Stereolab - ABC Music — The BBC Radio 1 Sessions
(Strange Fruit)
In tenth and eleventh grade Stereolab ruled me completely. I bought everything that the band had laid to tape that I could get my hands on, including almost all of their singles, every full length, and all of the Switched On series. The things I had trouble finding I sought out: the ridiculously rare "Wow and Flutter" single (which I maintain has their best song on it, the drone-y B-side "Narco Martenot"), the early singles, and their numerous splits and collaborations (with Brigitte Fontaine, Ui, and others). I even got a chance to see them live, with Sonic Youth, which was one of my defining concert moments. But, time went on, I unfortunately got deeply into emo-core, which led to post-rock, somehow, and Stereolab took a huge backseat, even though I kept all of their releases near and listened to them from time to time. Then this year came around, and I began to listen to, for whatever reason, Emperor Tomato Ketchup all of the time. And when I found out that a collection of live stuff spanning a decade had been released, I sought it out. Unfortunately, this is an import, and is pretty costly. However, it's worth it! And here's why:
- It's a retrospective! Ranging from 1991, with warmly analog drone recordings, all the way to 2001, where the bossa-nova just can't stop, there's something for every fan. Personally, I like the 1993-1996 period the most, and it's covered amply here.
- It's catchy! That's right, it is catchy, and that's what Stereolab is, they're catchy. They're catchy French pop married to Chicago jazz and drone and all sorts of other musical styles. What's interesting is that it's constantly catchy. Songs like "Changer," from the first Radio 1 session they recorded, is ridiculously repetitive, and yet the melody is so strong as to carry it, even though Laetitia Sadier only sings a single line, over and over. Likewise, selections from the second disc get into your brain and stay there, with their more complex structures and Marxist lyrics. Super wow!
- It's collectable! I really don't know anything about the Strange Fruit label, but since this release hasn't been publicized at all, I'm going to go out on a limb by saying that it's going to probably be pretty hard to find in a year or two.
- It's got memorable songs! And no, this isn't the same as "It's catchy!" I'm pretty sure that anyone at all into indie-rock or whatever underground genre is your choice knows Stereolab, at least by a song or two. Those songs are probably represented here. The garage-pop-on-the-moon of "Peng 33" and "John Cage Bubblegum." The drawn out fuzz of "Metronomic Underground." The sweetly innocent sounding pop of "Pinball." The downcast melancholy of "Lo Boob Oscillator" and "Cybele's Reverie." You've got to recognize at least one of these.
- It's got not so memorable songs! That's right. Songs that are amazing yet amazingly unheard, because of their rarity. The lovely "Spinal Column" from the "Miss Modular" EP, or the simple and fun "Moogie Wonderland" from the "Ping Pong" single. Better still, a proper release, of sorts, of the stunning "Pinball," another one of Stereolab's best and hardest to find songs. All of these are here.
- It's different! There's no denying that Stereolab have run a long road to the point they're at now. I've even already said that. But what's neat is that this collection finds them playing older songs in times of transition. For instance, "Lo Boob Oscillator," which originally served as a droned-out pop song, is reimagined here as a guitar-based anthem, albeit a wistful one. "Les Yper Sound," as well, has a thick fuzz on it that's sorely lacking in the original, and goes on for much longer, and is a lot less novel, and more listenable. There are even two versions of "Wow and Flutter," which I think is kind of neat.
So there you have it. This is a great release from a band that's never gotten stale, and it's definitely for everyone, not just collectors.
|
