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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Representation of The Groop's Classic Works!!!, July 9, 2005
I am so thankful to this collective of musicians that words cannot describe how. I'm thankful that they finally got around to releasing all their EPs in one inexpensive box set (about $25), thus sparing me the hundreds of dollars I had already planned to spend in trying to add their wonderful EPs to my collection.
There is something about this band that just makes me glad to be a music fan...I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe it's because they are one of a select few bands that actually knows how to make serious music fun to listen to. One can't help but think that these people sure are having a lot of fun creating this stuff. This is why Stereolab will always be one of the best bands that came out of the twentieth century (I'm quite sure I'm not the only one here who thinks so).
As you may already know, "Oscillons..." includes three discs with music and one DVD of their "Promos (they're not music videos per se)" and "Live TV performances". I like to think that the first disc is mostly made up of their 'ultra-melodic,' 'audio-orgasmic' classics like "Wow and Flutter", "Flourescences", "Cybele's Reverie", and "Ping-Pong". Disc two showcases Stereolab in their 'ultra-cool' Ambient/Lounge mode with tracks like "Moodles", "Les Aimes Des Memes", "Canned Candies", "Escape Pod (From the World of Medical Observations)", and "You Used to Call Me Sadness". Disc three comprises mostly of a mix of their experimental stuff and re-workings (alternate versions) of their classics. Examples of tracks in this category are "Brigitte", "The Free Design",
"Long Life Love (this song makes me miss Mary Hansen's sweet voice terribly)", "Jenny Ondioline (alternate version), and the 'very fitting' end to the set, "Soop Groove".
Some may not agree with me here, but I find it EXTREMELY HARD to find a weak track in this entire set. Indeed songs like "Nihilist Assault Group", "Golden Ball", and "Transona Five" may be annoying to most listeners who try to stay away from Stereolab's early works, but they might grow on you eventually. I see them as some of their most experimental tracks that draw influences from Neu! (in case you didn't know, Neu! was a cool Krautrock band from the 70s. Think 'Sonic Youth' meets 'Pink Floyd' and/or 'Kraftwerk').
As a release, I'm going to go out on a limb here and proclaim that this is by far Stereolab's BEST release to date. As an album, it still does well but their 1997 release "Dots and Loops" fares better, due to its cohesiveness. In "Oscillons From The Anti-Sun", the styles of the songs vary a whole lot. But the fact that every single track is 'beyond wonderful' still makes this set worth owning...not only by fans of 'The Groop", but by every single human being interested in great music.
Let's hope to hear more good stuff from this wonderful band in the future. I feel as long as the writing team of Gane/Sadier keep doing what they're doing, there's no need to worry.
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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Now, I am just a little bit annoyed. . ., April 26, 2005
but that won't prevent me for giving this compilation 5 stars. It does bug me when bands seem to "reward" the loyal fans who have been paying import fees and scouring the internet for rare singles by releasing them (finally) in the US. Couldn't they have just released them in the US in the first place and saved me the headache and cash"? No matter. Stereolab could do anything and, being the kind of fan that I am, I'd run out and buy a few copies. Still, this compilation is the kind of thing that even the most casual of Stereolab listener (or people who don't even own a stereolab cd) should own. Now, I'll be buying it for the DVD with videos and tv appearances, since I know I'll be delighted with the video work of such an influential and unique band. I've seen a few on fuzzy tapes, and they are some of the more colorful and inventive videos made in the 90s (think more along the lines of sixties experimental films rather than true "videos") and the band always sounds spectacular in their tv appearances. But the singles are really what makes this cd such a treat. This compilation is every cd or single that the band has ever released - some only sold at the live shows - and is pretty comprehensive (it does seem to be missing the material from the 7" free witch and no bra queen) but it does chart the evolution of the band over the last 10 years or so. It includes a spectacular 10 minute version of Nihilist Assault Group - found on the Wow and Flutter single and, most recent, the songs canned candies and moodles from the Captain Easychord single. Still, there's plenty more that could have bumped this up to 4 or 5 discs - there are plenty of live performances, singles, peel sessions, and video floating around. It definitely leaves room for an even more spectacular follow-up to this collection. Enjoy!
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ketchup in a box!, April 27, 2005
Ok, I kid - it's actually "catch up" for all those of us who discovered Stereolab later rather than sooner. I'm sure I'm not alone - my first Stereolab CD was 2004's sublime Margarine Eclipse, which prompted me to search for the earlier CDs and EPs. My advice to fellow latecomers: dive into this box set! As other reviewers noted, this is a great collection.
A few thoughts about the DVD included in this set: one of the first things I heard about Stereolab was that they were exceptional in concert, and I was disappointed that I could not find any DVDs of their shows. The DVD in this collection has eight "promos" followed by three live performances from UK television. With the exception of Jenny Ondioline, the promos are not typical music videos. They are more like surrealistic dreamscapes (think Dali, backed by synthesizers, broadcast on early PCs - a hoot) set to music. Next, the first live video is a superb, driving rendition of French Disko, gone a bit trippy with TV special effects (think Austin Powers). And then come two gems from the Later...with Jools Holland show (ca. 1996). For all those of us who were late to the party, here's proof that Stereolab -- in addition to being electronic, cerebral, political, carefully crafted, etc., etc. -- are terrific live. These performances of Cybele's Reverie and Les Yper Sound are a great glimpse of what we missed, including the late, lamented Mary Hansen. We can only hope that there are more live performances in the vault and destined for future DVDs, and look forward to the band's future tours. In the meantime, I highly recommend the videos and three CDs in this box set.
A final note for the old-time Stereolab fans who already own the EPs collected here, but not the Jenny Ondioline promo: there's a moment in that video, when the always serious Laetitia Sadier starts to smile and turns away from the camera and toward Mary, who's smiling back...talk about a perfect moment. As a previous reviewer said, Mary, rest in peace. And long live Stereolab!
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