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 Stereolab
Released	16 May 2000
Recorded	March 1997, January 2000
Studio	Blackwing, London Idful Music Corporation, Chicago, Illinois
Length	39:47
Label	Duophonic Elektra
Producer	Stereolab Fulton Dingley John McEntire
Stereolab chronology
Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night (1999) The First of the Microbe Hunters (2000) Captain Easychord (2001)

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	59/100[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[4]
NME	[5]
Pitchfork	6.8/10[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

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

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Outer Bongolia"	Sean O'Hagan, Gane, Andy Ramsay	9:29
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

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

Stereolab

• Stereolab – all instruments, mixing
  • Lætitia Sadier
  • Tim Gane
  • Mary Hansen
  • Simon Johns
  • Morgane Lhote
  • Andy Ramsay
• Fulton Dingley – recording, mixing
• House – sleeve design
• John McEntire – recording and mixing (track 5)
• Sean O'Hagan – additional instruments