Customer Reviews

Margerine Eclipse

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am one of those people that believes you can't really go wrong with Stereolab. They're one of those bands that you can play for anyone, and you'll always receive a compliment or an impressed query. For those who don't know them, their music is generally slightly upbeat, but spacy, with electronic-feeling drums, groovy bass lines, guitars that are funky without being obnoxious, swirling organs/keyboards, and generally disaffected but hypnotic vocals (often in French --oh-la-la). It is lush and mellow, but gripping.

Margerine Eclipse is more song-oriented than any of their other offerings. As such, it is more accessible and user-friendly, but less trippy and ambient. At a little over six minutes, the dub-tinted Margerine Melodie is the longest song. Stereolab also continues the trend of writing more complex songs while tending to supress their droning kraut rock side. The result, surprisingly, is that Margerine Eclipse is actually less engaging than some of Stereolab's earlier works. Perhaps this change can be blamed on the death of vocalist/keyboardist Mary Hansen? Whatever the reason, this album seems a little more sparse than Stereolab's other offerings, despite the fact it offers more musical meat. Songs like "Cosmic Country Noir" are just a little less magnetic to me, but songs like "Vonal Declosion" show that they'll never leave their roots. Give 'em both a listen.

In sum, if you are a Stereolab fan, you should go pick this up. You've probably done so already. If you're thinking about checking out Stereolab for the first time and you're the kind of person that needs lyrics with your music, this is the one to pick up. Otherwise, you might be better off checking out Emperor Tomato Ketchup, Switched On, or the BBC Sessions -- my personal faves.

I'll first start this review by saying I love Stereolab, they were the band that got me musically through most of the 90's when crap boring grunge and self obsessed music ruled the day. You could always count on a new strong release from them which was familiar yet still pushed boundries. Thanks to the 'Lab for that!

I waited with anticipation for my copy of M.E. mainly because this was the first full length record made since the regretful passing away of long time member Mary Hansen. Mary contributed a lot to the Stereolab sound and I thought it would be interesting to hear how well the groop adapted itself to making music without her.

When I popped on this CD I wasn't sure, it seemed to lack something... but now after a week or so of listening to it I believe they have yet again delivered an amazing album! It slowly reveals itself to you, mainly because the songs are fairly complex in sound, structure and arangement. It makes for a hard first few listens, but after a while the songs reveal their beauty. Many of them refer to Mary, in fact I am of the belief that the use of the word Marge refers to Mary - maybe as a nick name or pet name? It makes a lot of sense. Listen to "Dear Marge" (when you get the CD)... what a lovely song.

This album is an act of collective love and respect in honor of the memory of the great Mary Hansen, vocalist, keyboardist and guitarist and only Australian member of Stereolab. It is a very strong release - and upbeat. The songs are a lot shorter and the use of stereo is unique - instruments and vocals are all pretty much panned either hard left, hard right or dead center. What this means is you efffectively have TWO albums.. listen to it with the left channel down, then again with the right channel down... You get lots of lovely instrumental versions!

I am not of the belief that everything Stereolab has done since Emperor Tomato Ketchup is crap (only heard about that one since this CD came out!). Do we expect them to play two chord songs for their whole careers? People used to complain they were too simplistic back then.

Again Stereolab have refined, revised and reinvented their sound - still 100% Sterelab but with lots of twists and turns, and simply stunning and beautiful! Thank god they ontinue to make unique music. Listen to the song grabs here.. but better to buy it and tresure it!

RIP Mary.

Margerine Eclipse (and Radiohead's Kid A) ought to be the direction that popular music is heading. The tracks are short and sweet, full of lush harmonies, electronica, ethereal singing, and amazing tempo and harmonic shifts. Track 10, Feel and Triple, is as beautiful as any popular music work I've ever heard.

The album is also incredibly uplifting. A Village Voice review described it as "luminous". I can't think of a more appropriate word.

After the lackluster Sound Dust I was prepared to give up on Stereolab. They were repeating themselves and most distressingly didn't seem to know where to go. After Mary Hansen died I thought there was no way they'd recover. Damn there goes another great band into the toilet. Well I took a chance with Margerine Eclipse and was really pleased to find out I was very wrong. This album follows the same sort of formula begun on the magnificent Dots And Loops. But like all Stereolab albums, they change things up quite a bit but without radically departing from what was done before or their signature sound. The songs are more complex than is usual with Stereolab, the instrumentation a little more daring. Cool synth strings and horns are combined with real horns, acoustic and electric guitar, keyboards and double tracked drums that add quite a lot in the beat/groove department. Some very nice suprises and changes in the songs make this an album that rewards repeated listenings especially while wearing headphones. The vocals are beautiful of course, the harmonies wonderful, although Mary is missed. The song Feel And Triple is a touching tribute to her memory and that emotional warmth is one of the things that make Margine Eclipse such a delightful album. It's a strong showing for Stereolab.

This is the first Stereolab CD I ever bought. I got it back a few months after its release. I had never heard any of their music, just read about people who liked it and I made an impulse buy on it one day at Best Buy. I can now say I do not own another CD that I have played more times than this one. I got Dots and Loops next, which is the next best Stereolab CD for fans who love this one. I now have all of Stereolab's full length CDs and they are all great.
The songs on this CD are just awesome and beautiful and hard to wear out. It just reminds of sunny days, enjoying life with your friends. I listen to other stuff like Wilco, 311, Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine, Air, Zero 7, Beck, Jay-z, Interpol, the Libertines...just so you can get an idea of my taste.
SO if you have a pretty open mind about music, you really should go buy this CD as fast as you can. It's really terrific and honest music. I've never heard a band whos music flows as beautiful as Stereolab's sound. Oh yeah, the lyrics are great too if you take the time to read them. They made this album after the other female in the group died. I think it's amazing that they made this type of music after her death, because it's really not sad or depressing, its just breath-takingly warm. I guess it just helps to show that death is a part of life. OK enough, BUY THIS CD ...unless your favorite band is 3 Doors Down. If you have some free time, check out my music - www.myspace.com/kylefarmer

I don't want to rehash what so many have more eloquently said: this is a wonderful Stereolab album. I especially recommend it over much of the band's other work for two disparate reasons. First, it is overflowing with emotion--presumably over Mary Hansen's death. The song "Feel and Triple" speaks for itself. Indeed, as the upbeat melody and ending lyrics suggest ("You will sing forever"), this is not a mournful, depressing record; rather, I find it very uplifting. Second, the bass playing of Simon Johns is incredible. A lot of it is buried in the mix, so you will hear it best with full range headphones or a subwoofer. Perhaps the best example is the track "Hillbilly Motobike." I didn't hear his impact on the group as much on the earlier record Sound-dust. All in all, this is one of Stereolab's best. I wish more fans of the more popular Dots and Loops would give it a listen.

CD
I have been a huge Stereolab fan for a few years now and this album is probably my least favorite. Not that it sucks or anything. The songwriting and sound has progressed (a major criticism of their last couple of albums, and not by me) but it just doesn't effect me the way their other albums do. There are a handful of great tunes on here like "The Man With 100 Cells" and "Margerine Rock", but it doesn't have the flow that previous work does. This is also their first CD without Mary Hansen, who is severely missed.

The changes in their sound are subtle. They add a few more keyboards and synthesized sounds to the authentic instrumentation and dispense with a lot of the horns and percussion of their last several releases. It's almost as if a little Depeche Mode and Cranberries wormed their way into the recording. That's not a criticism. I can't fault the writing or performing in any way, I just plain don't like it as much. Recommended to fans of the groop and progressive pop in general.

2004

I can't get enough of this album and after seeing them live in Portland, Oregon, I can honestly say that this is trully one of their best albums so far.
I have to admit that when I first bought the album and listened to it, I thought different things about it. But gradually it has grown on me for the last three to four weeks. It has even rekindled my listening of their previous albums such as Emperor.
My only complaint is that you have a feeling of being left high and dry after listening to certain songs. "Need to be" could of branched out a little bit in the end and I am sure someone creative will make a nice remix of this song especially the last two minutes of it. Otherwise, I trully recommend this album for any fan of the lab, or for a first timer, this could be a good beginner album to start off with.

Stereolab is one of those rare bands that, for me, always avoids the 3-song album curse. That is, with most albums, you'll usually find only about 3 songs that are any good.

I bought my first two Stereolab albums back in 1997 ("Switched On" and "Refried Ectoplasm"). For reasons which are not interesting, I hadn't spent much time or money on adding to my music collection since roughly then.

Recently, however, I bought an iPod. That has rekindled my interest quite a bit, and one of the first things I did was buy four complete Stereolab albums on iTunes, including "Margerine Eclipse" (I also bought five more on CD from Amazon).

There isn't a single song on all eleven albums that I consider bad. Some are less enjoyable than others, and some take longer to grow on you, but they're all GOOD.

This album is certainly no exception, and is probably more immediately enjoyable than any previous album (as I said, some songs need to grow on you before you really enjoy them - not true of most songs on this album).

For those who already have some Stereolab albums, keep in mind that like most quality bands, they are not content to make the same songs over and over again. "Margerine Eclipse" is distinctly different from "Peng!", for example. If you think Stereolab is just shorthand for "mellow synth music", you are in for a surprise here.

Statements like "...Francophile stab at Euro-Hip hop..." are pure pretentious horse puckey. Anyone who enjoys the other offerings from Stereolab stands an excellent chance of loving this album.

I think this would also be an excellent starter album for someone new to Stereolab, who's interested in moving beyond that stuff they feed you on most commercial radio stations.

It's impossible to listen to this album and not think about Mary Hansen, a long-time member of Stereolab who died in a 2002 cycling accident. But anyone expecting "Margerine Eclipse" to be a downer, or a radical departure, will be pleased that this finds Stereolab percolating along much in the way it always has, if not possibly even more refined and effervescent. Laetitia Sadier's singsong vocals may not be demonstrative (to say the least) but they are always affecting, blending seamlessly cheery rhythms that gyrate gracefully like a plate spinner. From the first track, "Vonal Declosion," which flits about in a delicate hummingbird frenzy, the album seemingly runs with no off switch, casting one spark and then another. Not that the members of Stereolab are in denial. "Memory of a friend, memory I need to embrace," Sadier warbles on "Feel and Triple," a tune that starts with a downbeat sentiment but ultimately picks up in terms of pace and outlook. In their own exquisitely minimalist fashion, Stereolab have again produced an album that's both hypnotic and tender. But also uplifting. Which is a commendable thing, considering the umbrella of sadness under which it came to life. Music to boost the spirit.