Pulse of the Early Brain

Last updated

Pulse of the Early Brain
Pulseoftheearlybrain.png
Compilation album by
Stereolab
Released2 September 2022 (2022-09-02)
Recorded1992–2008
Length118:54
Label
Stereolab chronology
Electrically Possessed
(2021)		Pulse of the Early Brain
(2022)
Singles from Pulse of the Early Brain
  1. "Robot Riot"
    Released: 24 June 2022
  2. "Simple Headphone Mind/Trippin' With the Birds"
    Released: 3 August 2022
  3. "Cybele's Reverie (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)"
    Released: 24 August 2022

Pulse of the Early Brain is a compilation album by the English-French avant-pop band Stereolab, released on 2 September 2022 under Duophonic Records and Warp Records. It is the fifth installment of the band's "Switched-On" series which collects the band's rarities, such as the EPs Simple Headphone Mind (1997) and Low Fi (1992); bonus and exclusive tracks from Chemical Chords (2008); and individual tracks from other albums, split singles and flexi discs. Unlike previous "Switched-On" releases, which compiled each of the band's eras in chronological order, Pulse of the Early Brain covers rarities from all over their career.

Contents

The compilation was announced with the release of the single "Robot Riot" in June 2022 and the singles "Simple Headphone Mind" and "Trippin With the Birds" in August. Pulse of the Early Brain received universal acclaim from music critics, who praised the inclusion of Simple Headphone Mind and Low Fi, but some also consider it to be the most and least essential release in Stereolab's catalogue. It ranked at number 3 in the UK Independent Albums Chart and at number 66 in the UK Albums Chart.

Summary

The compilation begins with the Simple Headphone Mind EP, consisting of the title track and "Trippin' With the Birds". It is a 1997 collaboration with Nurse with Wound in which both tracks rework Stereolab's track "The Long Hair of Death" (previously released in a split single with Yo La Tengo and on Aluminum Tunes) into "euphoric, psychedelic motorik". [1] This lasts for 31 minutes and is followed by the next EP Low Fi (1992). It marks the first appearances of members Mary Hansen and Andy Ramsay and contains "blissfully loud and transporting rock" that has a variations of "a hypnotic whir that seems unencumbered by the rules of gravity: the analog rumble, synth squiggles, and strummed chords are a collective force onto itself." [1] [2]

"Robot Riot" is an unreleased track "with its insistent strums giving way to a coda of hooky harmonies". [2] It was intended for a sculpture in 2000 by Charles Long, but the track "Unity Purity Official" with its "percolating rhythms, retro-futurisms, and ye-ye melodies" was chosen instead. [2] The tracks "Spool of Collusion" and "Forensic Itch" were part of an exclusive 2008 7" that came with the first 5000 copies of Chemical Chords . [3] "Magne-Music" and "The Nth Degrees" were also bonus tracks for the limited edition UK CD of Chemical Chords. [3] The "avant-garde sci-fi jazz" song "Symbolic Logic of Now!" was released in a 1998 split single with Soi-Dissant, released under Luke Warm Music. [1] [3] The compilation contains a demo version of "Ronco Symphony", taken from the 1993 EP Space Age Batchelor Pad Music . [3]

"ABC", with "gnarled, fuzzed-out guitar riff hints at hard rock before it gets engulfed by studio trickery", is a cover of the Multitude, from the Godz album The Third Testament, originally for the tribute album Godz Is Not A Put On in 1996. [2] [3] "Blaue Milch" is a "reimagining of a Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra piece" released under Bungalow Records in 1998. [4] [3] "Yes Sir! I Can Moogie!" and "XXXOOO" are brief tracks that were released on flexi discs under the labels Wurlitzer Jukebox in 1995 and Encore! in 1992 respectively. [5] [3] The compilation has an original version of "Plastic Mile", which was re-recorded for Fab Four Suture in 2006, [3] and a "spectral yet hard-hitting" remix of "Refractions of The Plastic Pulse" by Autechre, released in 1998. [1] [3] The album closes with a 2004 live performance of "Cybele's Reverie" at the Hollywood Bowl. [3]

Release and reception

Pulse of the Early Brain was announced with the release of the single "Robot Riot" on 24 June 2022, [6] followed by "Simple Headphone Mind" and "Trippin' With The Birds" on 3 August [7] and "Cybele's Reverie (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)" on 24 August. [8] The compilation released on 2 September under Duophonic Records and Warp Records. It was made available to purchase on vinyl, CD, and digital download. Limited vinyl and CD editions were released in a mirriboard sleeve. The digital edition only contains 16 tracks out of 21, with the EP Low Fi and the demo of "Ronco Symphony" being excluded due to digital licensing restrictions. [9] Low Fi had a separate 2022 digital re-release, and the "Ronco Symphony" demo appears as a bonus track for the 2018 digital re-release of Space Age Batchelor Pad Music, both under Too Pure records. [10] [11] Pulse of the Early Brain ranked at number 3 in the UK Independent Albums Chart and at number 66 in the UK Albums Chart. [12] [13] It also peaked at number 10 in the Scottish Albums Chart and number 89 in the German Albums Chart. [14] [15]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 82/100 [16]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
The A.V. Club B+ [2]
Clash 8/10 [4]
Classic Rock 6/10 [17]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [18]
Pitchfork 6.6 [5]
Record Collector Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [19]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [20]

Pulse of the Early Brain was met with universal acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 82, based on seven reviews. [16] Critics considered the inclusion of the EPs Simple Headphone Mind and Low Fi to be highlights of the compilation. [1] [20] Acting as the first six tracks, some praised the transition between both EPs. [2] [4] Stephen Thomas Erlewine commented: "Oozing with ambient grooves and catchy harmonies, the fifth volume of rarities from the avant-pop quintet calls back to their space-age prime." [2] Piers Martin of Uncut magazine considered the compilation to be "the best one yet". [20]

Some critics have simultaneously considered the compilation to be the most and least essential release in Stereolab's catalogue. [1] [4] [5] Robert Ham of Pitchfork questioned the inclusion of short tracks and felt that the EP Simple Headphone Mind were "skeletal and unfinished." [5] A critic for Classic Rock magazine panned the same EP, arguing that the compilation "never fully recovers" from it. [17]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Simple Headphone Mind"10:46
2."Trippin' With the Birds"21:01
3."Low Fi"5:22
4."[Varoom!]"9:19
5."Laisser-Faire"4:35
6."Elektro [he held the world in his iron grip]"8:01
7."Robot Riot"2:56
8."Spool of Collusion"2:13
9."Symbolic Logic Of Now!"4:05
10."Forensic Itch"3:06
11."Ronco Symphony" (demo)1:00
12."ABC"5:16
13."Magne-Music"3:53
14."Blaue Milch"4:58
15."Yes Sir! I Can Moogie!"1:03
16."Plastic Mile" (original version)6:36
17."Refractions In The Plastic Pulse" (Feebate Mix)7:51
18."Unity Purity Occasional"2:18
19."The Nth Degrees"4:14
20."XXXOOO"1:01
21."Cybele's Reverie" (live at the Hollywood Bowl)5:47
Total length:118:54

Notes: Tracks 3-6 and 11 appear in physical editions only.

Charts

Chart performance for Pulse of the Early Brain
Chart (2022)Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [15] 89
Scottish Albums (OCC) [14] 10
UK Albums (OCC) [13] 66
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [12] 3

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stereolab</span> English-French avant-pop band

Stereolab are an Anglo-French avant-pop band formed in London in 1990. Led by the songwriting team of Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, the group's sound features influences from krautrock and 1960s French pop music, often incorporating a repetitive motorik beat with the use of vintage electronic keyboards and female vocals sung in English and French. Their lyrics have political and philosophical themes influenced by the Surrealist and Situationist art movements. While performing, they play in a more feedback-driven and guitar-oriented style. From the mid-1990s, the band began to draw from funk, jazz and Brazilian music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warp (record label)</span> British record label

Warp Records is a British independent record label founded in Sheffield in 1989 by record store employees Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell and record producer Robert Gordon. It is currently based in London.

<i>Dots and Loops</i> 1997 studio album by Stereolab

Dots and Loops is the fifth studio album by English-French rock band Stereolab. It was released on 22 September 1997 and was issued by Duophonic Records and Elektra Records. The band co-produced the album with John McEntire and Andi Toma, and recording took place at their respective studios in Chicago and Düsseldorf. It was their first album to be recorded straight to Digital Audio Tape and produced with Pro Tools. The album explores jazz and electronic sounds, and is influenced by bossa nova and 1960s pop music. Its lyrics address matters such as consumerism, the "spectacle", materialism, and human interaction.

<i>Switched On</i> 1992 compilation album by Stereolab

Switched On is a compilation of Stereolab's first three releases, and was originally released in 1992. The album's name is in tribute to Switched-On Bach and other similar titles from the late 1960s to 1970s that feature Moog synthesizers as the primary instrument. Switched On was later licensed to Slumberland Records for a US release, and Rough Trade Germany, for that country, both in 1992.

<i>Mars Audiac Quintet</i> 1994 studio album by Stereolab

Mars Audiac Quintet is the third studio album by English-French rock band Stereolab. It was released on 2 August 1994 and was issued by Duophonic Records and Elektra Records.

<i>Emperor Tomato Ketchup</i> (album) 1996 studio album by Stereolab

Emperor Tomato Ketchup is the fourth studio album by English-French rock band Stereolab. It was released on 18 March 1996 and was issued by Duophonic Records and Elektra Records.

<i>Sound-Dust</i> 2001 studio album by Stereolab

Sound-Dust is the seventh studio album by English-French rock band Stereolab. It was released on 28 August 2001 in North America by Elektra Records and on 3 September 2001 internationally by Duophonic Records. The album was produced by John McEntire and Jim O'Rourke and recorded at McEntire's Chicago studio Soma. It was Stereolab's last album to feature singer and guitarist Mary Hansen, who died in a biking accident the following year.

<i>Margerine Eclipse</i> 2004 studio album by Stereolab

Margerine Eclipse is the eighth studio album by English-French rock band Stereolab. It was released on 27 January 2004 in the United States by Elektra Records and on 2 February 2004 in the United Kingdom by Duophonic Records. The album is in large part a eulogy to former band member Mary Hansen, who died in 2002.

<i>The First of the Microbe Hunters</i> 2000 EP by Stereolab

The First of the Microbe Hunters is the fifth EP by English-French rock band Stereolab. It was released on 16 May 2000 in the United Kingdom by Duophonic Records and in the United States by Elektra Records. Its title makes reference to the book Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif, in which the first chapter is dedicated to Dutch scientist Anton van Leeuwenhoek, named "the first of the microbe hunters". Its tracks were re-released in the band's 2021 compilation Electrically Possessed.

<i>Low Fi</i> 1992 EP by Stereolab

Low Fi is the third EP by English-French rock band Stereolab, released in September 1992 by Too Pure. The title of the final track "Elektro " is taken from the cover of the thirteenth issue of the comic book Tales of Suspense, released in 1961. It is the first Stereolab release to feature longtime drummer Andy Ramsay and backing vocalist Mary Hansen, who stayed with the band until her death in 2002. The EP was compiled on physical releases of Pulse of the Early Brain.

<i>Miss Modular</i> 1997 EP by Stereolab

Miss Modular is a 1997 EP by the post-rock band Stereolab. The title track served as the lead single from their album Dots and Loops. It was produced in collaboration with the group Mouse on Mars. Dan the Automator remixed the title track.

<i>Simple Headphone Mind</i> 1997 EP by Stereolab & Nurse With Wound

Simple Headphone Mind is the second collaboration between Stereolab and Nurse With Wound. As with their first release, Crumb Duck, Stereolab recorded the basic track and then handed it over to Steven Stapleton to do with as he pleased. Unlike with Crumb Duck, listeners can hear the original Stereolab recording, as it was issued under the title The Long Hair Of Death on a split single with Yo La Tengo; this version was also featured on Stereolab's Aluminum Tunes compilation album.

<i>Crumb Duck</i> 1993 EP by Stereolab & Nurse With Wound

Crumb Duck is the first collaboration between Anglo-French indie band Stereolab and cult avant-garde unit Nurse With Wound, first released on 10" vinyl on the Clawfist label in 1993.

<i>Cybeles Reverie</i> 1996 EP by Stereolab

Cybele's Reverie is an EP by English-French rock band Stereolab, released on 19 February 1996 by Duophonic Records. Its title track serves as the lead single from their fourth studio album Emperor Tomato Ketchup. The four-track EP is the only one by Stereolab on which none of the songs are in English: the title track, "Brigitte", and "Young Lungs" are in French, and "Les Yper-Yper Sound" is an instrumental.

<i>Serene Velocity</i> (album) 2006 compilation album by Stereolab

Serene Velocity is a compilation album by Stereolab, released in late 2006. It focuses on material released during the band's Elektra years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stereolab discography</span>

The discography of Stereolab, an English-French rock band, comprises thirteen studio albums, seven compilation albums, fifteen extended plays, sixteen singles, and twenty-three rarities compilations. Release dates listed are earliest worldwide.

<i>Chemical Chords</i> 2008 studio album by Stereolab

Chemical Chords is the ninth studio album by English-French rock band Stereolab, released on 18 August 2008 by 4AD and Duophonic Records.

<i>Not Music</i> 2010 studio album by Stereolab

Not Music is the tenth studio album by English-French rock band Stereolab, released on 16 November 2010 by Drag City and Duophonic Records. The album is a collection of unreleased material recorded at the same time as their previous album, Chemical Chords (2008).

<i>Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements</i> 1993 studio album by Stereolab

Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements is the second studio album by English-French rock band Stereolab, released on 10 August 1993 and was issued by Duophonic Records and Elektra Records. It was recorded with an expanded line-up, and is generally considered to be the band's noisiest release due to its emphasis on distorted guitars and keyboard sounds.

<i>Electrically Possessed</i> 2021 compilation album by Stereolab

Electrically Possessed is a compilation album by the English-French band Stereolab, released on 26 February 2021 under Duophonic Records and Warp Records. It collects the band's rarities, and is the fourth of their "Switched-On" compilation series. The track "Dimension M2" was released following the compilation's announcement, followed by "Household Names", taken from the mini album The First of the Microbe Hunters.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Phares, Heather. "Stereolab - Pulse of the Early Brain: Switched On, Vol. 5". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 4 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2 September 2022). "Pulse Of The Early Brain embraces Stereolab's arty, adventurous side". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on 4 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pulse of the Early Brain (liner notes). Stereolab. Duophonic Ultra High Frequency Disks. 2022. D-UHF-D43.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. 1 2 3 4 Merrick, Hayden (31 August 2022). "Stereolab - Pulse Of The Early Brain (Switched On Volume 5) | Reviews". Clash . Archived from the original on 4 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Ham, Robert. "Stereolab: Pulse of the Early Brain (Switched On, Vol. 5)". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  6. ↑ "Robot Riot" . Retrieved 15 December 2022– via Spotify.
  7. ↑ "Simple Headphone Mind / Trippin' With The Birds" . Retrieved 15 December 2022– via Spotify.
  8. ↑ "Cybele's Reverie (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)" . Retrieved 15 December 2022– via Spotify.
  9. ↑ Stereolab - Pulse Of The Early Brain [Switched On Volume 5], Bleep , retrieved 23 September 2022
  10. ↑ Stereolab - Low Fi (2022 Remaster), Bleep, retrieved 23 September 2022
  11. ↑ Stereolab - The Groop Played Space Age Batchelor Pad Music (2018 Remaster - Bonus Track Version). Bleep., Bleep, retrieved 23 September 2022
  12. 1 2 "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  13. 1 2 "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  14. 1 2 "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  15. 1 2 "Offiziellecharts.de – Stereolab – Pulse of the Early Brain" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  16. 1 2 "Pulse of the Early Brain Switched On, Vol. 5 by Stereolab". Metacritic . Archived from the original on 4 September 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  17. 1 2 "Classic Rock review". Classic Rock : 83. September 2022.
  18. ↑ "Mojo review". Mojo : 100. October 2022.
  19. ↑ Johnstone, Johnnie (October 2022). "From The Vaults". Record Collector (536): 116.
  20. 1 2 3 Martin, Piers (October 2022). "Uncut review". Uncut : 48.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.