Stereolab – Dots and Loops
Dots and Loops is Stereloab’s fifth studio album co-produced in Chicago by Tortoise’s John McEntire and in Düsseldorf with Andi Toma, one half of electronic duo Mouse on Mars. Inspired by Neu! and Klaus Dinger’s motorik drumming, the group moved away from their post-rock origins into a more futuristic drum loop-based electronic sound for this album with jazz, bossa nova, and ’60s pop flavorings. The sharp production and pop stylings made for Stereolab’s most accessible effort to date and landed them a number 19 spot on the UK Albums Chart, as well as number 111 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States.
Recommended – Full Listen
A1 Brakhage
A2 Miss Modular
A3 The Flower Called Nowhere
B1 Diagonals
B2 Prisoner Of Mars
B3 Rainbo Conversation
C1 Refractions In The Plastic Pulse
D1 Parsec
D2 Ticker-Tape Of The Unconscious
D3 Contronatura
Arranged By [Brass Arrangements] – Andy Robinson (2), Sean O’Hagan
Arranged By [String Arrangements] – Marcus Holdaway, Sean O’Hagan
Brass – Dave Max Crawford, Jeb Bishop, Paul Mertens, Ross Reed
Instruments [Additional Instrumentation], Piano, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes Piano], Organ [Farfisa Organ] – Sean O’Hagan (tracks: A1, A2, B1, B3 to D2)
Instruments [Additional Instrumentation], Synthesizer [Analogue Aynthesizers], Electronics, Percussion, Vibraphone, Marimba – John McEntire (tracks: A1, A2, B1, B3 to D2)
Lacquer Cut By – fmw (2)
Mastered By – Bo Kondren
Performer [Stereolab] – Andrew Ramsay*, Laetitia Sadier, Mary Hansen, Morgane Lhote, Richard Harrison, Tim Gane
Producer, Mixed By – Andi Toma (tracks: A3, B2, D3), John McEntire (tracks: A1, A2, B1, B3 to D2), Stereolab
Recorded By – John McEntire (tracks: A1, A2, B1, B3 to D2)
Strings – Maureen Loughnane, Poppy Branders, Rebecca McFaul, Shelley Weiss