Stereolab - Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements (Album Review)

 

Stereolab - Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements

(1993)

My copy: 2012 reissue by 1972

Stereolab are one of the most influential rock bands of all time with their intriguing tonal experiments that are often tied to jazz, funk and psychedelic rock. Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements is their 1993 sophomore full-length that attempted (and succeeded) to reshape typical pop-rock landscapes.

“Tone Burst” gallops into focus with jangled guitars and persistent bass. The landscapes of keys and doo-wop vocals paint a beautifully cohesive picture of early pop walking hand-in-hand with the synth music of the 80s.  Laetitia Sadier’s vocals have all the mysterious allure of a jazz lounge singer. “Tone Burst” is a proof of concept for the whole record: the song builds and crackles with thunderous guitar, and regal chord progressions are threatened by the building storm of choppy instrumentals. The formula on this album is a ton of fun, but can become tiresome in the later bits. 

“Pack Yr Romantic Mind” is a swooning, seductive performance of layered vocal harmonies. Stereolab ensures here that no song is simply happy or sweet, as some dissonant chord or element always works its way into the mix. On “Pack Yr Romantic Mind” sharp guitar cautiously jabs its way into focus over a bed of synth. 

“I’m Going Out Of My Way” is like sailing through a surreal tunnel of love ride with its bubblegum pop being contrasted by coarse synth tones and a clipped outro. “Golden Ball” sounds like the Band Of Susans took acid and blasted off to the moon. “Pause” is a borderline confused interlude with a fake out ending (that lasts way too long) of sampled vocals, electronic distortion and a synth/vocal duet. 

The real meat of this record is the monster “Jenny Ondioline” which clocks in at just over 18 minutes long; the kraut-rocking influences are worn openly after a tidal wave of tremolo boots the song into its first movement of meditative grooves. This monumental track is kept exciting by occasional swells and Sadier’s enthusiastic vocals. I question whether “Jenny Ondioline” truly deserves to be counted as one cohesive song as its second movement lazily fades into a Neu! Inspired jam that treads along until the third movement introduces restless distortion that tears away the foundation like a tornado. The mountainous 18 minute song concludes with spiraling synth tones.

“Analogue Rock” is a refreshing breather with bouncy bass and fun stereo effects that swap the panning of the bass and synth to create tension. The biggest blues rock influence is expressed through the raw guitar spasms on “Crest,” which are juxtaposed by clean vocals and bass. “Crest” builds momentum cleverly, eventually swallowing the original guitar line into a cyclone of vicious cymbals and filthy rhythm guitar. “Lock-Groove Lullaby” closes the album on perhaps its weirdest note, as a borderline sinister waltz eventually devolves into jangled acoustic plucking over a litany of samples. 

Stereolab set out to give rock music a romanticized sense of grandeur and they mostly succeed. Blending such a wide array of genres at best gets us genuinely groundbreaking moments while at worst begets a Frankenstein's monster of incoherence (although this is few and far between). Stereolab would go on to refine the jagged edges into a cleaner more electronic package, but this album remains a great testament to their ability to match the ugly distorted side of rock to the beautiful side of funk or jazz. 

This double album is still cheap and easy to get online.