Margerine Eclipse
Margerine Eclipse is the eighth studio album by English-French rock band Stereolab.
It was released on 27 January 2004 in the United States by Elektra Records and on 2 February 2004 in the United Kingdom by Duophonic Records. The album is in large part a eulogy to former band member Mary Hansen, who died in 2002.
| Margerine Eclipse | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 27 January 2004 | |||
| Recorded | 2003 | |||
| Studio | Instant Zero (France) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 53:41 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Stereolab chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 77/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Alternative Press | 4/5 |
| Drowned in Sound | 8/10 |
| Entertainment Weekly | A− |
| Mojo | |
| The Observer | |
| Pitchfork | 7.6/10 |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Spin | B− |
| Uncut | |
By June 2004, Margerine Eclipse had sold over 40,000 copies in United States. A remastered and expanded edition of the album was released by Duophonic and Warp on 29 November 2019.
Background
In December 2002, Stereolab member Mary Hansen was killed in a cycling accident. The band subsequently dedicated Margerine Eclipse to Hansen, with the lyrics of the song "Feel and Triple" making specific reference to her. Shortly before work commenced on the album, band members Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier ended their romantic relationship. Their breakup is alluded to in Sadier's lyrics for the song "Hillbilly Motobike".
Margerine Eclipse was mixed with full stereo separation – or as Stereolab termed it, in "dual mono". For every song, the band made two recordings – each with a different arrangement – then created a final mix by synchronising both recordings together, with one on the left channel and the other on the right channel. The technique was also used on the band's 2003 EP Instant 0 in the Universe.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Vonal Declosion" | 3:34 |
| 2. | "Need to Be" | 4:50 |
| 3. | "'...Sudden Stars'" | 4:41 |
| 4. | "Cosmic Country Noir" | 4:47 |
| 5. | "La Demeure" | 4:36 |
| 6. | "Margerine Rock" | 2:56 |
| 7. | "The Man with 100 Cells" | 3:47 |
| 8. | "Margerine Melodie" | 6:19 |
| 9. | "Hillbilly Motobike" | 2:23 |
| 10. | "Feel and Triple" | 4:53 |
| 11. | "Bop Scotch" | 3:59 |
| 12. | "Dear Marge" | 6:56 |
| Total length: | 53:41 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Vonal Declosion" | 3:34 |
| 2. | "Need to Be" | 4:50 |
| 3. | "'...Sudden Stars'" | 4:41 |
| 4. | "Cosmic Country Noir" | 4:47 |
| 5. | "La Demeure" | 4:36 |
| 6. | "Margerine Rock" | 2:56 |
| 7. | "The Man with 100 Cells" | 3:47 |
| 8. | "Margerine Melodie" | 6:19 |
| 9. | "Hillbilly Motobike" | 2:23 |
| 10. | "La Spirale" | 2:24 |
| 11. | "Feel and Triple" | 4:53 |
| 12. | "Bop Scotch" | 3:59 |
| 13. | "Dear Marge" | 6:56 |
| Total length: | 56:05 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mass Riff" | 6:30 |
| 2. | "Good Is Me" | 5:27 |
| 3. | "Microclimate" | 4:39 |
| 4. | "Mass Riff" (instrumental intro) | 1:13 |
| 5. | "Jaunty Monty and the Bubbles of Silence" | 4:30 |
| 6. | "Banana Monster ne répond plus" | 4:28 |
| 7. | "University Microfilms International" | 4:01 |
| 8. | "Rose, My Rocket-Brain! (Rose, le cerveau electronique de ma fusée!)" | 5:26 |
| Total length: | 36:14 | |
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.
Stereolab
- Tim Gane – electric guitar, electronics, organ
- Lætitia Sadier – vocals, trombone on "Margerine Melodie"
- Dominic Jeffery – organ, electric piano, harpsichord, celeste
- Simon Johns – bass, drums on "Margerine Rock"
- Andy Ramsay – drums, drum machine
Additional musicians
- Fulton Dingley – drum machine, synthesizer, MIDI, percussion
- Sean O'Hagan – keyboards, acoustic and electric guitars, other instruments
- Jan St. Werner – electronics on "Vonal Declosion" and "Feel and Triple"
Production
- Fulton Dingley – engineering, mixing
- Stereolab (credited as "The Groop") – mixing
Charts
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC) | 86 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 108 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) | 11 |
| US Billboard 200 | 174 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) | 6 |
References
External links
- Margerine Eclipse at official Stereolab website
- Margerine Eclipse at Discogs (list of releases)
- Margerine Eclipse at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
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