This track from U.K. act Stereolab was driving me crazy for the last month, because I couldn’t remember the title. And the bizarre thing is that I was hearing it all over the place – at Desert Daze, at work, in stores. I have no idea why. But it seemed like it was everywhere. And I couldn’t identify it. And foolish me, I didn’t think to Shazam it, or just start combing through the Stereolab catalogue. That would make entirely too much sense.
So that brings me to today. Obviously, I figured out that “Metronomic Underground” is the title. And what a strangely hypnotic song this is. Stereolab, who were active up until 2009, had this unique blend of Krautrock, lounge, and pop music. Some of their lyrics were in English, others in French. And a lot of their material was deliberately repetitive, evoking said hypnotism.
In this regard, “Metronomic Underground” is classic Stereolab, with vintage keyboards, a thrumming bassline, and a retro ’60s drone. I’m extremely pleased to have rediscovered this gem from the mid-’90s. Feel free to reacquaint yourself, as well.
“Metronomic Underground” from the 1996 album “Emperor Tomato Ketchup.”
