The future of Stereolab

always thought of cobra and snowbug as sister albums — didn't they come out pretty much at the same time?

anyway, i feel like you could pick up like six high llamas albums on CD for about $12 ... worth the bucks.

High Llamas rule, fuiud.

Always wanted to like the High Llamas, but nah, they are rubbish.

It's weird they're so polarizing.

Anyway.

Count me in with the - not haters, but uninterested. I had High Llamas "Hawaii". Never took to it, sold years ago.

They have a bunch of albums I like more than Hawaii, but all of their music is extremely mellow.

Best entry points: Gideon Gaye, Snowbug, Talahomi Way. Those are the most traditional and song-oriented albums, I think. It's the other albums that I think have earned them their reputation of being a band that's not about songs. I love everything they've done.

I had that Gideon Gaye - it started off very songy, then it got overstuck on a riff for what seemed like hours. Brainticket/Cottonwoodhill be blowed!

"track goes by" is one of the best stuck-on-a-riff songs ever

looks the 'lab are playing primavera next year ...

whoa

Can Cladders and Beet, Maize, & Corn are also quite good

I dare say all of Stereolad* would be happy to join a touring lineup of Stereolab, but there should be a second female vocalist/etc as well

* !!! have toured as their own opening act, playing a set of Stereolab covers, with singer Nic Offer wearing a frock

I wish I could audition for Stereolab. I could knock out those bass riffs no problem.

I wish I could audition for Stereolab

OK, new lyrics for Ray Davies to pen..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWGOtxSNhEs

The Aluminum Tunes vinyl release has really brought home for me what a massive collection it is. I think it didn't really sink in originally because I had been experiencing the various parts of it in bits and pieces as EPs and singles. But coming back to it now, it's just a monumental piece of work. It feels like a coherent whole, probably one of their better releases.

I find their non-LP work more enjoyable than their proper albums. I think the one-off approach was more conducive to experimentation and transcending their obvious influences.

Just got the clear vinyl version of Peng! Really hoping it sounds better than the last reissue, although I'm not feeling very optimistic.

"track goes by" is one of the best stuck-on-a-riff songs ever

― tylerw, Wednesday, December 5, 2018 7:24 PM (one week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Track Goes By was one of the highlights when I saw them play a couple of years ago, although they didn't stretch it out for fifteen minutes, sadly.

The catchily-titled Retrospective Rarities And Instrumentals compilation is a pretty good overview of their albums up to Snowbug, it's up on Spotify along with pretty much everything else.

Similar to the Peng! reissue, Space Age Bachelor Pad Music comes with nice liner notes by Tim describing how they wrote and recorded all the tracks.

It's happening:

Stereolab Set To Perform at Desert Daze 2019,
First Announced North American Appearance In Over A Decade

Festival Returns October 10th - 13th to Moreno Beach in Lake Perris, CA; Limited Early Bird Tickets Available Now via https://desertdaze.org

Moreno Beach in Lake Perris, CA

a literal shit hole, yikes.

can only hope this means a bay area stop

have they announced anything except festival dates so far?

The Paris date, while technically part of a festival, is at least indoors *checks Eurostar timetable*

I'm very strongly considering going to this with my son. Death Grips, King Gizzard, and My Bloody Valentine are like his dream lineup.

Those were last year's performers, FYI

Uh oh. Well that changes things...

i saw their second-to-last U.S. show in 2008, i guess. Richard Swift opened. : /

Please god let there be a full U.S. tour. I never got to see Stereolab and never thought I would.

I did not attend the 2018 Desert Daze since I really haven't gone to a major music fest since Lollapalooza was a touring entity. But the lineup looked really good and a friend of mine performed in the area where they were doing ambient sets. I might actually go to this one.

I was there, and despite some bad calls on logistics and an electrical storm that ended Tame Impala after less than 15 minutes, the Lake Perris site was actually a good one (seeing that big storm come across the lake at us was wild) and the lineup was great. (They did put Ty Segall and White Fence on for the last set of the festival at around 2:30 Monday morning, so also not ideal)

Not to throw cold water on this reunion, I'm eager to see them too, but their last tour was easily the weakest of many that I saw. They got out of sync on a couple songs,which was a bit of a trainwreck, and they seemed to lack passion overall.

I enjoyed that last tour! (Which was more than 10 years ago.) Amazing great career-spanning setlist.

yeah, the 2008 show i saw was fantastic

Yeah the last time I saw them, I felt that the band had adjusted to the inevitable loss of Mary and had found a good new approach, whereas the tour before that -- the one that was the first after her death -- you could tell that her absence still hung heavy.

I think I didn't like how male-centric the later versions of the band got. I loved Mary and was devastated when she died, but I think they should've tried to replace her. Maybe they weren't interested or just felt like she was irreplaceable, but that dynamic was very important to who they were as a band, especially in a live setting.

assuming they'll form a similar lineup this time, but if they were to look for another female vocalist, does anyone come to mind we may already know?

Margaret Fiedler?

Mary Hampton, who sang on the 2nd Imitation Electric Piano album would be good, or maybe Rosie from Pram?

Morgane Lhote is still making music

Her absence from Stereolab was also significant, she was their best keyboard player.

while we're here, never seen this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJRb-5Gh3wc

Very nice, don't think I've ever seen any of that either.

Yeah, I have an old VHS comptape bought at a record fair, lots of live bits, vids and interviews. This looks much like it came from that, quality wise.

"Yeah the last time I saw them, I felt that the band had adjusted to the inevitable loss of Mary and had found a good new approach, whereas the tour before that -- the one that was the first after her death -- you could tell that her absence still hung heavy."

I miss her voice

from all the live recordings I've heard, she had remarkably good pitch/voice control

I recently learned that Gina Morris (Stereolab's original co-singer from 1990-1992, NME writer) is now in Australia (where Mary, her replacement, was from).

Interesting. In Melbourne rather than Queensland, I see. Married the dude from the Paradise Model, who toured with Stereolab in 1998! (Though she wouldn't have been in the entourage on that tour, presumably.)

Far out, the Paradise Motel guys were all friends of mine when the band started out. And I was a Stereolab obsessive.