March 28, 2017 Playlist

"Emperor Tomato Ketchup" by Stereolab (1996)
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Stereolab "Emperor Tomato Ketchup"  1996 (UK/France)
Stereolab's classic run of albums began with their 1993 album with the long title and lasted until the end of that decade. They heralded a postmodern age of ironic appropriation of culturally received signifiers, much like the contemporaneous hip-hop movement, only way more European. In other words, the Stereolab sound is thrown together from a bunch of old ideas: easy listening bop-bop-shoo-bop vocals, bossa nova beats, krautrock keyboards, indie guitars, even a pilfered R&B riff here and there (the leadoff track on this album is clearly based on Rufus Thomas' "Sixty Minute Man"). Their lead singer, lyricist and mini-moog player Laetitia Sadier (who has a brand new album out this month) wrote songs that alternate between didactic Marxist criticism and open-hearted sentiments, delivered in a cereberal soft rock monotone in her native French as well as English. Since Stereolab "went on hiatus" in 2009, she has released a series of solid solo albums that frequently make the Kosmik Radiation best of the year lists. The other core members include Time Gane, the guitarist who wrote most of the music, who has been little heard from since the hiatus (he lives in Germany and has a band called Cavern Of Anti-Matter that I haven't heard). The second singer during their classic era was Mary Hanson, the fan favorite who stood center stage playing tambourine and bop-doo-wahing complimentary vocals lines with Laetitia (except when she picked up a guitar which always meant they were about to drop a frenzied krautrock bomb). Mary died tragically in a traffic accident in 2002, and frankly the group was never the same again. For the first time in a while I'm going to add some video clips: The 'lab live in 1996, and Laetitia solo. Also we must pay tribute to the Most Important Man in the History of Rock, Chuck Berry.
Chuck Berry 1926 - 2017
Chuck Berry
1926 - 2017
(N) = New Release
   
Artist Song Album Year Country
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Flying Mictrotonal BananaFlying Mictrotonal Banana (N)2017 (ATO)Australia
Fairport ConventionMatty GrovesLiege & Lief1969UK
Wolf People Glass
Ruins (N)2016 (Jagjaguwar)UK
The Feelies Gone Gone GoneIn Between (N)2017 (Bar None)USA
 
 
Ty Segall Freedom
   / Warm Hands (Freedom Returned)
Ty Segall (N)2017 (Drag City)USA
FishboneV.T.T.L.O.T.F.D.G.F.Fishbone EP1985USA
   
 
Chuck BerryMy Ding-A-Ling (live)The London Chuck Berry Sessions1972USA
Chuck BerryBrown-Eyed Handsome ManA-side 7" single1956USA
   
 
Stereolab Motoroller Scalatron Emperor Tomato Ketchup
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
1996
UK/France
StereolabMetronomic UndergroundEmperor Tomato Ketchup
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
1996
UK/France
StereolabTomorrow Is Already HereEmperor Tomato Ketchup
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
1996
UK/France
StereolabThree Dee MelodyMars Audiac Quintet 1994
UK/France
Laetitia Sadier Sound Ensemble Undying Love For HumanityFinding Me Finding You (N)2017 (Drag City)France
   
 
Golden Bear Whole Nuthr LevelDimensional Place (N)2016 (C-Side)USA
Joan Of Arc This Must Be The Placenta
He's Got The Whole This Land Is Your Land In His Hands (N)2017 (Joyful Noise)USA
Gonjasufi Krishna PunkCallus (N)2016 (Warp)USA
Mr. Elevator & The Brain Hotel When The Morning Greets You With A SmileWhen The Morning Greets You (N)2017 (Rad Cat)USA
Tuns To Your SatisfactionTuns EP (N)2015 (Universal)Canada
Woods Moving To The Left (live)Live At Third Man Records (N)2016 (Third Man)USA
Brian Auger & Julie Driscoll & The TrinitySeason Of The Witch (Donovan)Open1967
UK
Hampton Grease BandHey Old Lady / Bert's SongMusic To Eat1971
USA
   
 
ArgentBe My Lover, Be My FriendAll Together Now1972
UK
Deep PurpleRat Bat BlueWho Do We Think We Are1973
UK
BeBop DeluxeFair ExchangeSunburst Finish1976
UK
Atomic RoosterBreathlessMade In England1972
UK
EggContrasongThe Polite Force1971
UK
 
  
The Moody BluesAre You Sitting Comfortably
   / The Dream
   / Have You Heard (part one)
   / The Voyage
   / Have You Heard (part two) (live)
Caught Live + Fiverec. 1969, rel. 1977
UK
      
   
   
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