transient random-noise bursts with announcements

Stereolab graduated to the majors with the gritty garage noise and dreamy synthpop drone of this artful sonic exploration.  The group had formed in 1990 with Tim Gane from McCarthy and his French girlfriend Lætitia Sadier; and they gradually brought in Mary Hansen, Andy Ramsay, Duncan Brown, and Sean O'Hagan from Microdisney.   After several releases on their own Duophonic Super 45s label, and more on the independent Too Pure Records, the group was offered a deal with Elektra Records in the US. 

Their double album tongue-in-cheek test disk opus 'Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements' was produced and engineered by Phil Wright with Laetitia Sadier on vocals, guitar, Vox organ, Moog synthesizer, and tambourine; Tim Gane on guitar, Vox organ, Moog synthesizer, and percussion; Sean O'Hagan on guitar, Vox & Farfisa organs; Andy Ramsay on bouzouki, Vox organ, and percussion; Mary Hansen on vocals, guitar, and tambourine; and Duncan Brown on guitar, bass, and background vocals.  

'Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements'  didn't chart; but it became an underground sensation.  Gane considers:    "To me, independent is a state of mind.  It's not an economic description.  Basically here independent is an economic description of labels that go through an independent distribution network which is very large.  That's it.  Most independent labels here are just like the big labels except small.  They operate the same way; they treat the bands in pretty much the same way.  They're interested perhaps not so much in releasing interesting or important music more than trying to sell as many as they can.  That's fine and all that.  Elektra signed us, because they hope we'll sell lots of records.  They didn't sign us because they think we're good.  They might think we're good ... We’re pretty derivative actually it’s just that the groups we rip off are too obscure. We just like certain sounds which we couldn’t get around if we tried. We’re trapped by pop music pretensions." 

Sadier says:   "Stereolab’s political agenda is in the same line as McCarthy’s; to create a disturbance is the best way we thought of to make people and ourselves think ... I feel that there’s a sense of prostitution in the system; that we have to parade ourselves, to ‘sell’ what we do. People have been so conditioned to do this, and they derive a sense of arrogant power from this, this certain attraction to being made an object. We’re all still stuck in this crazy system that’s still based on exploitation, that’s still based on master/servant...The structure of society mirroring the structure of the mind. We don’t have to live like this, but we accept it, because somewhere it serves an unconscious urge to be objects. That’s a theme I find fascinating: that we refuse freedom because we refuse the responsibilities that come with freedom. In this culture of propaganda, of fear, no one is wanting to stand up to take responsibility. I feel like this system isn’t working. I think capitalism is an interesting system, but it doesn’t take any risks any more...It’s not even ‘fake’ anymore; it’s gone beyond the ersatz into the utterly absurd. Pop has completely eaten itself. It’s not even like we’re cultivating these artistic riches and then exploiting them. It’s just exploitation of exploitation. We can’t help ourselves.”





http://www.stereolab.co.uk/


https://myspace.com/stereolab









The pure pop pleasure of "Pack Yr Romantic Mind" – 5:06  borrows from "Strangers in the Night", written by Burt Kaempfort, Charles Singleton, and Eddie Snyder.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UgTOFW7T8w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5_6-v3zlBI




"Our Trinitone Blast"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNKJtdDBqhg








"Golden Ball" 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5n3ykMLZ70






Side three comprises the suite of four distinct movements, 
"Jenny Ondioline"  which contains samples from "Channel Recognition Phasing & Balance", used courtesy Haymarket Publishing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGDxN4mQ8WA


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnCwfIpCyM0


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMs2YEbZ9oQ


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjHShJKMDjU




"Analogue Rock"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmoyg9Xy5IM




"Crest" 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z-ufNCiK48







'Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements' 
full album:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmMspVpdKfc


"Tone Burst" – 5:35
"Our Trinitone Blast" – 3:47
"Pack Yr Romantic Mind" – 5:06 
"I'm Going Out of My Way" – 3:25
"Golden Ball" – 6:52
"Pause" – 5:23
"Jenny Ondioline" – 18:08 
"Analogue Rock" – 4:13
"Crest" – 6:04
"Lock-Groove Lullaby" – 3:38