Laetitia Sadier on pop and politics

Laetitia Sadier, photo by David Thayer

Stereolab was a curious phenomenon. Throughout the ’90s and into the aughts, the British band always seemed to complement the major musical trends that came and went around them* while standing apart on a wavelength of their own. Their dalliance with shoegazing guitars and devoted pop craftsmanship felt current, but Stereolab’s centre stage was always occupied by vintage synthesizers and organs, and the velvety French-accented tones of Laetitia Sadier.

(*Exhibits A and B: collaborations with American indie band Luna and Britpop stars Blur.)

As effective, affecting and influential as their sound was (and is), there was another element of Stereolab that set them apart: Sadier’s lyrics. Though her words weren’t always topical, or even political, her socialist point of view became part of the band’s image. For some, it was a mere footnote to their more alluring sonic aesthetic, but it created an intellectual dimension that upped their cool quotient in the eyes of many.

Stereolab is on hiatus, Sadier’s side project Monade is no more and she’s released two solo albums. The latest is Silencio, a record that promises pleasurable listening to Stereolab fans, and all connoisseurs of cinematic pop melodies and the classy grooves of retro-futurist lounge music. It’s also all about the global financial crisis, but as Sadier proves in her new video, it’s protest music you can smile and dance to, even when there’s math involved.

I spoke to Sadier yesterday, while she was stuck in traffic between Chicago (the first stop on her tour) and Detroit.

Lorraine Carpenter: The movements that have grown in response to the financial crisis are quite different on either side of the Atlantic. What do you make of them?
Laetitia Sadier: I couldn’t compare them, I just find them quite weak considering what we’re facing, the gravity of the situation. “Crisis” means something specific in Greek: it’s a time to either move forward, to change, to acknowledge a situation and how it’s not working and to think of a better way to make things work, or else things snap and break.

The message of my record, if there were to be one, is let’s look at this and move it forward because we can, because we’re intelligent beings, and we can find solutions to this crisis.

I think we need a change of system. It’s not about, “Vote for me, I can manage this system better than that guy or that girl.” Although in France, we had an election in May, and a good half of the candidates were really promoting systemic change.

People are still too scared of a real change, but the thing is, change happens anyway and if you don’t conscientiously approach your changes, they can happen in a more catastrophic way. That’s why we need a real significant popular movement, with eyes open and moving forward. That’s what I wish.

LC: There are others of course, but you’re one of the few contemporary pop-music artists who’s consistently addressed politics in your lyrics. Why are these two things opposed? Or are they?
LS: I don’t think they’re naturally opposed, and I’m surprised there are not more pop bands that explore this. There was a time in the early ’80s where a lot of pop bands were political, and being indie — an indie rocker or an indie popper — was about not working for the man. There was really a political underlining there.

LC: I gather from your lyrics and recent interviews that you’re into meditation. Do you do it every day?
LS: No, I wish. I’m not that zen I’m afraid. But it’s a great way to rest deeply, and to feel centred and more focused. Last night I was feeling very nervous before the show because we only practised two days together and it’s all very fresh, so I did a bit of yoga and meditation and it really put me in a different space.

“Silencio” is also related to this idea of connecting with oneself in a deeper way, and it’s not a selfish thing. It helps to be better with others when you’re connected to yourself.

It’s a wonderful thing: it’s simple, it’s free, it’s chemical free. Isn’t it amazing? You don’t need to go to the supermarket or buy something off the Internet — you just close your eyes.

LC: Can you meditate in the middle of a traffic jam?
LS: I could do, but not if I were driving of course. If you’re driving, you can always treat the traffic jam itself as a meditation. A deeper state of consciousness on the expressway. ■

Laetitia Sadier headlines a Pop Montreal/Cult MTL co-presentation with support from Cate le Bon and Orca Team at Ukrainian Federation (5213 Hutchison) on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 7 p.m., $15