Emperor Tomato Ketchup

Rate It! Avg: 4.5 (205 ratings)
Emperor Tomato Ketchup album cover
Album Information
  • Artist: Stereolab (See All Albums by Stereolab)
  • Date Released: Apr 9, 1996

  • Genre: Rock/Pop, Style: Pop

  • Label: Elektra Records

Total Tracks: 13   Total Length: 57:16

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Since when?

jabbertalky

Has it been 14 years since I bought this, OK, mebbe 12. It still sounds fresh and bubbly if not too intellectually challenging. ABBA meets Pixies, I guess they conceived the Hives

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Two beautiful Swedish Twins

Cazneau

with long blonde hair, zipping through the Alps in a VW Beetle convertible on a gorgeous summer day. Some bad guys are chasing them, but they don't have a chance in hell of catching them. That is what this album sounds like. Download it and enjoy the ride.

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Definitely

cammspace

Don't worry about lyrics. The music is the stuff. Good summer tunes.

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They Say All Music Guide

Stereolab was poised for a breakthrough release with Emperor Tomato Ketchup, their fourth full-length album. Not only was their influence becoming apparent throughout alternative rock, but Mars Audiac Quintet and Music for the Amorphous Body Center indicated they were moving closer to distinct pop melodies. The group certainly hasn’t backed away from pop melodies on Emperor Tomato Ketchup, but just as their hooks are becoming catchier, they bring in more avant-garde and experimental influences, as well. Consequently, the album is Stereolab’s most complex, multi-layered record. It lacks the raw, amateurish textures of their early singles, but the music is far more ambitious, melding electronic drones and singsong melodies with string sections, slight hip-hop and dub influences, and scores of interweaving counter melodies. Even when Stereolab appears to be creating a one-chord trance, there is a lot going on beneath the surface. Furthermore, the group’s love for easy listening and pop melodies means that the music never feels cold or inaccessible. In fact, pop singles like “Cybele’s Reverie” and “The Noise of Carpet” help ease listeners into the group’s more experimental tendencies. Because of all its textures, Emperor Tomato Ketchup isn’t as immediately accessible as Mars Audiac Quintet, but it is a rich, rewarding listen. – Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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