The First of the Microbe Hunters

The First of the Microbe Hunters is the fifth EP by English-French rock band Stereolab. It was released on 16 May 2000 in the United Kingdom by Duophonic Records and in the United States by Elektra Records. Its title makes reference to the book Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif, in which the first chapter is dedicated to Dutch scientist Anton van Leeuwenhoek, named "the first of the microbe hunters".[citation needed] Its tracks were re-released in the band's 2021 compilation Electrically Possessed.[1]

The First of the Microbe Hunters
EP by
Released16 May 2000
RecordedMarch 1997, January 2000
Studio
Length39:47
Label
Producer
Stereolab chronology
Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night
(1999)
The First of the Microbe Hunters
(2000)
Captain Easychord
(2001)

Reception edit

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic59/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [4]
NME     [5]
Pitchfork6.8/10[6]

The First of the Microbe Hunters was met with mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 59, based on eight reviews.[2]

Track listing edit

All tracks are written by Lætitia Sadier and Tim Gane, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Outer Bongolia"Sean O'Hagan, Gane, Andy Ramsay9:29
2."Intervals" 4:38
3."Barock-Plastik" 3:17
4."Nomus Et Phusis" 4:23
5."I Feel The Air (Of Another Planet)" 8:12
6."Household Names" 3:43
7."Retrograde Mirror Form" 6:45
Total length:39:47

Personnel edit

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[7]

Stereolab

Notes edit

  1. ^ Ham, Robert. "Stereolab: Electrically Possessed (Switched On Vol. 4)". Pitchfork. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for First of the Microbe Hunters". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  3. ^ AllMusic review
  4. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 742.
  5. ^ "The First Of The Microbe Hunters". New Musical Express. 12 September 2005. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  6. ^ DiCrescenzo, Brent. "Stereolab: The First of the Microbe Hunters". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  7. ^ The First of the Microbe Hunters (liner notes). Stereolab. Duophonic Records. 2000. D-UHF-CD25.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

References edit