Emperor Tomato Ketchup
Released
Stereolab existed in a world without hard and fast rules about what was kitsch or outmoded — a version of VU/Can/Wendy Carlos circa 1969 that led to a permanent revolution in motorik-driven analog synth hooks, pop-art cool, and leftist philosophy alike. Their loop-heavy compositions could be Devo-stiff or Dilla-funky, a previous generation’s avant-garde repurposed into a successive one’s uneasy listening. And the Laetitia Sadier/Mary Hansen harmonies are life-affirming.