Stereolab/Tortoise "split" 7" Duophonic (UK)

Vinyl is NM, Jacket is NM!

Out of Print!!

Pressed on Blue Wax!

Track Listing:
A–Yaus Written-By –  AA–Speedy Car Written-By – , 

Stereolab were an band formed in 1990 in London, England. The band originally comprised songwriting team (/) and (/keyboards/guitar), both of whom remained at the helm across many lineup changes. Other long-time members include () and (/keyboards/guitar). Ramsay joined the group in 1993, while Hansen joined ten years before her accidental death in 2002.

Called "one of the most fiercely independent and original groups of the Nineties", Stereolab were one of the first bands to be termed "". Their primary musical influence was 1970s , which they combined with , 1960s , and experimental pop music. They were noted for their heavy use of vintage electronic keyboards, and their sound often overlays a repetitive "" beat with female vocals sung in English or French. Stereolab often incorporated socio-political themes into their lyrics. Some critics say the group's lyrics carry a strong message, and Gane and Sadier admit to being influenced by the and cultural and political movements. However, Gane is skeptical of labels such as "Marxist pop", and defends the band against accusations of "sloganeering".

Although many of the band's albums have been underground hits, they never found larger commercial success. The band were released from their recording contract with when Warner's imprint folded. The release was reportedly due to poor record sales, and since then Stereolab's self-owned label, , has signed a distribution deal with . Duophonic holds the copyrights to the band's recordings, and on the label the band have released many limited-edition records.

On 2 April 2009 Stereolab manager Martin Pike posted a message on the band's website, announcing that after 19 years the band would go into hiatus as "there are no plans to record new tracks".

2003–present

The 2003 EP was recorded in France, and was Stereolab's first release following Hansen's death. According to the music journalist Jim DeRogatis, the EP marked a return to their earlier, harder sound—"free from the pseudo-funk moves and avant-garde tinkering that had been inspired by Chicago producer Jim O'Rourke". That year, Sadier's side-project, , released their debut album Socialisme Ou Barbarie: The Bedroom Recordings. Both the name of the group and the title of the album were references to the work of Greek-French intellectual .

The full-length album followed in 2004 to generally positive reviews, and peaked at #174 on the US Billboard 200. The track "Feel and Triple" was written in tribute to Hansen; according to Sadier "I was reflecting on my years with her...reflecting on how we sometimes found it hard to express the love we had for one another."s Molloy Woodcraft awarded the album four out of five stars, and described Sadier's vocal performance as "life- and love-affirming", and the record as a whole as "Complex and catchy, bold and beatific." However, Kelefa Sanneh argued in Rolling Stone that Margerine Eclipse was "full of familiar noises and aimless melodies".Margerine Eclipse was Stereolab's last record on their American label Elektra Records, which closed down in 2004. Future material would be released on Too Pure, the same company which released some of the band's earliest material.

The album was followed by ; a 2005 three-CD and one-DVD retrospective of the group's rarer material. Monade's second album, A Few Steps More, also appeared that year. In 2005 and 2006, Stereolab released six limited-edition singles which were collected in , and contained material which Mark Jenkins thought continued the brisker sound of the band's post-Hansen work., a "best-of" compilation focusing on the band's Elektra years, was released in late 2006. By June 2007, Stereolab's lineup comprised Tim Gane, Lætitia Sadier, Andy Ramsay, Simon Johns, Dominic Jeffrey, Joseph Watson, and Joseph Walters. The band had finished the production of their next album, entitled , which was released in August 2008 on the 4AD label. The release of the album was followed by an autumn tour of Europe and the United States. They toured Australia in February 2009 as part of the

On April 2, 2009 the band announced the end of their career together for the time being. After working together for 19 years, the band stated they felt it was time to take a rest and move on to new projects.

Tortoise is an   band formed in , , in 1990.

Tortoise's almost entirely  music defies easy categorization, and the group gained significant attention from their early career. The members have roots in Chicago's fertile music scene, playing in various and  groups. Tortoise was among the first American indie rock bands to incorporate styles closer to , , ,  and various  styles, rather than the standard and punk that had dominated indie rock for years.

Some have cited Tortoise as being one of the prime forces behind the development and popularity of the  movement. Others, however, have characterised Tortoise's music as being heavily indebted to.

Other groups related to Tortoise include , , , , , , and the . Tortoise records on the  label.

History

The group's origins lie in the late 1980s pairing of  (bassist with ) and drummer John Herndon, who imagined themselves as a freelance  (like  legends ). That idea never saw fruition, but their interest in grooving rhythms and recording studio trickery led to partnerships with drummer  and bassist  (both formerly of ) joining, followed by percussionist Dan Bitney. Though songs are credited to all the musicians, McEntire quickly became perceived as, if not the acknowledged leader, the group's guiding force. In reality his extra contributions mainly took the form of being the recording engineer and mixer.

Their first single was issued in 1993, and their self-titled debut album followed a year later. Instrumental and mostly mid-tempo,  slowly garnered praise and attention, due in part to the unusual instrumentation (two bass guitars, three percussionists switching between drums, vibraphones and marimbas). A  album followed, .

Brown left and was replaced by  (formerly of ) for 1996's , which showed up on many year-end best of lists, and the 20 minute Djed was described by critic John Bush as proof that "Tortoise made  do double duty as evocative, beautiful music." Also in 1996, the band contributed to the  benefit album  produced by the .

In , Tortoise released , arguably their most jazz-inflected album.  (who has a strong jazz background) had joined as a guitarist alongside Pajo, who left the band following the album's completion.  led to , where Tortoise incorporated more electronic sounds and post-production into its music than in previous works. In 2001 the band helped to curate an edition of the British  festival. They then returned in 2004 to curate another day of the same event.

 was released in 2004. In 2006, Tortoise collaborated with  on an album of covers entitled , and released , a box set containing two CDs of single tracks and remixes, a third CD with an expanded Rhythms, Resolutions and Clusters (long out of print) and a DVD of videos and film of live performances. In 2001, the band recorded "Dideridoo" for the 's compilation album , a tribute to , which raised money for various charities devoted to increasing  awareness and fighting the disease.

Bitney and McEntire also contributed to the  album . The group has worked with  Paul Duncan of the band .

Tortoise released their latest album  on June 23, 2009. The band toured the Midwestern US in September and October 2009, and then in Europe in November and December.

The band performed at the  music festival, which was held in Monticello, New York.

In 2012, Tortoise wrote and recorded the soundtrack to 's , a psychological horror film partly inspired by traditional folk-song.

In July 2013, photos and brief videos were posted to Tortoise's Instagram and Facebook sites showing the band recording new music. On 20 April 2014 the band wrote on their Facebook page: "Hello, Facebook. We are heading back into the studio next week - LP VII in progress. Tokyo, Osaka, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Taiwan - see you soon."

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