Q&A: Stereolab

Laetitia Sadier, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist for eternally cool UK band Stereolab, is "somewhere between El Paso and Austin," having just started a cross-country trek in support of "Chemical Chords," the group's ninth album. Since their 1991 debut EP, the group's mix of lounge, pop and ‘70s German rock has earned the band legions of followers and numerous imitators looking to emulate that "Stereolab sound."

For Sadier, the challenge is surprising herself with each album. "We're constantly striving to do something new and not repeat the past, but at the same time, we are who we are. It's like gardening: you have your bit of land and you have to cultivate different things and try out different methods, but it's still gonna come from the same land." As she made her way across Bush country, the French-born singer talked about her band's mysterious image, a newfound love of the group's past and why her group's "Marxist" politics and music don't always mix.

You've earned this reputation over the years as a distant and mysterious band. Do you think that's accurate?
Maybe because we are unlike a lot of bands and don't have the image of putting ourselves on the record sleeve. And [co-founder] Tim [Gane] is quite a mysterious person so maybe it's no wonder we're a mysterious band. But it's not a conscious thing. We're just normal people. We just stopped at a truck stop and had some horrible lunch. The choice was McDonald's, Subway, A&W, Kentucky Fried Chicken or Taco Bell.

You're in Texas. Couldn't you have found a place with a 96 ounce steak?
Yeah, I know. We should have done that, but it wasn't on the menu.

You're a band that gets constantly name-dropped by other artists as influences, but sales-wise you have never crossed over to that "next level" in America. At this point in your career, do you have any expectations in this regard?
You know, that's the job of the record company. Our job is to produce the music, to play it live, to do interviews and photos. My job is not to go out there and sell records. I understand the industry is in a big crisis and people now want music for free and they can have it for free. But indeed, it endangers the life of the band. I'm not going to pretend that everything is hunky dory. It isn't. Maybe at some point, we won't be able to sustain ourselves doing music, so we'll have to go and do something else. I don't know. I hope not.

How often do you go back to your old albums?
Never. Maybe recently, I played a couple of albums and thought, "Oh, wow. We're good! I see why people like this." Being in the studio recording these albums, you don't see what you're doing. It's only with distance that you see that there's a "result" here. I recently re-discovered [1999's] "Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night." At the time, I had no idea it was a good record. It's only now that I'm like, "Oh..."

Do you get tired of being called a "Marxist pop" band?
No, not at all. We're going through a big recession and credit crunch and I think we should totally dig out Marx's books and work on it. There are solutions. We don't have to have this dysfunctional system. I think, on the contrary, more than ever today, I am proud to have revolutionary leanings.

It's not very popular in America. Will you try to discuss your beliefs to crowds on tour or do you prefer to let your lyrics speak for you?
No, you know, I don't feel, maybe, articulate enough. They're quite big subjects and I'm concentrating on my singing, performing well and on transmitting something positive. I feel it's a battle of negative forces versus positive forces. We don't have much time [in our set], so we can't go into detail on Marxist politics, but at least people will be left with a trust of humanity.

Being labeled a "Socialist" has become pretty pejorative in this country.
Yeah, because you've been completely brainwashed into thinking that anything that's left is evil and perverted. There's been a lot of propaganda that's gone on and people are very confused now. They don't know that maybe they could benefit from socialism and a good health care system and not have to pay $600 a month that won't even cover them if they don't have the right illness at the right time. And that's where the evil is as far as I'm concerned.