Stereolab

Arguably one of the more fascinating and influential acts to have come out of the '90s, Stereolab is a band with a long history and an impressive reach in terms of the impact they had on artists and bands that followed. The core of their sound is a particularly potent hybrid of '60s French pop and elements of krautrock and the use of the motorik beat, stewed in the juices of quirky art pop mixed with experimental textures. Their songs have a way of coming across as something distantly familiar to the listener even at first listen. The band had all their stylistic ingredients in place back on their debut album, 1991's Peng! and they kept building from there, as they put together an outstanding catalog that showcases singer Laetitia Sadier's distinct vocals (often delivered in French) and the sense of effortless cool that is so intrinsic to their sound.