Groop Played "Space Age Bachelor Pad Music"

Stereolab: Mary Hansen (vocals, Moog synthesizer); Laetitia Sadier (vocals, tambourine); Tim Gane (guitar, Farfisa organ, Moog synthesizer, bass); Sean O'Hagan (Farfisa organ, Moog synthesizer, marimba, bass, drums); Duncan Brown (bass); Andy Ramsay (percussion).Released in 1993, nearly two years before the smirky lounge revival made "Space Age Bachelor Pad Music" (a phrase most often attributed to journalist Byron Coley to describe Esquivel and similar '50s artists) common hipster currency, this EP has little in common with Esquivel or Martin Denny. Humorously divided into "EZ Listening" and "New Wave" sides, THE GROOP... is Stereolab's most experimental work, featuring the band's twin obsessions--krautrock-derived electronic minimalism and lush pop owing much to both Brian Wilson and Ray Conniff.The two styles are presented separately, in relatively short pieces, rather than combined into the lengthy sonic melanges of their other albums. Most of the brief pieces, such as the two titl