Emperor Tomato Ketchup

99. waited for it to be over

Actually, quite phenomenal production. Some tracks sound really really good all around. There’s not a lot to hate here other than the fact that it’s just not for me and the vocals are a little meh

Liked the vibe on most tracks, but each was far too long and repetitive.

Some groovy tracks but nothing blew me away.

i thought this was going to be like stereophonics

# Album Name: Emperor Tomato Ketchup # Artist: Stereolab # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Not bad. Easy listen. # Top Tunes: Cybele / # Would I listen to it again? Probably not

The horrible album title sounds like a bad Chinese to English translation of something you'd order from a Chinese condiment menu. I didn't find anything interesting here and the vocalist was kind of bland and pitchy.

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

Some interesting songs. Especially one in 5/4 time and one in 7/8 time.

I got this album years ago after a recommendation but it didn’t hit me right at all. I’m glad I revisited it because there’s something here. I’m not a huge fan of the vocals but a few of the songs really worked for me. I particularly enjoyed The Noise of Carpet and Metronomic Underground. I think this one could grow on me more, but I found it didn’t fully draw me in so it felt repetitive rather than immersive.

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.

Stereolab – Emperor Tomato Ketchup (1996) On Day 80, I landed on a 3/5 for Emperor Tomato Ketchup. While the project feels a bit repetitive at times, it definitely has a lot to offer in terms of the overall production and the way the instruments are layered. The vocal performance provides a cool, "noir" vibe that sits well within the dense, experimental arrangements. It’s a technically impressive body of work that shows a lot of range, moving between lounge-jazz and mechanical pop. However, that "metronomic" nature meant it didn't quite hit that "triumphant" soul level for me. It’s a solid, well-crafted record that I can appreciate for its technicality, even if it didn't completely blow me away.

This album is pretty much beast

Mix of dance with French lyrics

Funky techno vibe

Great sound profile

4.1 2x great tracks

Поважаю гурт, непоганий альбом. Але є у них які подобаються суттєво більше. Цей десь на 3.5

3.5 ближе до 4. Класичний альбом від класичного гурту. Люблю їх.

while i'm a big fan of weird noises i found myself skipping tracks out of boredom. My mean review is this is a 90's take on 60's pop while one member of the band is desperately trying to make through all the presets on their casio keyboard

This was a fun record. Creative, wild. Had not heard it before, but will check their other records as well.

I should like this more than I do. The instrumentals are great but the vocals don’t work for me.

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

Very twee, but I kind of liked it? It was an easy album to put on and kind of ignore while I was working. Not a ringing endorsement, but that's how it goes sometimes.

Yeah, this album couldn't keep my attention. Very bland, once I had to stop it to take a call -- I just didn't restart it.

I enjoyed the sounds of this but it goes on for a bit too long and fades into the background. Mid 3

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!

I didn’t even realize this was playing for most of the album.

8/10

An album that I’m not totally sure of my thoughts about. The combination of French pop vocals (that seemed to take some inspiration from 60s music from that country) and electronic sound was one I enjoyed more than I expected. But it did drag after a while, becoming a bit samey after the first handful of songs, not helped by the length and repetitive nature of many songs.

A middling sort of electronic-influenced rock album. The opening track is too long and doesn’t do much for me, and while it does improve after that (if for no other reason than the rest of the songs are shorter), even then it’s all just okay rather than notably good. Another one for the ‘decent background music but not one I’d ever think to put on’ category. Actively listening to it, I found it pretty unengaging. A real standout track or two might just have tipped it into 3-star territory, but without that I can’t give it any more than 2.

Bored

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!

Imagine the most annoying music guy you know spending all of 1996 telling you that this is actually the best music ever. It’s fine.

Nice find. I’m into this. Not my first exposure to stereolab, but have never paid much attention before now.

The name is the album really bugs me for some reason, but I ended up enjoying it quite a bit.

Decent enough. Some felt vaguely familiar but weren't quite certain of that.

Would give 2.5

An interesting album, to say the least. I understand not enjoying this type of music, but I'm here for the mixing of pop sensibilities with ambient/droning electronica. 3.5 / 5

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

This album is a complete waste of time. 1 star or F-.

Not terrible but not something I would listen to

Pas mon style du tout, dommage que ça fasse parti du peu d'album Avec du français dans la sélection...

up peu chelou les petit.e.s potes

It was ok, very repetitive though

Ein überambitioniertes, aber oft sperriges Album. Der Mix aus Experimental‑Pop, Post‑Rock und Krautrock‑Einflüssen erzeugt zwar eine eigenwillige, hypnotische Atmosphäre, wirkt jedoch stellenweise überladen und wenig zugänglich.

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.

Just not a fan of techno. Didn't hate as much as the Kraftwerk earlier but it's also gettin a 2

I can appreciate a lot of the intricacies of the musicality and I really enjoyed parts of it. Other times, they felt SO up their own ass that it wasn’t enjoyable. Pretty mixed bag for me. Doesn’t help that some of the most annoying people in college loved this band.

2026.02.14

A very fun album. I like that some songs are in English and others seem to be in French. Overall, an enjoyable listen.

I don’t know? This was really mixed listen for me. There were some parts I liked, but they popped up sporadically throughout. The rest all kind of melted in together to me. A 2.5 would feel good to me, but 3 feels too high.

Noise of carpet

Reminds me of my early 2000’s trips to St Bart’s. French techno / electronic music is good for one or two and then grows very old very quickly for me.

I don't know if I was in the right mood for this and it didn't match my vibe. But. I know there would be times that it would match my vibe. Pretty fun.

i'm not a stereolab guy and that's alright by me 2/5

I was not previously familiar with the artist or album. It's a kind of indie rock with female vocals. There's some interesting use of noise which keeps things interesting. I did not find it particularly memorable, however. I wouldn't mind listening again but would not seek it out either.

pretty cool album but not necessarily my cup of tea. talented musicians but it didn't speak to me lead singer does have a Imogen heap kind of voice which I do enjoy

Had a weird Japanese 70's MMW feel to it. The repetition and length made it a hard listen tho. I couldn't get thru it.

Tired while listening and the album felt out of place. Could be higher on a better day

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.

This was a nice listen very relaxing. Reminds me of late night driving home music or what they call elevstor music. Lead singer has a nice voice.

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.

I like a good drone.

The electronic music didn’t do much for me. As a whole was not a bad listen but ko track was all too memorable.

Loops, post rock Metronomic underground Les yper sound Tomorrow is already here

Quite a few rather annoying repetitive songs mixed with some that are rather enjoyable and chilled. The Noise of Carpet is definitely the standout song here, overall a bit meh though. 2.5/5

Pretty repetitive and boring.

6/10

Jedan od meni najdražih njihovih albuma. Metronomic underground koja otvara album mi je njihova najdraža pjesma. Savršena je

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

Favorite songs: Cybele’s Reverie, Spark Plug, The Noise of Carpet Very repetitive. Sometimes building and layering. Sometimes become endlessly redundant. Metronomic Underground and Olv 26 for example.

I just couldn’t stand it

This was very very nice. In some parts it kinda reminded me of a more upbeat Mitski, just me?

Pure vibes

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 found a lot of elements here very interesting and different, but not enough to really want to engage with this much more.

Listenable. Wish I had the book so I could read on this one.

Didn’t connect with this too much. Interesting sound for the time. Feels like an early (or late) version of other music I’ve heard. Would give 2.5 if I could.

Surprisingly pleasant singing to tunes that I can only describe as alternative synth-pop with guitars. Often too repetitive and boring or simply too French for my taste, but not bad. Still, this is an album for the background and not something you actively listen to. 2.5/5

Seriously?

didn’t enjoy it

#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.

very interesting sound, sounds a bit futuristic

It all sounded the same after a while. Album was too long, especially for krautrock.

A bit too long/bland

This was boring, totally mid, too long, and British.

why, why, why, why, why was this on list???? too long, too repetitive, too boring

This is the Walmart version of M83. It's fine, and gets the job done, but I wanted it to be so much more. I will say it was ahead of its time, and it gave me more 2006 vibes instead of 1996. The title track was simultaneously catchy, and annoying, not to mention the title track is named after a completely forgettable documentary. Favorite Track: "Metronomic Underground".

I like this but i dont know why. I cant list anything about it that i like, bit i like it

Kan vara deras bästa skiva

Never heard of this band but enjoyed

It's great and very wonderful music but just not to my taste. At all. I'm not their market.

This was a lot different than I thought. Definitely can tell it’s from the same fold and time as beck and some of those contemporaries. I liked it as sort of something going on in the background. Not an active listen.

Another one I gave away.

I don't usually go for this style of music, but this album works for me.

An indie rock experience I knew nothing about. Peculiar, alive, electric.

Ugh! I could listen to most of it, but it was not enjoyable.

Went very quickly from 'hmm this is ok' to bleep blop water torture.

Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why I kept listening to this repetitive dribble. Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why Don't know why

It's funny relistening to this album so soon after listening to Faust IV, because it's fun to think "ooh this is where krautrock was established as a genre!" immediately followed by "but, okay, outside of long tail stylistic impacts, how many successful krautrock bands have there been since?" Well, I can think of at least one....... Stereolab is kind of a weird band conceptually, right? a 90s band that combined krautrock rhythms, loops, Marxist philosophy, and 60s pop influences and parlayed them into cult status in the UK, Europe, and North America. My personal favorite Stereolab album remains Dots and Loops, the album that truly turns elevator music into high art, but that's not on this list so instead here we are with Emperor Tomato Ketchup. It's the first Stereolab album where they really started experimenting with loops, resulting in a way that (at least abstractly) resembles the buildup of electronic music, and listening to it now, adding a lot of groove to it! This album is as heady, as artsy, as maybe pretentious as you want to imagine it to be, but relistening to it now, both in full and in clips while writing this review, I'm shocked to discover just how much *fun* it is! It's hypnotic, it's repetitive, and yet here I am anyway shimmying my shoulders listening to 30 second bursts. It's unlikely we'll get many more albums like this on this list, it's unlikely we'll have many more bands like Stereolab, it's unlikely I'll enjoy any other album on this list the same weird way I enjoy this one.

2.5

I'm not sure what I was supposed to get from this. I'll wager they are some producers favorite band though. In fact I'll bet they are huge in electronica circles. It's a no for me though.

Cool electronic music, fun vocals

Not much

Not terrible but super repetitive.

Background music that wants to be in the foreground

Firstly, great album name. I chuckled. Secondly, this record sounded as interesting as the name, in the same weird way. Good weird though. I enjoyed listening to this, even though I don't really like french language in music, and I didn't really like it in the french songs on here either. But the songs were pretty fun and quite distinct from other things on this list.

Un peu chéper mais sympa

J’ai pas compris ce que j’écoutais, c’était toujours différent Il y a des sons sympa : yper sound C’est typiquement des sons qui peuvent passer sur fip À la fin, ça ressemble vraiment à The Beths

Good vibes!

Really funky and cool

Oh boy... another new low... Like tomato ketchup, half full of sugar and not good for you.

Fun and bouncy. Not what I expected, in the vein of flaming lips.

Really new wave/experimental with the layering of sounds, melodies, and vocals. I felt like this really reminded me of the HBO series Painting with John. In the later seasons he makes some interesting music with multi layer vocals and instruments that almost feel overwhelming at times. This really reminds me of that.

It seems like they intentionally have metronomic sound, and I did like that to some degree at first. However, listening to the same 10-second loop for 2-4 minutes at a time over a 2 disc album was tough. I think maybe a song of theirs is worth listening to, but for sure, not the album.

tbh I dnfed it but it was funky just not something I’d really go back to

Just alright, nothing every strikes you as remarkable 2.5*

CRAZY STURDY A TOR PEDO ok scho kinda cool za chli angst gha dases chönt nervig gaggi werde. scho uf de repetitive siite bis jetz hahaha seeehr schwierig z fasse bis etz es loopt afoch alles und s isch no cool aber au nöd meeega spannend.

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

It's ok

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

It was fine to have on in the background

It's funny how you can know you like a lot of the things a particular group likes but not really like their take on it. I wanted to like Stereolab in the 90s for the shared reference points and the peer pressure from people cooler than me, who were never done telling you how amazing they were. But they've just always sounded a bit joyless and dull to me.

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.

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

Another band I was never cool enough to get. Never saw what the allure was. Had a hard time getting through this one.

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!

Krautrock but twee was quite interesting conceptually, and I was giving with it for most of this, but it did start to drag a little at the end

A three star album from the first to the last note. No points awarded for the album title.

Solid

good background music

Emperor Tomato Ketchup entstand überwiegend im Idful Music Corporation Studio in Chicago, mit zusätzlicher Nachbearbeitung in London. Die britisch-französische Band Stereolab verbindet hier Elemente aus Post-Rock, Indie-Pop und Krautrock zu einem klar strukturierten, oft repetitiven Klangbild. Charakteristisch sind analoge Keyboards, motorische Rhythmen und der distanzierte, zweisprachige Gesang von Lætitia Sadier. Stilprägende und besonders bekannte Stücke des Albums sind „Metronomic Underground“, „Cybele’s Reverie“ und „The Noise of Carpet“. Inhaltlich und musikalisch wirkt das Album bewusst kontrolliert, zugleich aber offen für Experimente, ohne sich in ihnen zu verlieren. Für mich ist es eines der geschlossensten Werke der Band, das ihre Ästhetik präzise zusammenfasst. Bewertung: ein konzentriertes, eigenständiges Album, das auch nach mehreren Durchläufen seine Wirkung behält.

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

Meh

Good! I like a bit of stereolab

I guess es ist vibey aber gerade echt nicht so der vibe i'm sorry

Up my street - could grow to 5. Cybele's Reverie is an amazing track.

in mono

Yeah fun! Can't see myself listening to it regularly but I'm glad I spent this time with it.

i don't know if this is just terrible or i just don't like this style of music, but really did not enjoy it

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.

First song was pretty interesting, enjoyed the long jam. Then, meh... Then, annoying...

That was decent

Didn't really vibe with this one, although some songs were better than others. 2.5/5

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)

Think of Sterolab as the slowed down version of the Stone Roses. The bleeps bloops and genre jumping are interesting but it does get a little old by the end of the LP. At length it is a. It tiresome. In chunks it is interesting at times.

I wish I liked it more.

The first 5 or 6 tracks here are some pretty interesting layered electronica, but the second half of the album just sort of fades into forgettable downbeat tracks. For me, the less prominent the vocals, the more interesting the song.

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.

it's as much rock as it's not... it's def good in terms of being an interesting thing to listen to, but not fully enjoyable at the same time? i love the ideas tho

Writing this review two weeks after listening to this album on the list, I'm baffled how I even got through this album in the first place. I appreciate the existence of the album on the list; however, even though it has so many experimental parts to it, the album suffers from a repetitive sound. Her voice does not do much to add to this, even if I can applaud her for singing in both French and English. Interesting genre, but not for me.

The title of the album is pretty cool and the music is pretty alright, but definitely not absolutely great, so it was fine having it in the background. I do understand that they were experimenting things in the late 90s, but it's a bit meh nowadays.

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 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’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.

I like the more fast-packed and upbeat songs on this album. It's cool.

French made a great album, which doesn't have much beneath surface and ultimately I won't care if I'll ever listen to it again

Noice

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.

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.

Lustig

War echt nice sehr eigener Sound aber würde ich’s nochmal hören , eher nein

This probably would have been a really great 45 minute album. But at 99 minutes, it's just too much. Too much of the same. I got really tired of listening to the drum tracks.

najs, groovigt. gött spel, speciellt bas. har typ inget negativt att säga, men inget som tog mig heller

Både bra, experimentellt men också väldigt repetitivt. Bra album, inget för mig bara :p

Please give me a good album today because this was shit

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

Drivel. Boring. Updated 70s music from the 90s

This was a fun album

not bad, but not really good

not my personal favorite

Zanimljiv i prijatan album u nekom svom fazonu, dosta odskače od praktično svih prethodnih.

Strange and quirky, but it all sounds great. I definitely didn’t take it all in on one listen, but I liked it!

Super fun and unique, haven't heard anything like it. Reminded me if Tomorrowland in Disney had a band.

This was diverse, unique. Sounded fresh and unlike other alt rock of the era. 3*, not every song was great.

My teenage self would not have been ready for this in the 90s. Today: love the production. Enjoyed this a lot.

Original but not my taste to be honest.

Wonderful music, voice is kinda weaksauce 4.1

French? Check. Electronic? Check. Repetitive? Check. I hate it…but it is weirder than most albums like it, so it probably ought to get a bonus point for being more interesting than most looped electronic music. 2/5

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!

Decent enough. Didn't really blow me away, and was just kinda the same sound throughout. Some of it was in French, too, which immediately docks the album a few points due to the concept of French people.

Favorite tracks: Cybele’s Reverie, Percolator, Slow Fast Hazel

Sorry but

Feels more like background music than anything I would actively listen to

Fascinating and weird. The Apple Music blurb describes it as “music about listening to music,” much like the Avalanches or sample-heavy hip-hop, and I think that’s not a bad description. A sometimes excessive but consistently interesting collage of pop music.

Good vibes for a certain mood.

Nah

I FUCKING LOVE THIS BAND!!!!!!!!!! to whoever decided to give synths to french people: thank you

Very long, very French, and kinda boring. Nothing crazy and songs kinda get repetitive. Not the worst by any means, just whatever and middle of the road. Standout songs: The Noise of Carpet and the title track.

I liked some of the chiller tracks like "Anonymous Underground," but the vocals on many tracks are jarringly discordant and not very enjoyable. Would have liked this a lot if it was just the music only.

this is the kind of thing I wouldn't reach for on my own, but I'd enjoy it if I'm out and I hear it.

But why did I think they were from Denmark or something?

Saw the name, was prepared to hate it. Turns out I love it. Just fun.

Pretty chill and good background music to vibe to at work or reading.

Not my style... But I get it... I suppose

Fun art pop album

Hey, Stereolab. I meant to listen to an EP from these guys a year or so ago, but never got around to it because I was too occupied with this list. I've always admired the band's name, though I know virtually nothing about Stereolab beyond them supposedly being an electronic act. I'm keen to crack this album open. They only have one shot on this list to win me over, so hopefully this is the one to seal the deal. Huh. There are some good points to this album and a respectable level of variety, though I'm alienated by the general sound. The overpolished sheen and droning electronic sounds really do not do this album any favours, and the gimmicky French vocals make this album come across as much tackier than what I had hoped for. Still, it's a serviceable listen with some decent cuts. It also did an admirable job of holding my attention for it's near hour-long runtime. "Cybele's Reverie" is pretty cool. The singing and general style of the song reminds me a little bit of shibuya-kei, which is one of my very favourite music genres. The instrumental is pretty good. I always love me some strings. The French vocals aren't entirely to my liking, but they're good for what they are. I like the acoustic guitar and intricate electric sounds on "Spark Plug". The seamless transition into the bridges is pretty neat, too. "Tomorrow Is Already Here" has a nice, warm sound. The acousitic guitars go a long way in carrying the song, though the vocals are among the best on the album. Book time. A lot of influences. Well-produced. That's it, really. Wikipedia reveals that this album has a solid critic backing and charted modestly. It is pretty distinctive, so I can stick my neck out for this album on those grounds. I cosign this inclusion.

This had some great songs near the end, but unfortunately the beginning was a bit weak.

Funky, high energy, fun vocals, sometimes whimsical.

Meh. 2

This is just weird music, not bad, but weird. Not really for me, plus most songs are in French. Favorite Song(s): Les Yper-Sound

Har nu lyssnat svinmycket på denna skiva utan att bli klokare. Älskar första låten, och kände första gången, najs! Men sen höll inte riktigt resten samma nivå. Gillar soundet, men det saknas något extra, vet inte vad. Nu är det småputtrande najs.

Tyckte det här var ganska tråkigt och ointressant. Med ett par undantag är det också rätt icke-melodiöst och med en sång som är frustrerande tillbakahållen och oförlöst. Inte min kopp te.

Really bad - I cannot comprehend how many of these "1001 albums .. before you die" are not supposed to be on this list. Many are a waste of time.

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!

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.

Interesting musically and conceptually, I did end up finding the vocal grating after a while. 3/5

I did not love this. It was underwhelming and forgettable. Nothing much stood out to me. Occasionally something in a song would pique my interest, but it would fade pretty quickly after that. This wasn't terrible or unlistenable, just boring and probably something that doesn't need to be on this list.

lovely and i really like the french

It's okay, but not memorable in any way

I’d listen again

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.

Um disco que tem duas parcelas de contribuição nitidamente divididas: o Krautrock influenciado pelo Neu, que é a parte mais instigante, com órgãos, sintetizadores e guitarras bacanas; e o lado de inspiração pop kitsch com suas melodias e vocais infantilizados, que são sua metade mais fraca. No fim das contas um disco razoável.

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.

It's ok. Nothing incredible, but an ok listen. They blend a few genres, but every song is based on a repetitive beat. 3/5

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 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.

If ambivalence had a sound

Not bad, but quite repetitive. Ends up becoming background music

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.

This did not grab me, and I don't think I like Stereolab much.

Wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did. Supremely cool. 4/5

I’m familiar with Dots and Loops, so this about matches my expectations. Fantastic arrangements and mixing, each instrument sounding superb. Songwriting is a good mix of slow build, Krautrock vibe that draws you in gradually, and straightforward hooks. But the way each song progresses is still compelling and engaging. Some songs, like Cybele’s Reverie, hit hard emotionally. Others fall a bit flat. This is the kind of music where I hope to eventually have a more profound emotional impact—it’s just not something I listen to often, but I do want to return to it. 3.5/5

Good vibes, made for solid productivity music (to listen to while doing chores/cooking/etc.)

It sounds nice I just couldn't get into it

I've listened through this before - very French, which makes sense, I guess, what else would it be. There's electronic music I enjoy more than this.

Not bad. A good mix of indie rock with eletronic music.

I liked this one a lot, good jamming Will I listen to again: 100%

This was really quite good. Reminded me a lot of the Trainspotting soundtrack.

It’s good but it’s too like Continental or something for me. I see why people like em so much, and I bet a lot of bands I do like, liked them.

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

listened to this whole album and don’t remember a thing… but I don’t mind the vibe and there are other artists w a similar sound that I have been known to enjoy. 2.5

Completely unaware of this one. It's alright, but just kinda meh.

Refusing to believe anyone thinks this album earned a 5. It’s obnoxious.

This was weird. And not fun weird, just not up my alley at all. I don’t like 90s electronic music with the repetitive beats, and I couldn’t understand the French lyrics. As far as French electronic goes, I think I’ll stick to just daft punk.

Just not much there to catch my interest. No bad but nothing to want me to really listen to it again.

Took me an embarrassingly long time to realize some of these lyrics were in French. I didn't hate this. Clearly, Stereolab were great at building soundscapes, and every single song starts with a fresh approach that's interesting and enticing. But then, they just sit there for 4 minutes, and do nothing. Every. Time. I'm not the biggest fan of electronica anyway, but especially when it sits in this odd middle ground where it's not supposed to fade into the background, but it's not supposed to be captivating all the way through. I also feel like these melodies are just relentlessly weak, and when you pair all of that with lackluster vocals, what are we even listening to? Fave tracks: - Cybele's Reverie - Spark Plug - The Noise Of Carpet

It's fun, kind of quirky, and experimental as hell. While I don't think many tracks really stick with you here, if you're willing to go along for the ride, Stereolab has some new sounds to show you.

Lounge jazz, motorik rhythms, and analog synths collide in the coziest possible way, building grooves you could happily get lost in for hours.

This was an interesting album; prof rock electronic trance music?

Quite nice

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.

At least is was something new and unique

Lots of repetitive but good beats to zone out to. Some nice sprinkles of funky.

nah

Got quite excited about this. I’d heard of Stereolab back in the day but never listened to their music. So another opportunity created by this list to listen to something I’d forgotten about. Huge disappointment though. Boring and repetitive. 2/5 14/10/25

This didn’t do it for me. I wanted to appreciate the kind-of-freaky take on French pop and marrying it with krautrock, and all the various synth sounds, but I ended up finding it tedious instead of interesting. I understand this came out about 30 years ago, but I don’t enjoy it when an album tries to surprise me and bores me instead. A matter of taste, I suppose.

Dreamy

I didn’t like the first song at all and I thought ‘oh no I’m in for a bad time here’ but then as the album continued I found I was having a really good time, especially with the French tracks! Favourites were Cybele’s Reverie, Les Yper Sound and The Noise of Carpet. Not something I’ll revisit ultimately and I also didn’t like the titular track and and a few other really repetitive moments but yeah, a pleasant surprise. (3.5 stars)

It's quirky. I like quirky.

Estranho e gostoso. Ouvi na primeira vez e odiei, acho que na segunda entendi, talvez na terceira vez escutando odeie novamente. Talvez o bom seja isso, mostra que opiniões são mutáveis.

Not bad, just not for me.

Some of this is only mildly annoying, average teenage garage band crap, some of it, like the title track is so bad you regret ever turning it in (a repetitive beat for over a minute is enough for me to turn any song off).

A pretty lackluster and plain album. Pleasant enough while it's on but few tracks to keep me engaged nor coming back. 2.5/5 -> 3/5

Another album with seemingly one long, forgettable song.

Pretty uninspiring, and got progressively less interesting as it wore on.

4.5

That's not my taste in music - But some pleasant songs

Mukavaa hybridiä perinteisen ja elektronisen musiikin kanssa. Onko tuo ranskaa jota välillä lauletaan. Lo-fi tunnelmia ja kivoja saundeja.

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

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

not really my type of style, but appreciated the instruments

Not my favorite.

French electro-pop

Wasn’t expecting an album called “Emperor Tomato Ketchup” to be a genuinely beautiful, fantastic experience

8/10 Favourite: Metronomic Underground Least Favourite: Olv 26

I didn't enjoy this very much. It was super repetitive and a lot of noise. I am sure someone, somewhere thought it was creative, but not me.

Totally fine album. Sounded good. Grooved good. Nothing jumped out, but it wasn't even close to unbearable. Wouldn't mind giving it another listen.

More enjoyable than expected. More than just background music. It has some life to it.

Strange and wonderful. Elements of krautrock, easy listening, pop and more, with just enough noise and nonsense to keep it interesting.

Gear: Sennheiser MOMENTUM TW 4 Artwork: 9️⃣0️⃣🔆 Production: 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🇫🇷🌈🤖 Ratinng: 🍅🍅🍅🍅/5

I don't really know enough about Stereolab to say if world domination was ever their goal, or whether they were alway quite happy chugging away in the quirky little European electronic indie niche they carved for themselves. The fact is, they occupy that niche so well. I'm not sure if this is their best work - there are some repetitive moments, and I feel it's only fair to mention this having only just taken a swipe at Les Rythmes Digitales for that very crime. The second track sounds like the melody was lifted straight from The Jam's No One In The World too. In general though, Emperor Tomato Ketchup presses all the right buttons - it's experimental, unique, and full of personality and charm, if a little over-long.

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.

Музыка: 7/10 Разнообразие: 7/10 Тематика и вайб: 7/10 Цепляемость (отдельные песни зашли): 6/10 Реиграбельность (можно ли рандомно врубить на фон): 7/10 Итог: 6.8

Motivating.

Weird ambient but not really ambient music. Do not like