June 11, 2008 Playlist

"Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements" by Stereolab (1993)
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Stereolab  "Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements"  1993 (UK/France)
In some ways Stereolab is the ultimate example of a postmodern band, so much so that they're almost utterly unique.  Combining riffs from trashy easy listening and French 60's "Ya-Ya" pop with the methods of musical heavyweights like Rhys Chatham, Pierre Henry, NEU! and Kraftwerk is the sort of high/low culture bricolage that defines modern art.  Though they wear their influences on their sleeves, no one else has thought to combine this particular groop of musical signifiers together before or since, and as a result Stereolab seems to me to be the most original British band of the last couple decades.  Their music sounds like what hipsters in the sixties would have imagined music would sound like in the 21st century -- a past vision of the future that never came to be.
Here's a video for the edited single version of "Jenny Ondioline", the 18 minute centerpiece of this album which coolly combines Chatham's "Guitar Trio" with the rhythms of NEU!'s "Hallogallo" and a dose of the Velvet Underground's "Sister Ray" -- only it's catchy POP!  And here's a ridiculous cheapo music video for one of their Marxist melodies, "Wow and Flutter".  Although they've always been a pretty fiercely "indie" band, Stereolab achieved a certain amount of popularity in the 1990's, peaking with the space age Dots and Loops album in 1997, featuring tunes like "Miss Modular".
 
(N) = New Release
 
Artist Song Album Year (label) Country
Armageddon Buzzard Armageddon 1975 UK/USA
Captain Beyond I Can't Feel Nothin' / As The Moon Speaks (To The Waves Of The Sea) / Astral Lady Captain Beyond 1972 USA/UK
DMBQ Dm The Essential Sounds From The Far East 2005 Japan
 
 
Boris
 My Neighbor Satan Smile (N) 2008 (Southern Lord) Japan
Melvins Buck Owens Stag 1996 USA
ASG
 The Dull Blade Win Us Over (N) 2008 (Volcom) USA
Bad Dudes
 Preteen Wolf Eat Drugs (N) 2008 (Retard Disco) USA
The Black Angels
 Science Killer Directions To See A Ghost (N) 2008 (Light In The Attic) USA
Stereolab Pack Yr Romantic Mind Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements
 CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK		 1993 UK/France
   
 
Stereolab Jenny Ondioline Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements
 CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK		 1993 UK/France
Rhys Chatham Cadenza Factor X 1983 USA
Mahogany Brain Green Winter Of Revolvers Smooth Sick Lights rec. 1972, rel. 1976 France
 
 
Unio and Petitio Rubric Accretions On The Liminal Plane Cheers Fanx Ta (N) 2008 (self release) UK
Black Tempest Telepathy Machine Telepathy & Mutilation (N) 2007 (noiseweb.co.uk) UK
People Prayer - Part 2 Ceremony - Buddha Meet Rock 1972 Japan
Atomic Rooster People You Can't Trust Made In England 1972 UK
Aphrodite's Child The Beast 666 1971 Greece
Lek
 Quixotic Giant World Knowledge Bliss Control (N) 2008 (Fuzzworld) USA
 
 
Scorpions Sun In My Hand In Trance 1975 Germany
Kraan The Son Of The Sun Andy Nogger 1974 Germany
Earthling Society
 Sundropped Beauty & The Beast (N) 2008 (4Zero) UK
Sweet Smoke Kundalini From Darkness To Light 1973 USA/Germany
Cornershop Butter The Soul When I Was Born For The Seventh Time 1997 UK
Various Artists
 All Blues (Miles Davis) Miles From India (N) 2008 (Times Square) USA/India
   
  
Spiritualized
 Baby I'm Just A Fool Songs In A & E (N) 2008 (Fontana International / Sancturay) UK
          
Back to playlists         Back to main