Stereolab

A groundbreaking, musically adventurous group, Stereolab formed in the early '90s when Tim Gane (leader of the London-based band McCarthy) met French singer Laetitia Sadier. The group's earliest output consisted of three singles, collected on Switched On in 1992. That same year Stereolab released their debut full-length album, Peng!--an experimental take on pop music featuring singsong melodies, choral vocals and droning keyboards. The '50s-pop-influenced The Groop Played "Space Age Batchelor Pad Music" appeared in early 1993, followed by the band's first U.S. release, Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements, later in the year. The group explored more dance- and jazz-influenced territory on 1996's Emperor Tomato Ketchup. Jan St. Werner of Mouse on Mars and John McEntire of Tortoise joined Stereolab for their 1997 release, Dots and Loops. 1999 saw the release of Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night, produced by John McEntire and Jim O'Rourke (Sonic Youth, Gastr Del Sol). The mellow, lounge-music-inspired Sound-Dust followed in 2001. Tragedy struck the group in late 2002 when longtime band member Mary Hansen was hit by a truck and killed while bicycling. Stereolab reemerged in 2004 with Margerine Eclipse, another polished album full of bubbly melodies and synth-heavy music. Oscillons from the Anti-Sun, a box set collecting previously unreleased tracks and a DVD of videos and TV appearances, was released in 2005. The prolific group issued Fab Four Suture in 2006.