Peng!

Stereolab | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 10, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Beggars Too Pure
• ASIN: B000006AZD
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #133,915 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Stereolab: Seaya (Laetitia) Sadier (vocals, Moog synthesizer); Tim Gane (guitar, Farfisa organ, Moog synthesizer); Martin Kean (bass); Joe Dilworth (drums). Recorded in London, England in April 1992. Originally released in 1992, PENG! is the second full-length album by sonic experimentalists Stereolab. Sometimes jam-packed with thundering keyboards and driving drums, at other times ethereal, airy and light, PENG! captures this thinking man's band at the early stages of its prolific career. Emulating aspects of the Velvet Underground's rhythms as well as the Moog-happy keyboard euphonies of the early 1970s, Stereolab's far left-of-center pop vision has always been something of a love-'em-or-hate-'em proposition. Longtime fans familiar with the band's later work will find interest in this early recording--it includes the moody, cafe-styled "K-Stars" sung fetchingly in French by Leatitia Sadier. There's also the dry, rub-a-dub guitar of "Perversion," which is more a dissertation over post-modern music than some boring old song: "In our Christian society there's something wrong with having pleasure." Rock 'n' roll! --Muze

Product Description

Originally released in 1992, Peng! is the second full-length album by sonic experimentalists Stereolab. Sometimes jam-packed with thundering keyboards and driving drums, at other times ethereal, airy and light, Peng! captures this thinking man's band at the early stages of its prolific career.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps my favorite album ever., January 1, 2000

By 

"earth_studio" (seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Peng! (Audio CD)

When I saw this on the new release shelves from across the room in December 1992, I was pulled towards it, as if in a trance. Knowing nothing about it, but enraptured by the artwork and the song titles, I paid an obscene import price and took it home, with a distinct hunch I had just landed on a new planet. When I heard it, I realized I was right. Peng! felt to me wholly new, mystical, and of mighty portent. Gorgeous! Deep and sophisticated, this music is about societal progress and personal transcendence. I have been an avid Stereolab listener ever since, and have nearly every track they've released. Facts: The cover art comes from a Swiss socialist pamphlet from the 1960s. "Peng" is the sound of the gunshot that the institutionalist-beaurocrat fires at the people. One Track, "Envirez-Vous," is a Baudelaire poem. Sample lyric (from "Surrealchemist"): "True life embodying pleasure principle's noblest triumph over the cowering mendacity of bourgeois / Christian civilisation." This album is a classic. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Please support your local independent record stores.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Definitive Stereolab Masterpiece, January 2, 2000

By 

"voxxjaguar" (the basement) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Peng! (Audio CD)

Ok, I'm definitely in the old school camp as far as "The Groop" goes...I can't make it through many of the newer songs without hitting the >> button...IMHO, the "Chicago Influence" bores me...(too bad, it's my hometown!; If it didn't I'd be waiving the flag high!)...but at least they're experimenting (unlike most groops) Too bad they didn't make a few more LPs in this vein. Not too slick production quality...this album flows continuously start to finish; it's perfect. After 5 years of listening, still, by far: my favorite Stereolab album.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Debut!, May 8, 2004

By 

kaban43 "kaban43" (Somewhere over the rainbow.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Peng! (Audio CD)

When Stereolab hit the scene in the early 1990's, the music world had been taken over by three billion Nirvana wanna-bes... interesting music took a backseat as alternative became mainstream and in the crossover lost a lot of its urgency and power.

PENG!, Stereolab's debut album was like a breath of fresh air when released and it hinted at what was to come.. today it still rocks, rolls, and moves. There was and is nothing like it.

Guitars, Farfisa, Moog, drums, drum machines and vocals combine in an almost wall-of-sound aural soundscape. Clanging guitars, Nico-esque vocal deliveries, sonic distorted keyboards, repetitive licks which revolve layer upon layer of trancelike sound, beautiful soft songs, fast pop workouts, and interesting lyrics are all some of the reasons I love this LP!

Please get this record - or borrow a copy from a friend. Put on "Super Falling Star" first and tell me what you think... I have a feeling I know what you will think - It's great!