continuing the trend of listening to more non-english/american bands, here’s a british-french band, stereolab! i first listened to this song by chance at the lab i’m interning at this summer.
i haven’t listened to stereolab’s 1997 dots and loops yet, but this song and “Miss Modular” have certainly inspired me to listen to it soon. stereolab is a band i was never able to fully grasp- while firmly rooted in the world of indie, they escape the typical labels and subgenres (you know, like ‘shoegaze’) by creating these intricate, lush pop songs.
“The Flower Called Nowhere” has gentle pianos and chimes as you’d hear in elevator or lounge music or even chamber pop. laetitia sadier’s soothing, french-accented vocals sing relaxed musings about water and ignorant bliss. also, this song reminds me very specifically of this famous painting:
i don’t think a song has ever reminded me of a classical painting, so kudos to stereolab. not to mention, this song is in 6/8 and is full of little nuances everywhere, from the subdued acoustic guitar to the glitchy, wooshy electronic sounds in the instrumental break. if progressive elevator music is a thing, it’s got to be this song. it makes me miss having music in elevators.
give it a listen if you haven’t already!
q-street 