Stereolab announce 'Pulse of the Early Brain [Switched On Volume 5]', share "Robot Riot"

June 23, 2022

stereolab by David Cowlard — photo: David Cowlard

Stereolab have announced Pulse of the Early Brain, the fifth volume of their Switched On series of non-LP track compilations, which will be out September 2 via Warp / Duophonic UHD Disks. At 21 tracks across three vinyl albums, this is the most concise Switched On to date, sweeping up singles, b-sides, collaborations, radio sessions and other rarities that have yet to appear in the series.

Those include: two tracks from their 1997 Simple Headphone Mind collaborative EP with Nurse With Wound, 1992’s Low Fi EP, stray songs from various editions of 2008’s Chemical Chords, a live version of “Cybele’s Reverie” recorded at Hollywood Bowl, and more. You can preorder it now in a variety of formats, editions and variants, and check out the artwork and tracklist below.

The band have shared “Robot Riot,” which was originally written in 2000 for a sculpture made by artist Charles Long, who they collaborated with on 1995’s Music For The Amorphous Body Study Center project. Listen to that out below.

Stereolab will be on tour in North America starting September 6 in Nashville, and they’ve just announced that joining them for most dates will be Fievel is Glauque. (Deradoorian was original supposed to open but had to pull out of the tour.) Stops include Basilica Hudson on October 5 and NYC’s Brooklyn Steel on October 10 & 11. All dates are listed below.

Pulse of the Early Brain [Switched On Volume 5]:
1. Stereolab/Nurse With Wound – Simple Headphone Mind
2. Stereolab/Nurse With Wound – Trippin’ with the Birds
3. Low Fi
4. [Varoom!]
5. Laisser-Faire
6. Elektro [he held the world in his iron grip]
7. Robot Riot
8. Spool of Collusion
9. Symbolic Logic of Now!
10. Forensic Itch
11. Ronco Symphony [Demo]
12. ABC
13. Magne-Music
14. Blaue Milch
15. Yes Sir! I Can Moogie
16. Plastic Mile [Original Version]
17. Refractions in the Plastic Pulse [Feebate Mix] – Autechre Remix
18. Unity Purity Occasional
19. The Nth Degrees
20. XXXOOO
21. Cybele’s Reverie [Live at the Hollywood Bowl]