Mars Audiac Quintet
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| Mars Audiac Quintet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2 August 1994 | |||
| Recorded | March – April 1994 | |||
| Studio | Blackwing (London) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 66:57 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Stereolab chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Mars Audiac Quintet | ||||
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Mars Audiac Quintet is the third studio album by English-French rock band Stereolab. It was released on 2 August 1994 and was issued by Duophonic Records and Elektra Records.
Stereolab recorded Mars Audiac Quartet in March and April 1994.[4] Keyboardist Katharine Gifford joined the band for the recording of the album. During recording, guitarist Sean O'Hagan left as a full-time member in order to focus on his band the High Llamas, but continued to be a session musician for the band ever since.[5]
Composition
AllMusic critic Heather Phares characterised Mars Audiac Quintet as a more pop-oriented affair than previous Stereolab albums, noting that it largely highlights the band's brand of space age pop.[2]
The song "International Colouring Contest" is a tribute to Lucia Pamela and opens with a sample of her voice.[6]
Release
Mars Audiac Quintet was released on 2 August 1994 in the United States by Elektra Records,[7] and on 8 August 1994 in the United Kingdom by Duophonic Records.[8][9] It peaked at number 16 on the UK Albums Chart.[10] The tracks "Ping Pong" and "Wow and Flutter" were released as singles on 18 July 1994 and 17 October 1994, respectively.[8]
A remastered and expanded edition of Mars Audiac Quintet was released by Duophonic and Warp on 3 May 2019.[11]
Critical reception and legacy
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [12] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C+[13] |
| Pitchfork | 9.1/10[14] |
| Q | [15] |
| Record Collector | [16] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [17] |
| Select | 4/5[18] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10[19] |
| Uncut | 8/10[20] |
Richard Fontenoy, writing in The Rough Guide to Rock, said that Mars Audiac Quintet elevated Stereolab "firmly into the higher stratum of indie pop".[1] In 2003, Pitchfork ranked Mars Audiac Quintet as the 78th best album of the 1990s.[21]
The American indie rock band Transona Five took their name from the title of the third track on the album.[22]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Three-Dee Melodie" | 5:02 | |
| 2. | "Wow and Flutter" | 3:08 | |
| 3. | "Transona Five" | 5:32 | |
| 4. | "Des étoiles électroniques" | 3:20 | |
| 5. | "Ping Pong" | 3:02 | |
| 6. | "Anamorphose" | 7:33 | |
| 7. | "Three Longers Later" | 3:28 | |
| 8. | "Nihilist Assault Group" | 6:55 | |
| 9. | "International Colouring Contest" | 3:47 | |
| 10. | "The Stars Our Destination" | 2:58 | |
| 11. | "Transporté sans bouger" | 4:20 | |
| 12. | "L'enfer des formes" | 3:53 | |
| 13. | "Outer Accelerator" | 5:21 | |
| 14. | "New Orthophony" | 4:34 | |
| 15. | "Fiery Yellow" |
| 4:04 |
| Total length: | 66:57 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 16. | "Moogie Wonderland" | 3:35 |
| Total length: | 70:32 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Klang Tone" | 5:36 |
| 2. | "Ulan Bator" | 3:14 |
| Total length: | 8:50 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ulan Bator" | 2:20 |
| 2. | "Klang Tone" | 5:38 |
| 3. | "Melochord Seventy-Five" (original Pulse version) | 5:32 |
| 4. | "Outer Accelerator" (original mix) | 6:05 |
| 5. | "Nihilist Assault Group – Part 6" | 2:13 |
| 6. | "Wow and Flutter" (7"/EP version – alternative mix) | 3:06 |
| 7. | "Des étoiles électroniques" (demo) | 1:25 |
| 8. | "Ping Pong" (demo) | 2:55 |
| 9. | "The Stars Our Destination" (demo) | 1:19 |
| 10. | "Three Longers Later" (demo) | 2:05 |
| 11. | "Transona Five" (demo) | 1:30 |
| 12. | "Transporté sans bouger" (demo) | 2:09 |
| Total length: | 36:17 | |
Sample credits[24]
- "International Colouring Contest" contains a sample of Into Outer Space with Lucia Pamela, written by Lucia Pamela.
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[25]
Stereolab
- Tim Gane – guitar, Farfisa and Vox organs, Moog synthesizer, bass
- Lætitia Sadier – vocals, tambourine, Mint's and Vox organs, guitar
- Duncan Brown – bass
- Katharine Gifford – Farfisa and Vox organs, Moog synthesizer, backing vocals on "Transporté sans bouger"
- Mary Hansen – vocals, guitar, tambourine, egg shaker
- Sean O'Hagan – marimba, slide guitar, brass arrangements, guitar twang on "Ping Pong", guitar tremolo on "International Colouring Contest", percussion on "Fiery Yellow"
- Andy Ramsay – drums, percussion
Additional musicians
- Alan Carter – tenor saxophone, flute
- Vera Daucher – violin
- Jean-Baptiste Garnero – backing vocals on "Transporté sans bouger"
- Lindsay Low – trumpet
- Andy Robinson – trombone
Production
- Steve Rooke – mastering
- Stereolab (credited as "The Groop") – mixing
- Paul Tipler – engineering, mixing
- Nick Webb – mastering
Design
- Peter Morris – photography
- Trouble – layout
