Why, again, is Stereolab not included in PA?

They've never been suggested for post rock as I've just looked at rejected bands for post-rock. 

I'm no expert on their music but based on what I've heard I don't think I would categorize them as post rock. I think they were just as much experimental or even krautrockish than they were post rock(if not more so).

Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - August 11 2020 at 21:25

Determining the best category to suggest to is a very important step. It might not matter to you, but it matters when people suggest something (not that you've suggested it, you've just tried to understand why it wasn't included and if it was ever seriously looked at). If the process is not followed then there's less chance that a band will be evaluated, and the PR process is an involved one. Good arguments, thoroughness and protocols are important.

Just in case I wasn't completely clear, I'm not suggesting that someone "should" push Stereolab, but if a "convincing dossier" is provided, that matters. The reason why Prog Related has had stringent guidelines for entry and proposals has been to limit its size (there is a huge amount of music that has a Prog relation not in PA, and PR would take over if we were really open to all -- didn't have our guidelines for submission). There are things in PA that wouldn't meet later guidelines and there are controversial additions (One shouldn't expect much consistency methinks considering this site's history). The site is not consistent as rules/ guidelines have changed over time, teams have changed, different teams, things were done differently in the early PA days.... With Talking Heads there is a prog personnel relation: Adrian Belew and Brian Eno. Queen was an early addition and it used to be in Art Rock. I don't know when or why Slint was added (sort of proto post rock?). I'm not that familiar with Slint or the history of addition.

As for the Post Rock Definition, it's not good and is based on a not good wikipedia page article (better to look at as many primary sources as possible and use that as one's base). Not all Post-Rock is the kind of Post-Rock that one would expect in PA, and while I am not a post-rock expert, I have little problem with saying "Originally used to describe the music of such bands as Stereolab, Disco Inferno, Seefeel, Bark Psychosis and Pram, it spread out to be frequently used for all sorts of jazz- and Krautrock-influenced, instrumental, electronica-added music made after 1994. Bands from the early 1990s such as Slint, or earlier, such as Talk Talk were influential on this genre." Originally meaning that is how it wasbut then Stereolab gets mentioned again in the definition.

Now I can read that easily by not saying that the article (based on a wiki page) which talks about the history of the post-rock term and mentions Stereolab twice is saying that Stereolab fits PA's Prog Post-Rock category, but it doesn't go into what the Post-Rock category means for Prog Archives and so it's not very helpful when one is using that definition as a guide to suggest bands to Post-Rock.

Whatever relation Stereolab has traditionally had to post-rock, I would not hear it as a PA Post-Rock category band, and despite the obvious Krautrock influence, musically it would fit Crossover best of our Prog categories, and related best for the music overall, I think.

While Stereolab has a musical prog relation, I am not aware of it fitting enough of the Prog Related criteria (see the Prog Related page), so I wont propose it. I wouldn't propose it unless I had a really strong case, and more-so because I'm also one of the ones that would vote on it in Prog Related (I have my biases). Dean used to say something like, In prog Related we don't listen to the music, we judge the validity of the arguments and gauge the support (probably badly paraphrased). The PR team has worked rather differently while I've been on it and we have done more leg-work than has been suggested. Good arguments (showing as many prog relations as possible), and well-aimed samples can go a long way. Each act is supposed to be evaluated on its own merits, but of course comparing it to similar ones that are in PA, as well as personnel relations with other bands help. And if Stereolab was included then some people would also expect Pram, and others of a similar ilk.

By the way, Dots and Loops is one of my very favourite albums.


Edited by Logan - August 12 2020 at 11:03

If Stereolab gets formally suggested on here (not sure if they have yet or not), I will happily add them once they've gotten enough votes. They definitely deserve to be on the site 

Edited by Necrotica - January 02 2023 at 20:55

I rather agree with Logan. They are probably most suited for crossover if anything. Krautrock is only only tiny aspect of their sound. They are much more indie pop than anything but it's undeniable there's prog influences. Even prog related seems warranted. i love myself some Stereolab and have been considering suggesting them for years but never seem to get around to it because of the hurdles involved.

Thanks for this thread, I found two interesting bands, Stereolab and Pram. 

I'm so happy to read! I hope you two get a lot of pleasure diving into Pram and/or Stereolab's work, they changed my world for the better. And you're correct, Matti: Pram were a recent addition and so far I'm the only one who's given them any ratings at all.

Stereolab, Broadcast and Pram are a kind of holy trinity that go together for me, all of which I have been hugely into especially over the last few years. And then you get Vanishing Twin (and others) that draw on Stereolab, Pram and Broadcast.

I haven't done just ratings for a long time, and that was when the quick rating feature came out, but maybe I'll write a review for one of the Pram albums at some time. That said, I tend to share more my love of music in forum topics, and those bands all get lots of love from me here.

Edited by Logan - January 05 2023 at 05:15