By now, after eight albums and a hard-to-map path of singles and EPs, Stereolab have written their own musical language. It’s one built in part, as critics love to point out, on the 1970s genre of Krautrock, especially the rhythms and grooves of the band Neu! Yet Stereolab‘s sound transcends any simple comparisons, drawing from an assortment of genres and elements, including Beach Boys harmonies, bubblegum pop melodies, space-age sound effects, lounge music, Brazilian music, electronica and various strains of jazz. They draw on a range of musical styles and shape them into the Stereolab sound.
Though they have a unique, easily recognisable sonic personality, Stereolab add a new twist to it on each album, casting their sound in a slightly different light. While 1997’s Dots and Loops further integrated electronics and percussion into their sound and 1999’s Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night (and its companion mini-album, 2000’s The First of the Microbe Hunters) saw them crafting a busy, more jazz-based sound, their latest album Sound-Dust has a playful, at times otherworldly style which brings to mind children’s fairy tales.