Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 00:53:20 -0700 From: Jon Subject: New things 4AD-ish and otherwise. I already love the new Stereolab. I just got a promo yesterday, and have taken to it quite nicely. I loved the single, and the album is just as attractive to me. It has a much smoother sound to it, more poppy and with a 60's sensability about it. I can see a littel of the quirky Nurse With wound influence on some of the bits between the songs, but it does not come off to me as "experimental". I think it's a lateral move of sorts in albums, not earth shattering, but pleasant, and fun and relaxing at the same time. Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 18:25:45 -0400 From: Joseph Burns Subject: Re: Stereolab this is probably the first of inevitable raves about Stereolab... the new record is wonderful... on the surface its all sugary mellow-poppy mood pieces, but underneath there's MANY MANY layers of wonderful sounds doing backflips all for your listening enjoyment. Its got the loungey-jazz feel of Emporer Tomato Ketchup and the quirky strangeness of Mouse on Mars... It definately lacks the huge ambitious feel of some of their earlier stuff (Mars Audiac, Emporer Tomato etc...) but I think they are trying to distance themselves from being pigeon holed as a politcal band... but don't be fooled, Stereolab knows exactly what's going on and they are very close to touching the nugget... or they at least know how to serenade the nugget with wonderful blankets of sound. Date: Tue, 28 Oct 1997 13:00:39 -0500 From: John Rickman Subject: Stereolab's newone well, i felt somewhat prepared to hear "Dots and Loops", as i had heard a friends copy of "Fluroesences" when it came out, and i had heard all kinds of bad things about it on another list. when i heard that first track on "Fluroescences" i immediately pictured Mary Tyler Moore swinging her handbag around. like the new album, that track is overproduced and retro-sounding, and lacks that driving groove that i (and most everyone else i know) buys their records for. yet, i still think these records are pretty listenable, and display other talents that the groop has aquired recently - arguably from spending so much time with their Chicago posse. i just bought "Dots" yesterday, and on first listen i really dig it. i like the "new" (retro) grooves they're working with, and of course i still love their vocals/harmony/instrumentation. i can understand wanting to get away from their signature sound, whether it was intentional or not, but the direction that they have taken does leave me a little disappointed - probably because i don't need another retro take on anything, anymore. i dunno, their new sounds don't sound 'contemporary' to my ears. their progression sounds a little to much like regression to me, but i can't help but like it. after all, the new album is pretty solid in its production and execution. just not the same groop. Date: Tue, 28 Oct 1997 18:39:52 +0000 From: David Thorpe Subject: Re: Dots and Loops On Tue, 28 Oct 1997, Jens Alfke wrote: > Anyone have thoughts on the new Stereolab album? I've been avoiding it > after hearing a recent EP, which I thought was pretty icky It's truely difficult to listen to Stereolab's <> after the magnificent <> - a seemingly 180 degree turn away from "funk" (also apparent on the <> EP) and back into a more easy-listening mode a la <>. It's got a very clean and crisp sound which gives it a bright airy feeling, and even the tracks which should hum along somehow seem to drift in the air. There's a take on Drum-and-Bass about half way through which works reasonably well, the ten minute groove song doesn't particularly groove along, and it does descend into cheesy-easy-listening at times. But somehow, I think this is going to be a magnificent Stereolab LP sometime in the future - it feels like a light summer record rather than a dark solid one, so perhaps another six months?