Stereo Total
w/the Gossip, Hawnay Troof, DJ Mama Casserole
Mon May 23, Chop Suey, 8 pm, $10, all ages.
More fun than a threesome, Stereo Total, a multilingual German and French duo, are maybe the best thing to come out of Europe since pizza. Singing in German, French, Japanese, Italian, and truly charming, broken English, Françoise Cactus and Brezel Göring concoct overtly silly, Atari-sounding synth-pop and homemade-instrument-propelled garage kitsch. The Berlin-based pair also have a healthy appreciation for American trash culture, which they toss into the backseat of their über-hip, Euro-groove-mobile as they cruise the Champs Elysée high on paint fumes.
Perhaps it’s their goofiness that has kept Stereo Total under the radar and with a cult following that is devoted but far from gigantic. In concert, Cactus (also the author of four books) handles most of the singing and plays drums, while Göring performs spectacularly nerdy dance moves, swinging his arms around like somebody’s uncle at a wedding reception. Between songs, they use their fucked-up English to maximum effect, coaxing members of the audience to take the mic and sing the chorus to their giddy tribute to three-way sex, “Love with the 3 of Us.”
Among their many classic but haven’t-been-heard-much tunes are the very absurd “Moviestar,” a cover of a song by the ’70s Swedish singer Harpo, sung deadpan, without a wink, by Göring; “Heaven’s in the Back Seat of my Cadillac,” which sounds like Thai hooker karaoke; and the dazzling “Schön Von Hinten,” which has Cactus in Euro-diva mode. (There’s also the Japanese version, “Ushilo Sugata Ga Kilei,” which has a retro synth backdrop that evokes the Tomorrowland of the ’60s.)
Their latest record, Do the Bambi, doesn’t quite align itself with Stereo Total’s loopiest creations, 2002’s Musique Automatique and 1998’s Juke-Box Alarm. But there’s still something very sweet, fun, and innocent about everything they’ve attempted. Stereo Total are that rare pop group who make listeners wish they could speak more languages, wonder about ways to coax peculiar sounds from antiquated keyboards, and dream about living in Berlin and creating a dorky band with a sophisticated yet wacky French singer. ■