One French dude who loves Serge Gainsbourg and electronics plus one German chick who loves the French dude and rock and roll equal Stereo Total, an international love song to pop music, cheap synthesizers, two-chord punk, home taping and style, style, style. Now affiliated with Kill Rock Stars, the label has reissued a couple of their older records, Oh Ah from 1996 and Monokini from 1997, two discs full of exuberant Euro-pop, catchy melodies and that certain something that makes us all wish we were Jean-Paul Belmondo.
Stereo Total seemed to have stuffed the whole history of rock and roll into their rucksack, taken the Trans-Europe Express, and ended up with a tasty grab bag of pop tunes. The variety is such that at times it feels less like listening to a band?s album and more like some crazy short-wave radio broadcast. That said, the smoky, jazzy, world-weary tones of Serge Gainsbourg (who is covered no less than three times) seem to be Stereo Total?s touchstone. Although the records are packed with treats like the pure pop of ?Dactylo Rock,? the bubblegum eletro of ?C?est la Morte,? a raucous treatment of Salt n? Pepa?s ?Push It,? and the garage stomp of ?Souvenir Souvenir,? it seems to invariably come back to the sad ballads like ?Je suis venu te dire que je m?en vais.? And that?s just on Oh Ah.
Monokini doesn?t change the formula really at all, but does have a more consistent feel, being less of a pastiche. The production seems a bit more pro, and the songs a bit more polished. There is less Nena-esque synth pop and more cranked up guitars. Yet, the lighthearted exuberance of Oh Ah seems to have been slightly dampened. That said, the energy is certainly up, especially on loud guitar rock tunes like "Aua", "LA, CA, USA", and "A la sortie du Lycee" which easily blow out anything on Oh Ah. Also, "Schon von hinten", which is present in its four different forms (and three languages), is easily one of the bands strongest songs.
Ultimately what makes Stereo Total so appealing is a lack of affectation and of guile. It is difficult to imagine an American band making music so joyfully pop, or so sadly romantic, without resorting to cheap gimmicks, tounge-in-cheek irony, or other crutches of artifice (also, there is no end to the pleasure of hearing Brezel Goring singing a love song in French). You know that funny old piece of advice from the sages of yore about dancing like no one is watching? This is like music you might make for yourself, if no one else was listening.
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