[.ca] Dots and Loops

From Amazon.com:
The raw artiness and German rock influences heard on this U.K. sextet's landmark Transient Random-Noise Bursts (1993) have been distilled into a smooth sour-mash cocktail here. As with sister act The High Llamas, there's a buoyant '60s whimsy to these tracks, recorded in Chicago (with Tortoise's John McEntire), Düsseldorf and elsewhere. Laetitia Sadier has refined her Françoise Hardy routine, and Tim Gane marshals his vintage synths to fine effect on "Prisoner of Mars" and "The Flower Called Nowhere." --Jeff Bateman

This album changed my life:
The first time I heard Stereolab's "Mars Audiac Quintet" back in 1994, I hated it. I think I was expecting something else. At the time I was really into beat-heavy electronic music, and Sterolab was the opposite of this. The album sounded repetitive and boring to me. I wrote them off completely, that is, until 1999, when I heard "Dots and Loops" for the first time. I heard Brakhage on the radio during a low point in my life and the song was so uplifting I felt an intense euphoria engulf me. I ran out and bought the album and played it over and over, never once getting sick of it. This album became the soundtrack of one of the best summers of my life. Even now, 5 years later, I still love this album, especially the song Brakhage. I am so glad I was able to see past my narrow-mindedness of the past and welcome this band into my life. Stereolab is definitely on my top 5 list of all-time favorite bands. You will love "Dots and Loops" and it just might change your life too.

Hurrah!:
When Stereolab morphed into a sort-of lounge-pop, jazz-tinged monster, some fans eventual grew weary of the band. Maybe it's just me, or my love for some kitsch here and there, but the direction Stereolab went on Dots & Loops is highly appealing to me. Gone are the droning guitars of Transient Random Noise Bursts. On Dots & Loops, the musical platter laid out by Emperor Tomato Ketchup is expanded upon with electro textures, horns, strings, and lots and lots of keyboards. Perhaps it's because Stereolab began mixing their music on computers at the time of this album, but Dots & Loops is an album of its own, one which for many perhaps defines the Stereolab sound. Maybe Stereolab keeps putting out the same album nowadays, but Dots & Loops is more or less a departure from their early work, but a departure which when done right is something sort-of magical.

Exotic Space Lounge Bossa Fever:
My first experience with Stereolab was at Lollapalooza in '92 or '93 when they played the second stage and completely blew me away, but it wasn't until I heard Dots and Loops that I was reminded how important this band's music is to my total well-being. Like holistic medicine, Stereolab create music for the entire being - the mind, the soul, AND the booty. Dots and Loops is pure, grooving, spacey, pop goodness and a great introduction for newcomers. A perfect fusion of all the elements of the band's sound - droning, Velvet-esque jams, fluttery 60's pop a la Francaise, spaced out exotica, and a dash of acid jazz - this may be the most perfect Lab album. Sputtering electronics, sparkling xylophones, jiggling, popping, percolating rhythms; this is Sergio Mendes tripping with Esquivel at a party hosted by Lou Reed. Many seem to think that Emperor Tomato Ketchup is the group's best. I agree that Emperor is phantasmagorically delicious and I can't say anything bad about it, but Dots is the best. It's lounge music for the 21st century as envisioned by the creators of Tomorrowland. It is a masterpiece. Viva la Lab!

Beautiful:
Their best album. Psychedelic, downbeat dream pop. Where pop meets electronica. Gorgeous vocals, great instumental playing (hats off to the drummer) Very few bands ever make an album this good. Its one of those rare albums that my friends all agree upon: its emotive, beautiful and a masterpiece.

.:A Photograph of Suburbia:.:
9:30 AM, Shady streets, sunny skies, drifting clouds, 2 cars in every garage ,1970's style houses, manicured lawns, a park, baseball games, playgrounds, Nuclear families, 2.5 kids. Family dog... in essence, suburbia. Now what may seem to be a somewhat random listing actually does well to describe the atmosphere of Stereolab on "Dots and Loops." While most people would agree that "Emperor Tomato Ketchup" is a good place to get started if you plan on building a Stereolab catalogue; here we have them at their cleanest and most accessible. For the most part "Dots and Loops" has a very tranquil, sleepy vibe throughout. (I mean that in the best way possible) Although somewhat flawed, thoroughly enjoyable. Laetitia Sadler's vocals are the standard non-sensical Stereolab fare, while well-intentioned,never seem to go anywhere in particular, and generally stop before getting to said destination. To me they seem more to add atmosphere to the music than to convey a particular message, which is fine. Yes, it does have an artsy retro european mod sound, but if you were to translate this into the above mentioned scenery, it almost seems to bring about an oddly familiar vision of normal everyday americana. Know a neighborhood that looks like this? Pop this disc in your CD player and go explore it... you'll see exactly what I mean. Reccomended. 4 Stars.

• Brakhage
• Miss Modular
• Flower Called Nowhere
• Diagonals
• Prisoner of Mars
• Rainbo Conversation
• Refractions in the Plastic Pulse
• Parsec
• Ticker-Tape of the Unconscious
• Contronatura