''Mars Audiac Quintet'' is the third

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by English-French

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

Stereolab Stereolab are an English people, Anglo-French avant-pop band formed in London in 1990. Led by the songwriting team of Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, the group's sound incorporates repetitive motorik beats with the use of vintage electronic keybo ...

. It was released on 2 August 1994 and was issued by

Duophonic Records Duophonic Ultra High Frequency Disks Limited (also known as Duophonic Records or Duophonic Super 45s) is a British independent record label formed by English-French rock band Stereolab in 1991. The label has two imprints: Duophonic Ultra High ...

and

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

Recording

Stereolab recorded ''Mars Audiac Quartet'' in March and April 1994. Keyboardist Katharine Gifford joined the band for the recording of the album. During recording, guitarist

Sean O'Hagan Sean O'Hagan (born 1959) is an Irish singer and songwriter who leads the avant-pop band the High Llamas, which he founded in 1992. He is also known for being one half of the songwriting duo (with Cathal Coughlan) in Microdisney and for his wor ...

left as a full-time member in order to focus on his band

the High Llamas The High Llamas are an Anglo-Irish chamber pop band formed in London circa 1991. They were founded by singer-songwriter Sean O'Hagan, formerly of Microdisney, with drummer Rob Allum and ex-Microdisney bassist Jon Fell. O'Hagan has led the group ...

, but continued to be a session musician for the band ever since.

Composition

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

critic Heather Phares characterised ''Mars Audiac Quintet'' as a more

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

-oriented affair than previous Stereolab albums, noting that it largely highlights the band's brand of

space age pop Space age pop or bachelor pad music is a subgenre of easy listening or lounge music associated with American and Mexican composers, songwriters, and bandleaders in the Space Age of the 1950s and 1960s.''Pulse'' (Monthly music digest of Tower Rec ...

. The song "International Colouring Contest" is a tribute to Lucia Pamela and opens with a sample of her voice.

Release

''Mars Audiac Quintet'' was released on 2 August 1994 in the United States by

, and on 8 August 1994 in the United Kingdom by

. It peaked at number 16 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

. The tracks "

Ping Pong Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of two, players ...

" and " Wow and Flutter" were released as singles on 18 July 1994 and 17 October 1994, respectively. A

remaster A remaster is a change in the sound or image quality of previously created forms of media, whether Mastering (audio), audiophonic, Cinematography, cinematic, or Videography, videographic. The resulting product is said to be remastered. The term ...

ed and expanded edition of ''Mars Audiac Quintet'' was released by Duophonic and

Warp Warp, warped or warping may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books and comics * WaRP Graphics, an alternative comics publisher * ''Warp'' (First Comics), comic book series published by First Comics based on the play ''Warp!'' * Warp (comics), a D ...

on 3 May 2019.

Critical reception and legacy

Richard Fontenoy, writing in '' The Rough Guide to Rock'', said that ''Mars Audiac Quintet'' elevated Stereolab "firmly into the higher stratum of

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...

". In 2003, ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' ranked ''Mars Audiac Quintet'' as the 78th best album of the 1990s. The American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band Transona Five took their name from the title of the third track on the album.

Track listing

Sample credits * "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. Stereolab *

Tim Gane Timothy John Gane (born 12 July 1964) is an English songwriter and guitarist who co-founded Stereolab with his then-partner Lætitia Sadier.Gregory, Andy (ed.) (2002) ''International Who's Who in Popular Music, 2002'', Europa Publications Limite ...

– guitar,

Farfisa Farfisa () is a manufacturer of electronics based in Osimo, Italy, founded in 1946. The company manufactured a series of compact electronic organs in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Compact, FAST, Professional and VIP ranges, and later, a se ...

and Vox organs, Moog synthesizer, bass *

Lætitia Sadier Lætitia Sadier (born 6 May 1968), also known as Seaya Sadier, is a French musician best known as a founding member of the London-based avant-pop band Stereolab. She was born in the east of Paris and spent time in the US as a child. In 1996, whi ...

– 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 Mary Therese Hansen (1 November 1966 9 December 2002) was an Australian guitarist and singer. She joined the London-based avant-pop band Stereolab in 1992. As a member, Hansen recorded six studio albums from '' Transient Random-Noise Bursts w ...

– vocals, guitar, tambourine, egg shaker *

–

marimba The marimba ( ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the mari ...

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that ...

, brass

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

s, guitar

twang Twang is an onomatopoeia originally used to describe the sound of a vibrating bow string after the arrow is released.Hensleigh Wedgwood, ''A Dictionary of English Etymology: Q - Z'' (1865), p. 433. By extension, it applies to the similar vibrat ...

on "Ping Pong", guitar

tremolo In music, ''tremolo'' (), or ''tremolando'' (), is a trembling effect. There are multiple types of tremolo: a rapid repetition of a note, an alternation between two different notes, or a variation in volume. Tremolos may be either ''measured'' ...

on "International Colouring Contest", percussion on "Fiery Yellow" * Andy Ramsay – drums, percussion Additional musicians * Alan Carter –

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...

, 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 Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

, mixing * Nick Webb – mastering Design * Peter Morris – photography * Trouble – layout

Charts

References

External links

''Mars Audiac Quintet''
at official Stereolab website * * {{Authority control 1994 albums Stereolab albums Elektra Records albums