Stereolab were an English-French avant-pop band from London, formed in 1990 by Tim Gane (guitar/keyboards) and Laetitia Sadier (vocals/keyboards/guitar) who both remained at the songwriting helm across many line-up changes. Other long-time members included Mary Hansen (backing vocals/keyboards/guitar), who joined in 1992 and remained in the line-up until her accidental death in 2002, and Andy Ramsay (drums), who joined in 1993 and is still in the official line-up. Sean O'Hagan of the High Llamas was a member from 1993 to 1994, and continued appearing on later records for occasional guest appearances. The group's music combined influences from krautrock, lounge and 1960s pop music.
Lyrics and titles
Stereolab's music is politically and philosophically charged. Laetitia Sadier, who writes the group's lyrics, said that her inspiration was most recently her anger towards the Iraq War. The Surrealist and Situationist cultural and political movements were also influences, as noted by Sadier and Gane in a 1999 Salon.com interview. Stewart Mason commented in an AllMusic review that the lyrics from the 1997 song "Miss Modular" "sound influenced by the Situationist theory of the 'spectacle'."  Critics have noted Marxist allusions in the band's lyrics, and have gone so far as to call the band members themselves Marxist. Music journalist Simon Reynolds commented that Sadier's lyrics tend to lean towards Marxist social commentary rather than "affairs of the heart". "Ping Pong", a 1994 single included on the album Mars Audiac Quintet, was noted for its alleged Marxist lyrics. In the song, Sadier sings "about capitalism's cruel cycles of slump and recovery" with lyrics that constitute "a plainspoken explanation of one of the central tenets of Marxian economic analysis" (said critics Simon Reynolds and Stewart Mason, respectively).  Band members have resisted attempts to link the group and its music to Marxism. In a 1999 interview, Gane stated that "none of us are Marxists ... I've never even read Marx." Gane said that although Sadier's lyrics touch on political topics, they do not cross the line into "sloganeering". Sadier also said that she had read very little Marx. In contrast, Cornelius Castoriadis, a radical political philosopher but strong critic of Marxism, has been cited as a marking influence in Sadier's thinking. The name of her side project, Monade, and its debut album title, Socialisme ou Barbarie, are also references to the work of Castoriadis.  Stereolab's album and song titles occasionally reference avant-garde political groups and artists. Gane said that the title of their 1999 album Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night contains the names of two Surrealist organisations, "CoBrA" and "Phases Group", "Brakhage", the title of the first song on the 1997 album Dots and Loops, is a nod to experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage. Other examples are the 1992 compilation Switched On, named after Wendy Carlos' 1968 album Switched on Bach, and the 1992 single "John Cage Bubblegum", named after experimental composer John Cage.

Q: what was special about the lyrics?
A: Stereolab's music is politically and philosophically charged.

Q: how so?
A: Laetitia Sadier, who writes the group's lyrics, said that her inspiration was most recently her anger towards the Iraq War.

Q: were there other influences in her lyrics?
A: The Surrealist and Situationist cultural and political movements were also influences,

Q: any other influences?
A: Critics have noted Marxist allusions in the band's lyrics, and have gone so far as to call the band members themselves Marxist.
what influenced the title?
the title of their 1999 album Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night contains the names of two Surrealist organisations, "CoBrA" and "Phases Group",
the title of their 1999 album Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night contains the names of two Surrealist organisations, "CoBrA" and "Phases Group",