Pop genres you might know: Britney is pop; Depeche Mode is electro-pop; Matchbox 20 is pop-rock. One you might not: Stereolab, apparently, is future-pop.
Don't know the music? Not a shock. Talk about a group with a cult following: you won't find a single Stereolab single on the radio. Many people seem to recognize the name - Sound-Dust, released earlier this month, is the group's 14th album- but if you actually know the music you're a rare breed.
For those not in the know, there's a lot to listen for and a lot to appreciate. Intricate arrangements and a veritable (though often artificial) orchestra of instruments give Stereolab the potential to create complex songs and sounds that no one else would consider.
It's original, yes, but it's not that the group's work is irreproducible. On hearing parts of Sound-Dust, you might wonder why no one else has thought of doing this before. Ultimately, that's what makes Stereolab so avant-garde: The band makes music that many other people could have made, but haven't:
Stereolab creates quasi-futuristic pop music - future-pop, if you will - that is self-consciously futuristic without taking itself seriously. Think of '60s pop: Tommy James and the Shondells come to mind, as do ? (literally "Question Mark") and the Mysterians. With the pop end firmly in mind, try to imagine those bands thrown forward 60 years or so. Futuristic can mean many things; don't expect the postmodern depth and intensity of recent Radiohead albums. Sound-Dust is too happy to be intense.
Its cheeriness isn't evident at first, as "Black Ants in Sound Dust" and the first two minutes of "Spacemoth" are minimalist and pure. Wait for the latter to get rolling, however, and you can't help but picture happy folk (all in pigtails and overalls) skipping down grass-lined cobblestone paths and bopping from side to side.
Maybe you're starting to think that Sound-Dust is weird. You're right.
At the same time, Stereolab's music is undeniably interesting. With instruments varying from tack piano to organs to electric harpsichord, there are sounds here that you're not accustomed to hearing in any kind of electronic music. The French touch is evident - especially once you notice some of those pesky French lyrics (which, apart from everything else, also sound pretty cool).
The melodies pass from the background to the foreground, from vocals to synthetic bells, from electronics to guitars. Stereolab is so easy to listen to that it's addictive - it doesn't follow a trend that's easy to classify. Sometimes you want to listen to music and sometimes you don't. When you don't, listen to Stereolab.
Sound-Dust is quiet and light enough to make good background music, but just being unobtrusive isn't much of a merit. Instead, its tone is so optimistic and forcefully cheery that it gains its own kind of intensity. Surely people this frighteningly happy must have something to say... or at least something seriously wrong with them. There is a hint of madness in songs like "Gus the Mynah Bird" and "Double Rocker," especially when some lyrics actually sound like "happy happy happy happy happy love."
There are some slightly less happy moments here and there - usually due to lower vocals like those in "The Black Arts" - but don't expect floor-cracking beats or mournful ballads. Not surprisingly, the happiest moments are also the most inspired on the album. The grin-filled climax of "Spacemoth," the second track, speaks volumes for the rest of Sound-Dust. Stereolab's style and strength is futuristic pop, and the best pop is happy pop. No point fighting what works.
Sound-Dust has its flaws - no one can be that happy all the time. If you want music for a party, or music for a date, or music for playing videogames, Stereolab isn't it either. Start popping Sound-Dust into your CD changer and your friends are going to give you some puzzled looks. No one may be offended, but people won't know what to think either. Stereolab is future-pop, and if you haven't noticed, the future isn't now.
That fact shouldn't stop you from enjoying it, though, whether in a solitary room or on headphones. If people don't feel the groove, don't make them. Shut out the noise and let Stereolab pour on some relaxation. Stereolab, Sound-Dust, Elektra Entertainment, 3.5 stars
