Stereolab -- Switched On Volumes 1--3 (Remastered)
Stereolab -- Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements (Remastered Expanded Edition)
Must-haves IMO. The remasters seem to be okay; everything sounds a bit more upfront, making them sound more like a "shoegaze" band, if that makes sense. Could all be due to loudness, though, what do I know.
Ah, you picked the "synthesizer" era. Very IDM of you! Yeah, I dunno, sometimes they're incredibly cheesy and theatrical in a broadway musical rather than an opera way (then again, I went to see Manowar this year, and boy, they got this shit turned up to 11), but there's one song on almost every album that's just undeniably great. My personal favorites are "Revelations" (off Piece of Mind) and "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (off The Number of the Beast). I usually prefer synthetic sounds, but there's something in the melodic guitar parts that is just so yummy ... And yeah, artwork is killer. Would wear T-Shirt in a semi-ironic fashion.