from the LP Cobra & Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night, Duophonic Records, 1999Stereolab are one of those bands that has developed a particular sound which is so immediately identifiable as their own, it could almost be a genre in and of itself; taking from the worlds of jazzy lounge tunes, 60s pop and psych, krautrock, tropicalia & library music (minimal electronic-based stuff from early 80s France), they have crafted a distinctive brew which stands as one of the most imaginative & inspired discographies of the last 20 years, in my humble opinion. The mix of brass instrumentation, jazzy drumming and spacey electronic effects lifts you right out of this atmosphere and into the deep reaches of space where this collective must surely hail from (actually, they’re from London). Although the music easily stands on its own, Stereolab commonly gives you the added bonus of some esoteric, often sociologically themed, lyrics “…suffer you little children, remain passive and fearful, suffer don't grow out of it…it’s our lives we’ll learn to control, we who're young and beautiful, respond with revolution, when we hear the word ‘suffering’…”
