by Jamie Robash
photo by Steve Double
Now is the time for Stereolab, a band for whom the phrase “ahead of their time” fits like a prophecy. In the 1990s and 2000s when Stereolab were self-releasing experimental albums steeped in krautrock and electronic pop then shot through with volts of French disco such as Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements and Emperor Tomato Ketchup (which were increasingly becoming building blocks for future generations of musicians to cull from), most of the American music scene was focused on straightforward guitar-driven rock instead. Stereolab co-founders and only constant members Tim Gane and Laetitia Sadier were romantically linked until 2002, but continued to make music together. This year marks the end of a decade-long hiatus and has seen a well-deserved deluxe re-issuing of their early material, which sounds just as good today as it did back then. And in true “better late than never” fashion, their sound seems ready for an encore debut at Pitchfork Fest 2019.
