Stereolab – Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements
(Note: This article was written in 2008 for an old Blogspot music blog that I managed (flyingairplane.blogspot.com); meaning, I was 18 years old when I wrote this. The blog's format was such that each article contained a short “review” of an album and a download link to the full album (usually through Mediafire). Blogspot was a go-to source for obscure music back in 2008, with many blogs like this popping up with download links, and I wanted to be part of the illegal-music-download literati myself. Unfortunately, this blatant violation of copyright eventually caught up with the blog (and most others of its ilk) and got it removed from the Blogspot service entirely; however, the first page of the blog remains archived through the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine.)
The amazingly titled second album by Stereolab, “Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements” is a collage of chord trances and subtle synth that will undoubtedly leave you intrigued. While the album is not immediately catchy, it is an extremely interesting listen, and will gradually become catchier as you become more familiar with it. Tone Burst and I’m Going Out of My Way are two highlights from the album, which feature quick tempos and The Velvet Underground sounding chord sequences. The music itself is very alien, something that can’t really be defined with words. It’s simple, yet something entirely original emerges from the simplicity. Stereolab has their own sound, it's far out, it's melodic, it's beautiful, it's hypnotic, it's like nothing you've ever heard before.