Stereolab
(4AD)
Now, that's more like it. It's been awhile since a new Stereolab album was truly memorable to any but the most devoted fan (test: how many songs can you name from ‘04's Margerine Eclipse?). Stereolab has always been a strictly formalist project, and Chemical Chords is no great departure. It contains a few throwback loud and heavy drones ("Pop Molecule (Molecular Pop 1)"), some recognizably baffling titles ("Vortical Phonotheque" could only be a Stereolab song title, right?), soundtrack reveries (the title track) and elements of ‘50s bachelor pad grooviness ("Daisy Click Clack" in particular, and the prominent vibraphone throughout), and of course Laetitia Sadier's cooing vocals and Tim Gane's fondness for repetition across the board. High Llamas' Sean O'Hagan is along, as usual, to provide Smile-y orchestration ("Silver Sands").
Like most Stereolab albums, Chemical Chords has an angle: it's full of compact, direct and often perky tunes. Only three of the 14 tracks stretch past the four-minute marks, and four are less than three minutes long. But the album plays like a coherent set of singles and moods rather than a series of fragments or segments, and a happy Motown thump or a toe-tapping drum machine rhythm anchors most songs. The overall feeling is loose and unlabored while still sounding sharply focused and immediate. It's a fun album, and it's the best ‘Lab of this century.
Standout Tracks: "Self Portrait with ‘electric brain'," "Neon Beanbag" STEVE KLINGE
