Panty-Launching Musical Goodness

For all the myriad divisions and subdivisions of classical, pop, rock, jazz, blues, country, Baroque, Celtic, hip-hop, zydeco, etc. etc. etc., there are really basically two genres of music:

Music for clapping along to, and music not for clapping along to.

I've always put Stereolab pretty firmly in the latter category - not because they aren't rocking by any means, but because they're so good. The music is so beautifully laid out, all the textures and colors so perfectly blended, there's really nothing a listener can add to it. (This from someone who sings along at the top of her lungs in the car, mind you.)

So who else went to see them at La Zona Rosa last night? Post a comment! Was it not the most fabulotacular show ever?

It's not that often that I run into someone else who's into Stereolab, so it was really something to find myself jostled in a thick crowd of such people. It feels pretty much the same as being jostled in a crowd of Wal-Mart shoppers until the music kicks in, and everybody's dancing and waving their arms in the air and, yes, a few people clapping, bless their hearts. Oh, but it was wonderful. Damn they're good! I loved the French horn used in place of double-tracking some of the vocals, too - just made it that much more live, and the timbre of the horn was a really nice complement to Laetitia's gorgeous yummy voice.

Respecting her wishes, no one threw any of these. The group did seem to appreciate the bra, though, which looked like quite a nice one. (It wasn't mine. I was not standing close enough.)

Before last night I would also have said Stereolab was not a band to throw your underwear at.

It's good to expand your musical horizons!