Dots and Loops

Dots and Loops is the fifth studio album by English-French rock band Stereolab. It was released on 22 September 1997 in the United Kingdom by Duophonic Records and on 23 September 1997 in the United States by Elektra Records.[4][5] The album was co-produced by Stereolab with John McEntire and Andi Toma.

Dots and Loops
Studio album by
Stereolab
Released22 September 1997 (1997-09-22)
RecordedMarch–April 1997
Studio
Genre
Length65:52
Label
Producer
Stereolab chronology
Fluorescences
(1996)		 Dots and Loops
(1997)		 Miss Modular
(1997)
Stereolab studio album chronology
Emperor Tomato Ketchup
(1996)		 Dots and Loops
(1997)		 Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night
(1999)
Singles from Dots and Loops
  1. "Miss Modular"
    Released: 1 September 1997 (EP)

Recording

Seven of the ten tracks on Dots and Loops were recorded by Stereolab in March 1997 at the Chicago studio Idful Music Corp. with John McEntire, who co-produced, engineered and mixed the tracks.[6] The remaining three tracks – "The Flower Called Nowhere", "Prisoner of Mars" and "Contronatura" – were recorded the following month at Academy of St. Martin in the Street in Düsseldorf, this time with co-production, engineering and mixing duties overseen by Andi Toma.[6] Additional engineering was undertaken by Max Stamm and Toma's Mouse on Mars bandmate Jan St. Werner.[6]

Release and reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Chicago Tribune[8]
Entertainment WeeklyA[3]
The Guardian[9]
Los Angeles Times[10]
NME8/10[11]
Pitchfork9.2/10[12]
Rolling Stone[13]
Spin8/10[14]
The Village VoiceB[15]

Dots and Loops peaked at number 19 on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the band's second top 20 album on the chart. In the United States, it was the band's first entry on the Billboard 200 chart, where it peaked at number 111; by August 1999, it had sold over 75,000 copies in the country.[16] The song "Parsec" was used for the launch of the Volkswagen New Beetle.[17]

AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine identifies Dots and Loops as being primarily influenced by bossa nova and 1960s pop music.[7] Erlewine writes that while Stereolab had focused on experimenting with dance rhythms on Emperor Tomato Ketchup, they instead "concentrated on layered compositions" on Dots and Loops; he describes the band's compositional approach on the album as edging "closer to jazz than rock, exploring all of the possibilities of any melodic phrase".[7] Pitchfork's Eric Harvey says that Dots and Loops exemplified "recombinant pop", a "sample-driven and style-copping" branch of late 1990s alternative music produced by artists who incorporated a broad range of retro sounds into their work while also utilising contemporary digital production techniques inspired by electronic and hip hop music.[12] Barney Hoskyns of Rolling Stone found that the album continued Stereolab's progression towards a lighter sound that he termed "avant-easy listening".[13] Treble writer Jeff Terich characterises Dots and Loops as "mostly gorgeously orchestrated, stunningly layered and innovative art-pop", highlighting its "bigger, brighter, more lush and luxurious" production.[1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, except where indicated.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Brakhage" 5:30
2."Miss Modular" 4:29
3."The Flower Called Nowhere" 4:55
4."Diagonals" 5:15
5."Prisoner of Mars" 4:03
6."Rainbo Conversation" 4:46
7."Refractions in the Plastic Pulse"
  • Gane
  • Sadier
  • Andy Ramsay
17:32
8."Parsec" 5:34
9."Ticker-Tape of the Unconscious" 4:45
10."Contronatura" 9:03
Total length:65:52
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
11."Off-On"5:25
Total length:71:17

Personnel

Credits for Dots and Loops adapted from album liner notes.[6]

Stereolab

Additional musicians

  • Jeb Bishop – brass
  • Poppy Branders – strings
  • Dave Max Crawford – brass
  • Xavier "Fischfinger" Fischer – piano
  • Marcus Holdaway – string arrangements
  • Maureen Loughnane – strings
  • Douglas McCombs – acoustic bass
  • John McEntire – analogue synthesiser, electronics, percussion, vibraphone, marimba
  • Rebecca McFaul – strings
  • Paul Mertens – brass
  • Sean O'Hagan – piano, Rhodes piano, Farfisa organ, brass and string arrangements
  • Ross Reed – brass
  • Andy Robinson – brass arrangements
  • Jan St. Werner – sound effects, insect horns
  • Andi Toma – electronic percussion, sound effects
  • Shelley Weiss – strings

Production

  • John McEntire – production, mixing, recording
  • Jan St. Werner – engineering
  • Max Stamm – engineering (additional)
  • Stereolab – production, mixing
  • Andi Toma – production, engineering, mixing, recording

Charts
Chart (1997) Peak
position
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[18] 38
Scottish Albums (OCC)[19] 41
UK Albums (OCC)[20] 19
US Billboard 200[21] 111
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[22] 2
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References
  1. Terich, Jeff (20 August 2019). "A Beginner's Guide to the kaleidoscopic music of Stereolab". Treble. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  2. Khider, I. (1 March 2002). "Minimalism". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  3. Sinclair, Tom (26 September 1996). "Dots and Loops". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  4. "Dots and Loops (Expanded Edition) by Stereolab". United Kingdom: Apple Music. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  5. "Upcoming Releases". CMJ New Music Report. Vol. 51 no. 537. 8 September 1997. p. 51. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  6. Dots and Loops (liner notes). Stereolab. Duophonic Records. 1997. D-UHF-CD17.CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Dots and Loops – Stereolab". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  8. Kot, Greg (26 September 1997). "Stereolab: Dots and Loops (Elektra)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  9. Sweeney, Kathy (26 September 1997). "Stereolab: Dots and Loops (Duophonic)". The Guardian.
  10. Ali, Lorraine (27 September 1997). "Stereolab, 'Dots and Loops,' Elektra". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  11. Dalton, Stephen (20 September 1997). "Stereolab – Dots And Loops". NME. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  12. Harvey, Eric (23 July 2017). "Stereolab: Dots and Loops". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  13. Hoskyns, Barney (29 October 1997). "Stereolab: Dots & Loops". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 28 August 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  14. Sutton, Terri (November 1997). "Stereolab: Dots and Loops". Spin. Vol. 13 no. 8. p. 144. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  15. Christgau, Robert (3 March 1998). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  16. Gidley, Lisa (28 August 1999). "Elektra Plugs Stereolab's 'Voltage'". Billboard. Vol. 111 no. 35. p. 100. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  17. Parker, Doug (27 September 1998). "Stereolab – Dots and Loops". Blue Cricket. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  18. "Norwegiancharts.com – Stereolab – Dots and Loops". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  19. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  20. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  21. "Stereolab Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  22. "Stereolab Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
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