Stereolab – Mars Audiac Quintet (Vinyl 2LP) * * *

Stereolab’s 1994 Studio Album Mars Audiac Quintet on 2LP. Remastered from the Original 1/2″ Tapes by Bo Kondren at Calyx Mastering and Overseen by Tim Gane.

On February 28, 2025, Stereolab are making seven of their studio albums available again as 2LP editions. These utilise the same remasters as the 2019 expanded album editions, cut from the original 1/2″ tapes by Bo Kondren at Calyx Mastering and overseen by Tim Gane, but without any of the bonus material from the 3LP versions (which have now been discontinued), the idea being to make more cost-effective versions of these sought-after titles available to fans and shops. Each record comes housed in a single 5mm printed sleeve with printed inner sleeves, and a protective PVC outer bag.

Mars Audiac Quintet saw Stereolab beginning to shed their experimental tendencies in favor of a post-modern space-age pop. The album exudes a sophisticated cool and catchiness that helped them gain new fans while straddling the line between their experimental-rock brethren and the ascending class of pre-millennial British pop. It’s also the album that put them on the A-list of underground rock bands. Arguably the band’s most accessible record, it not only features gentler textures than any of its predecessors, but also more upbeat and hooky songs.