When Stereolab released Sound-Dust back in 2001, they snuck a whammy on me. Initially, I wasn't impressed by the album, although I enjoyed a couple of songs. But when I really started listening to it more fully, I realized that it was a milestone work. It transcended Stereolab's "retro-pop" sound, no longer belonging to some past vision of the future, but being very much what I wanted to listen to right then. It also differed from their previous two albums, in that it was very orchestral and baroque while the previous ones were very precise and minimalist. More expressive chords were being used, and the timing of the instruments all had a little more slip. It was enormous, and matched by complex songs - many of which were two or three distinct songs worked together, which allowed for some amazing transitions. My favorite, in the song Double Rocker, invokes a 1950's B-movie, with its slow bongos and increasingly loud horns and organs. In my mind, I can see that Tiki door in black and white moving ominously closer and closer, afraid and intrigued by what's beyond. Of course, the other side turns out to be a hip jazz party. The whole album, which even features an orchestral send-up to a Stereolab song from a decade earlier, felt like a break-through to me. And this is from a band that's generally very consistent with knockout material.
In 2002, second vocalist and guitarist Mary Hansen died after being hit by a truck while riding her bike in London. Mary was a key part of Stereolab, with a voice that nicely complemented Ms Sadier (Stereolab's co-founder). She was usually the one responsible for the "doo wee doo wee doo wee do.... whee" little blips of voice, but would also harmonize and sometimes split lyrics with Sadier.
Following Mary's death, Stereolab returned to the scene last fall with the EP, Sudden Stars. The baroque orchestrations of Sound-Dust were toned down, and a bit of funk (initially heard on 1996's Emperor Tomato Ketchup album) found its way in to the sound. There's also some male backup singing in some of the tracks, whose lyrical content runs the gamut of precious to the very political (a Stereolab staple).
Like the Captain Easychord EP was to Sound-Dust, "Instant 0..." was a precursor to a bigger album to come. And that has come in the form of Margerine Eclipse.
Margerine Eclipse (yes, that's the album's spelling) is a stunning album - a more intimate version of Sound Dust. The big orchestrations are gone, but there are still a ton of instruments in use (as there has been since 1994's Mars Audiac Quintet). The groop pulls of an interesting trick which I've found myself doing with my own art (to a lesser extent) - combining a sort of self-nostalgic step forward. According to The Onion AV club, Stereolab's mastermind Tim Gane crafted "...Sudden Stars" as " a pastiche of old and new source tape." One of my favorite tracks, so far, is "Margerine Rock". It puts me in a very happy daydream of the Mars Audiac Quintet performing on The Muppet Show, as it's got just that sort of rhythm and energy that Muppets seem to really go off on. It sounds a bit like 1994 Stereolab at first, but adds in distortion and discordance (not unpleasantly) in its rock-out moments - nicely filling in the sound space. "Feel and Triple" is the song that's directly about Mary (in fact, starting out with the words "Goodbye Mary, Goodbye Mary"). It starts out somber, but Stereolab doesn't dwell on sadness here - instead warming it up and including some new words sun to a backup melody Mary sang on the song "Ticker Tape of the Unconscious" (from 1997's excellent Dots and Loops album). The lyrics for Feel and Triple are a beautiful message to a friend, sung and performed well by the group, and is one of the high points of the album.
The most surprising moment, for me, is in the closing track - "Dear Marge." And in Marge, perhaps we see the meaning of the Margerine spelling of the albums title (and two other tracks). The surprise is the very intimate beginning of the track. Far removed from the laboratory image that Stereolab seem to like to give in each release, Dear Marge starts off with a half second of guitar and then a voice (I'm assuming Tim's) saying "Ready?" and a count (in stereo, out of phase) into another somber song beginning of guitars and vocals (mentioning "precious dust") that lasts for about half a minute before spreading into a nice warm loungy sound that is oh-so-cozy. That intimate of a start is a nice touch. "Dear Marge" is actually about three songs combined - all good, ending with the disco closing half of Mass Riff from the Instant 0 in the Universe EP.
While a lot of the sound may be looking backwards, the content is looking forward. Some tracks are cynical (and half are in french with no translation - another 'lab staple) Cosmic Country Noir seeks to get through the violence paradox to the common ground / common space where we can all finally agree. Margerine Melodie opines "Seems that until now we have used our brain just to dominate.. We've to widen the knowledge of how our brain words to under stand or nothing will ever change." The final lyrics (as printed) from "Dear Marge" (after condemning gods and judges) are "The joy to love, to know to learn, are the essence of existence. And so couldn't these govern it too? The joy to love, to open up."
In the middle of the album, between "Margerine Rock" and "Margerine Melodie" is "The Man With 100 Cells" is all about change - the revolution is coming anyways, you're not a child any more. "The tools you've used to get by aren't the keys to your tomorrows", shifting into some sinister augmented minor chords with heavy organs and singing "Horizon is grim, Tempest arriving..." before giving you the trust and helm of your ship.
Contributing to the change in sound in this album is that Stereolab worked with a new producer. For the past seven or so years, the Groop has worked with John McEntire (of Tortoise), and in recent albums also with Jim O'Rourke (of too many cool things). This time, neither of them are present, and the album is entirely in the hands of Fulton Dingley (who has co-produced on some recent albums and EPs). A unique touch to Instant 0 and Margerine Eclipse is that they're dominated by dual mono recording, with heavily separated left and right channels, an excellent stylistic choice that I think really adds to the sound.
The old images and dreams of what the space age would be have always held a strong sway over me, and Stereolab continue to let me live in those dreams. This album continues them. As I stated earlier - there's a difference now, since Sound-Dust. Maybe the Lab's caught up and surpassed us into a new future. Maybe I've just caught up to a place where I let myself live closer to those dreams. I'm not sure what's going on, but I love that there's still music outside of my usual Avant Garde circle that can make me fill like this (coincidentally, it was working with one of my favorite artists, Nurse With Wound, that brought me to Stereolab. I'm happy to say that I did manage to grab a vinyl copy of this. And there's no end to the fun that can be had with this.
Much love must be given to the likes of Stereolab and Pizzicato Five for picking up our space age and jet age musical visions and just running like hell with them.