Dots and Loops

Editorial Reviews
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 text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Dots and Loops
Average customer rating:

Mesmerizing, Hypnotic, Space Pop

Crap.

Audio Masterpeice

Very Good..... Very Addictive......

The best of Sterolab's later work

Dots and Loops
Stereolab
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
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Electronica | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Emperor Tomato Ketchup

Mars Audiac Quintet

Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night

Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements

Sound-Dust

ASIN: B000002HQ3
Release Date: 1997-09-23

Tracks:

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

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

Customer Reviews:

Mesmerizing, Hypnotic, Space Pop.......2006-01-29

Stereolab's music is extremely abstract and that is what makes it beautiful. The abstract nature of their songs lies in the musical arrangement and the melodies. They use raw sounds to create a futuristic blend of truly original songs. This is not house, or ambient, or dance because Stereolab still retains percussive elements of rock, and the vocals are structured somewhat. They have tweaked their music in a more experimental way while it remains grounded in their roots. Dots and Loops begins to break away from their earlier work in a more complex way, while still retaining elements of their earlier sounds on Emperor Tomato Ketchup. Stereolab's music requires multiple listens in order to begin to appreciate the heavily layered, textural atmosphere that their music consists of. I do not recommend listening to Dots and Loops while you are doing anything important, because you will fall into a deep hypnotic trance. As far as technical considerations go, the sounds that they use take on a life of their own, and the arrangements further enhance this sophistication. If you forget your name and where you are, don't be surprised. The heavy production is used to maximum advantage. Dots and Loops is a landscape of dreamy, esoteric, chill trip hop. Parsec is such a beautiful song, it's one of my favorite Stereolab songs. Refractions In The Plastic Pulse is just otherworldly, it plays out like a several songs that were strung together. This is the kind of music I would listen to if I was on a spaceship going to Mars. I love the abstract beeps and blurps that are punctuated by Laetitia Sadier's voice. Although I am not fluent in French, I think this helps me appreciate the beauty of her voice. It simply becomes another element. They have fused so many different influences to create such a unique and poetic sound. As a whole, the songs are more focused. Each song is so richly textured with electronic synthesizers and rhythmatic ambient noise. There is a richness and full bodied sound that begins to develop. If you want to listen to something that is truly original and genre defying listen to Stereolab. Stereolab's music could be classified as post-modern, synth-pop electronica, with a touch of rock elements. This isn't an "I'm sorta in the middle" kind of album. You either appreciate it, or you don't. Don't be afraid to let it "grow" on you, because eventually it will.

Crap........2006-01-24

As a passionate follower of Stereolab I remember with distinct agony the arrival of this album. Stereolab was a blessed union between electronica and the resurgence of lounge -- they were the musical messiah many of us had been waiting for throughout an otherwise dismal 90's. Oh yes, there was grunge, but before Nirvana? Before uh, those other guys in flannel? That's right, it was bleak indeed. Would-be hipsters raised on the mountain of slop that was NKOTB and Hootie and the Blow-chunks gave name to the new music they were hearing -- they dressed it in Gap clothing and christened it ALTERNATIVE, and THAT was the birth of the truly alternative music lovers hell.

Soon the ever-expanding Black Cloud of Musical Death reached my dear Stereolab. Someone, somewhere must have told Stereolab that Chicago was the new Seattle, so they picked up a resident faux-hipster wierdo noise-musician and let him play king for a day. The end result is an album that is so over-produced it's tedious. To the seasoned Stereolab listener Dots and Loops sounds as if the task at hand was to take music that was - in it's unadultered state - quite cool, rehash it and make it uncool, and then pulverize it yet again so that it's so uncool it must be very cool. And voila, the final product is a steaming pile of chunky barf.

Audio Masterpeice.......2005-09-17

As with all Stereolab Albums that drastically change their sound from previous albums, I really didn't like this album at first. I was embarrased to listen to it becuase of its happy spacious melodies and horn arrangements were reminiscent of the 1960's and go-go music.

This album could best be described as an "Impressionist-Electro-Brazilian-Lounge-Pop"

This album just gets better every time I hear it. Stereolab is a very subtle group, and the amount of complexity and work that went into making this album simply isn't apparent the first or even tenth listen. But the use of odd metric groupings, the horn voicings, the use of vocal harmonies, and all of the interlocking melodies are simply genious. I'm still discovering new layers of complexity in this beautiful music.

The horns remind me of Gil Evans, and the lush harmonies harken to Ravel or Debussy.

This album is simply genious.

Very Good..... Very Addictive.............2005-06-24

I wouldn't recommend Dots and Loops to anyone as an intro to Stereolab (new listeners should go with Mars Audiac Quintet or Emperor Tomato Ketchup), but this is indeed one great record for the more experienced Stereolab listener. A little less poppy than some of their other stuff but never the less it's basically typical Stereolab from start to finish. Highly recommended.

The best of Sterolab's later work.......2005-04-19

Stereolab's fifth album is widely considered to be their best, along with Emperor Tomato Ketchup. Coming in after ETK, this is a major step up. ETK, to me, was an awkward stage between their early rock and their later jam-band work. But this shows that ETK WAS indeed a directional album, and Dots and Loops takes the direction of ETK a few million steps out of Earth's atmosphere.
Dots and Loops is not Stereolab's best album in my opinion, simply because the songs on their own are not as compelling as ANY of their albums' songs are. If you want to rate this album track-by-track, drop my rating down to a 3. It doesn't sink in right away, either. But play it two or three times all the way through and you'll find yourself humming to yourself in French and you'll have no idea what you're saying or how to stop it--but you'll love it nonetheless.
No, this album gets a 5 because of how it is as an ALBUM. It opens brilliantly with Brakhage (gotta love Mary's backing vocals on this one), has a clear focal point (Refractions in the Plastic Pulse), and ends leaving you wanting more with Contronatura. Though no song is INCREDIBLE as a standalone, picking apart this album would be like picking out scenes to watch from a movie. It doesn't work as well. The only tracks I'll play individually are Brakhage and Parsec, my personal favorite from this album.
If you like Stereolab's later work, this is the one to get to know. If you want something you can listen to for catchy pop songs, don't go here. This is kind of like Stereolab's Kid A (for all you Radiohead fans). But if you're into space-age cinematic albums, this one's for you. Click, click, bleep! is the sound you'll be getting, but all the clicks and beeps really add up to something in the end.

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