[markl]

"Mary Hansen, singer and guitarist for the experimental pop group Stereolab, died on Monday after being struck by a car while riding her bicycle in London. Martin Pike, co-owner of Stereolab's Duophonic Super 45's imprint with Tim Gane and Laetitia Sadier, was extremely saddened by the loss when we spoke with him via telephone this morning. "It's incredibly tragic," said Pike. "We're all going to miss her. It's just a bit too soon. Even though it happened on Monday, all of us only [recently] found out. We're all still very numbed by it all." The band's official statement reads: "The suddenness of her death has shocked the band. Mary was a special person. Our thoughts are with her family and friends who will miss her greatly.""

Mark

 

[redshifter]

oh no. no no no no nonono!!!

-edit-

i had to go and collect myself. thanks markl for the sad news.

stereolab has been my favorite band since 1993. my heart goes out to mary's family and the groop. myself, i am in shock. i actually loved stereolab. i hope they go on.

 

[chillysalsa]

this is just horrible... I'm so sad

 

[Kubernetes]

Damn that sucks. They are/were such an awesome group.

 

[pikawel]

Stereolab is one of those band names I always hear being thrown around... never actually heard them, though. What album do you guys recommend for an initial listen?

 

[redshifter]

pikawel,
thay're all great, but try "emperor tomato ketchup" for a good sampling of the "old" and "new" stereolab sound. "sound-dust" (sadly the title of this one is now ironic) is also a great one.

 

[LobsterSan]

This is really disheartening.

Especially the means by which it happened. Cars are so dangerous... but people often do not treat them as such (by both drivers and non-drivers).

I had the joy of seeing Stereolab perform live in concert about a year back, and it is really strange to realize that that living, breathing, and beautiful person is no longer.

 

[Kubernetes]

Yeah, get Emperor Tomato Ketchup. It is a wonderful album that really showcases their talents. Each of their albums in its own right is pretty damn cool and different though. They were/are definitely a group not afraid to play around with interesting sounds, yet at the same time come up with extremely catchy and groovy tunes.

 

[redshifter]

i've been listening to my stereolab records and realizing how much mary contributed to the groop. her wonderful loose v.u.-style guitar work, and esepcially her soft melodic singing. her harmony singing with laetitia was unusual and wonderful. i remember when i saw stereolab at a small club last year, going up to the stage to get a better look at her--she had a warm and understated stage presence. i'm even going to miss all her little "la la la la" and "bop bop bop bop" backup singing. sadly i have a hard time imaging 'lab going on without her, but i have a harder time imagining a world without stereolab.

thanks to my fellow 'lab rats here at head-fi--stereolab isn't a well-known band and it hurts less having some people here to talk about it.

 

[scamper]

Sad news indeed. I saw them in San Francisco during their recent tour. They were great. Warm beautiful sounds.

Stereolab will indeed live on...Without the harmonies, they will probably continue to distance themselves from their past output.