ALBUM REVIEW: Pulse of the Early Brain

Stereolab - Pulse of the Early Brain

Stereolab is a band of nerds. They geek out over equipment, quirk up their releases with experimental physical formats, and crate dig like connoisseurs. On Pulse of the Early Brain [Switched On Volume 5], the fifth and final installment in a compilation series that dates back to 1992, Stereolab stays true to these peculiarities while conveniently collecting and reformatting nearly thirty years of rarities that overview their diverse sound. 

But the album ultimately is just that: an overview. Unlikely to draw in any new fans with few individual tracks that stand out, Pulse of the Early Brain feels like something made to appease the diehards. It compiles rare EPs, split singles, and stray songs that haven’t found their way into a previous LP or reissue into one place. It’s Stereolab, purportedly, emptying out their archive. 

In true Stereolab form, the physical and digital releases differ slightly with the strongest tracks appearing only in the physical. “Low Fi,” a track that originally appeared on a 1992 EP of the same name, shows Stereolab’s precise understanding of balance. The track features distorted, fuzzy chords reminiscent of something from The Velvet Underground’s White Light/White Heat, coupled with joyful pop melodies that feel like a graceful coming of age moment. 

Other notable tracks include “Simple Headphone Mind” and “Trippin’ with the Birds,” which collaborate with the experimental, Krautrock, jazz project called Nurse with Wound. Both tracks feature a repetitive drum machine pulse and droning ambient vocals that feel like a space age twist on the 60s cocktail lounge jazz. The Autechre remix of their 1997 track “Refractions in the Plastic Pulse,” is an assault of techno, especially against the lovely, harmonic grooves that ground the rest of the tracks—an ultimately inessential addition to the compilation. 

As usual, conventions of genre are squashed and sources of influence are scattered, even within a singular track. “ABC” opens with a low-fi 90s alt-rock sound, like something that’d come off a Butthole Surfers album or Ween’s Pure Guava, but eventually the outro segues into a delicate synth-folk melody, a la The Postal Service’s Give Up. It’s clear that Pulse of the Early Brain is another installment of a Stereolab’s typical amalgamation of decades, genres, and sounds in one place. Maybe not the most essential of the Switched On series, but an album that represents the breadth of their work. Perhaps this is just something made by music nerds for Stereolab nerds.

-Dina Pasha :) 

Recommended Tracks: "ABC," "Robot Riot," "Plastic Mile [Original Version]"
RIYL: Cate Le Bon, Yo La Tengo, Deerhunter, Herbie Hancock
FCC: Clean