Remastered von den Originalbändern, erscheinen auf 2CD und 3LP, weitere 21 Tracks, angefangen 1992 in Stereolabs Frühphase bis zum Jahr 2008, darunter Aufnahmen aus superlimitierten 7inch- und EP-Miniauflagen, rares Bonusmaterial, exklusive Compilation- und Kunstaustellungsbeiträge, Kollaborationen mit Nurse With Wound und ein Autechre-Remix.
Zudem gibt es komplett unveröffentlichtes Material in Form von der 2004er Live-Version von »Cybele's Reverie« (aus dem »Emperor Tomato Ketchup« Klassiker (1996)), des ursprünglich für eine Skulptur von Charles Long geschriebenen »Robot Riot«, der Originalversion von »Plastic Mile« (aus der Compilation »Fab Four Suture« (2006)) sowie der Demoversion von »Ronco Symphony« (aus dem 1993er Minialbum »The Groop Played Space Age Batchelor Pad Music«).
Es gibt viel zu entdecken, gerade auch für Fans, die bis jetzt nicht unbedingt jede noch so kleinteilige Veröffentlichung der Engländer auf dem Schirm hatten.​ Tipp!
(Audio, September 2022)
›Pulse Of The Early Brain‹ funktioniert wie ein repräsentativer Steckbrief für eine der innovativsten Rockbands der 1990er-Jahre.
(stereoplay, September 2022)
Considering how consistently Stereolab collects their hard-to-find releases -- and the wealth of bonus tracks on the late-2010s reissues of their albums -- it's remarkable that there's anything left in their vaults. However, Pulse of the Early Brain: Switched On, Vol. 5 proves there is still plenty of value in the band's archives. Track for track, it may be one of the shorter installments of the Switched On series, but it offers a generous amount of music, not the least of which is the pair of releases that comprise its first half. Pulse of the Early Brain begins with Simple Headphone Mind, a 1997 limited-edition collaboration with Nurse with Wound that transforms "The Long Hair of Death" (which appeared in its original form on a spilt single with Yo La Tengo and on Switched On, Vol. 3: Aluminum Tunes) into euphoric, psychedelic motorik. Though the blobby Moogs and unfazed lockgroove on the title track are expected, the way they're combined is exhilarating, and even more so on "Trippin' with the Birds," which elaborates on the project's themes with fractal-like intricacy.
As welcome as it is to have Simple Headphone Mind widely available, the most significant release collected on Pulse of the Early Brain is the Low Fi EP. Arriving in September 1992 -- shortly after Stereolab released the first Switched On -- the EP fell through the cracks of the band's reissues for 30 years. That's something of a shame, since it's Stereolab's first release to feature beloved vocalist/keyboardist Mary Hansen and longtime drummer Andy Ramsay, both of whom make their mark on the EP's blissfully loud and transporting rock. On "Low Fi" and "Laisser-Faire" (a brilliant live version of which appeared on ABC Music: The Radio 1 Sessions), the vocal interplay between Hansen and Laetitia Sadier and the fuzzed-out keyboards and guitars cresting and crashing over Ramsay's bashed kit is early 'Lab at its finest. Later, "Elektro [he held the world in his iron grip]" morphs from analog synth shenanigans to weightless pop guided by Sadier and Hansen's counterpoint, capturing how the group made these shifts seem effortless.
Pulse of the Early Brain's second half goes deeper into eclecticism, juxtaposing concise tracks such as the buzzy, previously unreleased "Robot Riot" (which the band composed for their Music for the Amorphous Body Study Center collaborator, Charles Long) and the chamber-pop whimsy of Chemical Chords bonus tracks like "Spool of Collusion" with the avant-garde sci-fi jazz of "Symbolic Logic of Now!" and Autechre's spectral yet hard-hitting remix of "Refractions in the Plastic Pulse" for maximum impact. Though a handful of tracks fall into the category of fun but not essential, Pulse of the Early Brain feels more necessary than some of the previous Switched On volumes. As it covers a wide swath of the band's career, it provides a few surprises for even the most avid fans -- and whether listeners are hearing these songs for the first time or the first time in a long time, they sound equally great.
(by Heather Phares, All Music Guide)
Plattentipp 
