BY ROBERT HAM

In past Stereolab concerts, their set list felt as randomly constructed as can be. They would wisely concentrate on songs from whatever album they were supporting (in this case, the group's most direct and poppy work in years Chemical Chords) and sprinkle around it some random bits and bobs from their vast discography.

Yet, the set that was put together by the band for their recent stop at the Wonder Ballroom in Portland felt a little more pointed, concentrating on songs that reflected back to this American audience the many errors of our ways. Even if Laetitia Sadier didn't take the time out to dedicate their glossy ode to movements in global finance "Ping Pong" to "our current credit crunch," the message was loud and clear: the times they are-a changin' once more.

Could this, then, explain the looseness that the band was exhibiting onstage? Was their swinging energy - especially that of Sadier, who danced more in these 90-minutes than she has done in the past six shows I've seen (without, of course, mentioning her see-through black dress) - a bit of metaphorical fiddle playing while Rome burned around them? Perhaps, but whatever the reason, it was a nice change of pace to hear Stereolab playing with a lot more abandon than they've shown in previous Portland tour stops.

Another reason could be, of course, the untethered feel of Chords, with its sparkling, no-nonsense songs and willfully abbreviated running time. Matching the many songs they played from that album with longer expository numbers from the past would have dragged the set down considerably. Instead, they cherry-picked tracks from their back catalog that would fit best on one side of a 45, including overexcited takes on "French Disko" and "Cybele's Reverie", as well as a spotless version of one of their earliest efforts, "John Cage Bubblegum".

There were glimpses into the other side of their musical personality sprinkled throughout - especially in the set's closing number "The Seeming and The Meaning." Another pointed commentary towards the capitalist hegemony, the song turned into a free-for-all sonic explosion, spurred on by a programmed beat cooked up on a laptop by drummer Andy Ramsey. The rest of the group turned on their fiery heels, riding a few simple chords to a glorious conclusion. Socio-political commentary never sounded so good.

[Photo credit: Sabrina Tabuchi]