore more electronic elements. My favorite thing about this band is that when they really lock into an uptempo groove, they manage to be intense without being stressful, which is pretty rare when you think about it. Favorite song: Emperor Tomato Ketchup
I saw a review on this website that referred to this album as "twee Krautrock." What else do you want me to say? That sums up the entire album right there. I mean, OK, the Krautrock side of things. From what I've read, instead of riffs, this album was built largely out of loops. And that's really interesting to me. I mean, that's just breaking down music to the essentials, isn't it? After all, what is a standard rock or pop song but a lot of repeated segments and motifs? So cut out the middle man and just actually compose it with loops. That's interesting. And from the first track, I thought I was gonna be able to compare it directly to electronic artists like Daft Punk. I thought this album was gonna have more morphing and transforming the loops with every repetition, adding in elements and taking them away and combining them in all sorts of interesting manners. But, no, after the first song the album largely settles into being very Kraut-ish indie pop rock. Which is all fine, of course, but goodness me, that first track set my expectations so well... Still, there's a lot of hooks to go around. Sure, of course for me it peaked with that first track, but the rest is no slouch. I mean, I guess when you build your album out of loops you're bound to run into a few dozen or so musical elements that'll just sink right in there. As an overall soundscape, it's just very nice, lively stuff. I suppose fitting for an album cover with such sunset colors. But we need to get to the other half of that descriptor: the tweeness. Stereolab is an English-French band, and boy howdy, you listen to this album, you'll be **very** familiar with the latter half. The singers are French, most of the lyrics are in French, and their **voices** ... OK, so I don't mean this as an insult (at least not entirely), promise. But if anything their voices remind me of right up front, it's those commercials where, oh, something quirky's happening! And it's soundtrack with a French woman singing! Look, in this commercial for the Scene Rewards program they're paying for everything with carrots! That's sort of thing, especially when they sing "la-la-la." I mean, have you ever seen the poster for 'Amélie'? Y'know, that face? It's like if that poster was a Krautrock album. In short: these are very "cute-type" vocals. You can see these women sitting on stools and kicking their feet as they record them, looking up at the ceiling and shimmying their shoulders with every "ooo-ooo-ooo." When they're not singing I'm sure they're part-time Manic Pixie Dream Girls. You get the point by now. Is it a bad thing, though? For my money, no, but there are times where they push it a little. They never get full on "owo" cutesy, thankfully; there are just moments where it gets **painfully** twee. Seriously, they're about to manifest a ukulele any second. Luckily, there's not too many of them, and there are quite a number of songs where they don't even **approach** twee. There's the opener, for one (yes, that track again), and there's also one like "Monstre Sacre". The title track doesn't even **have** vocals. But as a whole, I think the vocals fit well for the kind of music they're making. So, yeah, "twee Krautrock." I can't say I hate it. In fact, I rather like it. Sure, I wish more songs on this had been like the opener, but for what's here, I'm very pleasantly surprised. You wouldn't think I'd like an experimental pop album so much, but there yah go. Good on yah, Stereolab. Maybe now I won't mix you up with Stereogum every time I see your name. (And maybe I'll watch 'Amiéle', too. For the longest time, I didn't even know that that was a movie; I thought it was just a poster with a woman with an annoyingly quirky grin. Did **you** know it was a movie? Honestly now.)
I’m at a 3.5 that I’ll bump up to a 4. I don’t really know what to make of that as a cohesive album experience. I mean, honestly, it’s not even really THAT cohesive. I’m not sure that’s the point, nor am I sure that matters too much. Look at the name of the band: “Stereolab”, and I’d put the heavy emphasis on the “lab” there. This is experimental rock, one far more reminiscent of the alt-rock of the era, yet bringing in lots of extra bass, percussion & synths to coat it in a way that jumps all over the place. This album never settles into a definitive style, going from weird Portal 2-esque vibes, to Kraftwerk / Daft Punk-ish tones, to a sort of Katamari Damacy energy, and that’s just from the instrumentals. Vocally, our lead singer here shifts from French to English on a dime, and I like how she sounds in both languages, especially in French. Lyrically, a lot of these tracks have a slight political lean; sometimes explicit, & sometimes far more subtle. The constant shift in styles & languages happening throughout the album is pretty noticeable, but for the most part, they handle all the different combinations well. When this album finds a captivating spot to sit in, I think it’s pretty engaging, in a sort of hypnotic way that’s hard to explain but easy to feel. I think this album just pulls the listener out of that hypnotic space too often for it to feel consistently good though, and that’s where my big disconnect with the album lies. These are tracks rooted in repetition to find that hypnotic effect, but once you start to feel that hypnosis fade away, the tracks lose a luster in a way that doesn’t fully take you out of it, but leaves you ready for the next track sooner than they’re anticipating. I think the pacing of this album would be improved if a lot of these tracks got cut down by a minute, in order to minimize the loss of that hypnotic feel. A few tracks can’t really be salvaged from that repetition though; I think “Emperor Tomato Ketchup”, “Motoroller Scalatron” & “Anonymous Collective” suffer from it the worst. They’re not bad, but I got pulled out way too quickly. The best tracks on this album either know how to keep that repetition entertaining (like “Metronomic Underground” & its sense of progression), avoid the repetition entirely (“Cybele’s Reverie” rules), find a really nice vibe to sit in where the soundscapes keep you engaged no matter what (“Spark Plug” & “The Noise of Carpet” apply here), or just find a really compelling subject matter (“Monstre Sacre” & its take on grief, & “Slow Fast Hazel” with its dismissal of eternity as paradise). Ultimately, the reason I’m bumping this up to a 4 is because other than the 3 “unsalvagable” tracks I mentioned, I think the rest of the album sounds good, and with tweaks to their length, they’d be great. This isn’t an album that’ll work well for everyone, and it certainly lost me at points. It’s far from boring, since it’s constantly doing something new, but one’s enjoyment will come from how captivating these soundscapes feel to their ears. That’s true for every album, but it feels especially true for something that’s blended as weirdly as this one is. I’m meeting it with a 3.5 that I’ll bump up to a 4, since I think the more experimental nature appeals to my sensibilities, but I can’t blame anyone for going as low as a 2 if it just doesn’t click or if it comes across as too much background noise. I think it’s too “flawed” to reach a 5, but if someone gets there, more power to them. Regardless, I enjoyed it, flaws & all. I dunno if it NEEDS to be on the list, but I’m not complaining that it’s here.
It's cool and funky. I like it.
Stereolab is incredibly high-brow, but also incredibly cool and unique. The soundscapes they create are unmatched.
Noice
Stereolab is a band I’ve known about since I was a kid, but I never really gave them much of a chance. I’ve seen this album pop up on a few different lists for top post rock albums, and while it definitely has some post rock elements, I’d say it leans more toward experimental indie pop. The experimental side pulls from post rock and Krautrock, especially with those motorik beats and rhythms. On top of that, they do a great job incorporating vintage analog synths, which adds a real warmth to the overall sound.
najs, groovigt. gött spel, speciellt bas. har typ inget negativt att säga, men inget som tog mig heller
While it definitely fizzles out around the end, this is Stereolab’s most fun album imo. Perfect percussion with melodies ranging from silly to gorgeous. Crazy, sturdy, brutal
This was a fun album
My teenage self would not have been ready for this in the 90s. Today: love the production. Enjoyed this a lot.
Wonderful music, voice is kinda weaksauce 4.1
Favorite tracks: Cybele’s Reverie, Percolator, Slow Fast Hazel
I FUCKING LOVE THIS BAND!!!!!!!!!! to whoever decided to give synths to french people: thank you
Fun art pop album
Funky, high energy, fun vocals, sometimes whimsical.
I was initially confused by this as I think I’d mixed up Stereolab with Stereophonics for obvious reasons. When I realised my mistake, this album really grabbed me - experimental, bloopy, Anglo-Gallic fun, somewhere between The Velvet Underground and Air with a diversion via the krautrock styings of Can and a touch of Bristol trip hop. The lyrics don’t make a lick of sense (“Crazy, sturdy, a torpedo”) but they don’t need to. Galloise-tastic!
lovely and i really like the french
Very very good. Saw them live supporting Cocteau Twins in 1994. It's not immediately accessible and I don't know why I haven't been more into them. There's something otherworldly and remote about them.
A band I had heard of but I wasn't aware of any of their music, although I had heard the opening Metronomic Underground before. This turned out to be a very pleasant surprise, just some tunes that are really nice to listen to. I would compare it to Lemon Jelly. The hour flew by. I especially liked the clear female voices providing the vocals.
I really thought I was going to bail on this one during the first track, but I'm so glad I didn't. This one grew on me.
Stereolab is one of those bands I claim to be a fan of but if I’m being honest, I only genuinely love about a third of their music, even from what’s arguably their best era which this album is. When they hit, they really hit. But after a while, the rest starts to blur together which doesn't mean it's bad just find myself cherry picking songs.
I really dislike the first track of this record which set me up to expect to hate the rest but literally every track after is better.
Experimental and Weird but surprisingly enjoyable.
Wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did. Supremely cool. 4/5
Good vibes, made for solid productivity music (to listen to while doing chores/cooking/etc.)
Electro weirdness, like funky muzak
French language and some odd sounding experimental music? It started out as a simple 1/5 for me. However throughout listening to the album it grew on me, with some interesting listens. The title track was an interesting piece of music and throughout I found it oddly fun to listen to. 4/5
I should listen to more Stereolab !
Very enjoyable album! Not sure how often I'll come back to this, but I'm glad I heard this album before I died.
Lots of repetitive but good beats to zone out to. Some nice sprinkles of funky.
Dreamy
It's quirky. I like quirky.
4.5
Fun album I enjoyed
One of my favourite Brazilian band is heavily influenced by stereolab, hoever, I had never listened to them. This was a really surprising and anjoyable album, they could manage to innovate using eletronic and keeping the atmosphere light. Definitely will spin more albuns and the name of the album is just very funny. 4/5
8/10 Favourite: Metronomic Underground Least Favourite: Olv 26
Gear: Sennheiser MOMENTUM TW 4 Artwork: 9️⃣0️⃣🔆 Production: 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🇫🇷🌈🤖 Ratinng: 🍅🍅🍅🍅/5
Very enjoyable, and cooler than it sounded on paper. Great Friday afternoon coding vibe. Maybe more of a 3.5, but a 3's too low for this one.
Masters of taking a single, simple idea, then building on it until it becomes something completely new, love this album. Metronomic Underground is a perfect opener and one of their best tracks, starts with a simple drum beat and builds in to an almighty crescendo over seven minutes. Cybele's Reverie is a wonderful little art pop song, very upbeat. The album remains strong throughout, the near one hour length isn't a chore. Great album.
Totally digging this record. I popped it on and just drove along the bay, watching the sun set, grooving to these chill playful jams.
New to me. Throw that bad boy into the rotation!
90s mesmerizing tunes.
Funky little rhythms.
Pretty interesting. It's a vibe
Really like the overall sound and blending of influences. As I'm a 'lyrics' person, found the French slightly annoying
so as people might know, the writer themself is an Anglophile. Due to their love of the British culture, a certain degree of hatred toward a certain country is also injected into their veins. Stereolab is famed for being RYMcore. which is, pretentious music held in high regards by Rate Your Music users. So the write give it a try. The first song is krautrock-y repetitive while the second song launches is quickly into French pop territory but ignoring fact that the lyrics are being written in one of the most boring language the song actually sound decent. And the rest is what it sounds like when you put Kraftwerk, Neu and any random French female singer into a blending machine and blend them together. Weirdly, the writer likes this and decided to give it a 4/5
4.7
Pretty solid album, it reminds me of a more electronic version of the Cocteau Twins. I think this album is good, but it could be great if they took this sound further. Mid 4.
pretty cool, weird title reference
I know Stereolab well enough to know their sound and their popular songs, but I have never listened to this album in its entirety. It starts off beautifully with Metronomic Underground, and then of course Cybele's Reverie and Percolator, which I know well. The album keeps this momentum with notable songs popping up consistently throughout the playtime. songs I really enjoyed: Cybele's Reverie, Percolator, Olv 26, Slow Fast Hazel. 4 stars
Pretty cool. Tasty baselines. Groovy grooves. Krauty, psychedelic vibes.
Very cool. Never heard of this before. Great WFH album
This album is awesome! I was vibing with it the whole time. I think I prefer the French songs over the English. It probably has to do with the fact that I don't have to focus on lyrics. Ok, I really like this album! I don't know why, and I'm not sure if I should. I've listened to it twice, and it's just gotten better.
I don't think I really understand the inclusion of this album. While I appreciate that Stereolab have been around for years (they just released an acclaimed album in 2025, 30 years on from this Ketchup one) I'd never really been aware of their influence or importance to music. Maybe that's on me. They've always been there and yet I've never delved into their catalogue. I think the name and aesthetic lends itself to something quite spacey and electronic so the opener made sense to me but there's also some great rock music in here and there are some very successful experiments in doing rock things over electronic loops and structures. The middle run of OLV 26 - The Noise of Carpet - Tomorrow is Already Here - Emperor Tomato Ketchup had me wondering if we were looking at a five star effort. But honestly it didn't quite do enough for me outside of that run. I enjoyed it a lot and will address my own ignorance by having a further listen to their other albums when I have time.
Listened to this pretty passively (sorry, Stereolab) but into it!
First half I was giving it a 3, upgraded to a 4 in the back half
Helt ok, men ikke for mæ.
Very cool. Will need to revisit.
4.5/5 Funky trance French city pop (aka Pastry Pop lol) Electro groove Alt-rock edges Soft chill vibes
I don't know how to rate this one, I keep going back and forth on whether I love this album or am vaguely annoyed by it. There's some really interesting and experimental things going on here, but I don't think everything quite works. But the simple fact that I have had to think about it this much means it belongs on this list. I have to decide upon a rating now, I think that I will say this album is great but imperfect. Favorite track: "Metronomic Underground"
Exotic and beautiful. The beats just inspire. The strange sounds wrap around my ears with pleasure
I had never heard of them but can instantly hear that other bands were influenced by them. It was a really enjoyable listen that I would love to work to.
I think of Stereolab’s output as music for stereotypically cool people. Think: micro fringe with long hair; drinks speciality loose leaf teas; used to live in New York and Paris, is now situated in East London; is in their 30s but has solely Victorian furniture; vegan; bilingual; good looking; works with an art gallery; doesn’t use cling film for environmental reasons. This album in particular (very good, but not my favourite of their records) has a highly sophisticated, almost untouchable sound. Playful, distant, refined, beautiful, odd. It’s a real experience. I definitely feel more high status for having listened to it.