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Now on their 10th album, Stereolab have plowed their particular furrow for many years, constantly tweaking their particular mixture of dreamy french pop. Does their latest offering stand out from the crowd?~~
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Stereolab
Chemical Chords
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AMG Review of Chemical Chords
Heather Phares
All Music GuideAt times, Stereolab's music seems so unchanging that it feels more like it was generated by a laser-guided, lounge pop-meets-Krautrock machine than an actual "groop," but the small tweaks they make to their master plan on each album end up making a big impact. On Chemical Chords, Stereolab's 4AD debut, they take a much more pop-focused approach than their immediately previous work -- which is saying something, since neither Fab Four Suture nor Margerine Eclipse were among their more experimental moments in the first place. Actually, the shortness and directness of these songs could be seen as a bigger experiment for the band than their frequent lockgrooves and hypnotic passages; with those trimmed, Chemical Chords presents a version of Stereolab's sound that is just as vivid as their earlier output, but fizzing with immediacy and urgency. "Neon Beanbag" jumps in hooks first, opening the album with a surprisingly swift rhythm and Laetitia Sadier's more familiar, bopping backing vocals. "One Finger Symphony"'s animated brass, guitars, and percussion suggest gears rotating and levers lifting and falling in playful but somewhat sinister fashion; "Daisy Click Clack" swishes in on brisk drums and a quaint melody that could be borrowed from a piano rag. Despite its name, Chemical Chords actually features some of Stereolab's most organic-sounding music in some time, downplaying their arsenal of analog synths in favor of live instrumentation -- the burbling synths on "Self Portrait with Electric Brain" support the song's snazzy brass and strings rather than dominating them. Likewise, Stereolab's version of "going pop" means looking beyond what "pop" means in the moment. A strong '60s feel permeates much of the album, but the way the band reconfigures these sounds prevents it from sounding archaic. "Three Women"'s rock-solid bass and tambourine shout out to Motown's heyday, but its buzzing organs and bongos feel like they were channeled from a long-lost exotic novelty album. "Cellulose Sunshine"'s gorgeous lysergic chamber pop could be a throwback, if it weren't so modishly sleek, and "Pop Molecule"'s massive synths and big, backward drums offer a futuristic take on acid rock. The band also revisits its own pop heyday on "Valley Hi!" and "Nous Vous Demandons Pardons," boasting the clever counterpoint and fuzzy Moogs of the Mars Audiac Quintet era. Chemical Chords manages to be even more concisely charming than that album, sacrificing little of Stereolab's distinctive sound for its immediacy.
Stereolab - Chemical Chords
Stereolab
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It'd be safe to say we're all mad fans of Stereolab. A quick search of our archives reveals nine references to Stereolab as we introduced you to new artists by appealing to your taste in international, space-age pop. There are many more bands that aspire to Stereolab's neu-lounge sound, but few can keep up with the quality and quantity of output. Never wandering far from their signature sound o...
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Stereolab
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--- - |- It'd be safe to say we're all mad fans of Stereolab. A quick search of our archives reveals nine references to Stereolab as we introduced you to new artists by appealing to your taste in international, space-age pop. There are many more bands that aspire to Stereolab's neu-lounge sound, but few can keep up with the quality and quantity of output. Never wandering far from their signatu...
More >
Stereolab
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Artist:
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Album:
It'd be safe to say we're all mad fans of Stereolab. A quick search of our archives reveals nine references to Stereolab as we introduced you to new artists by appealing to your taste in international, space-age pop. There are many more bands that aspire to Stereolab's neu-lounge sound, but few can keep up with the quality and quantity of output. Never wandering far from their signature sound o...
More >
songs to assume positions to
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Track:The Nth Degree (Japanese Edition Bonus Track)
By no means measurable, comfort in strangeness lies somewhere between true love and what one knows in one's heart about impressive characters played by impressive actors in movies. I appreciate, for example, that we like to trade secrets and bullshit around here in MOG with nearly as little affectation as would delight monks in a working monastery.I bring this up because posturing is an analogy...
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Listen To New Stereolab Track "Three Women" + New Album On The Way
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Stereolab just wrapped up a new album and have announced a few live shows. The forthcoming LP is called Chemical Chords and it will be available worldwide August 18 (but for some reason you have to wait one extra day if you're in the US). Tracklist:01 "Neon Beanbag"02 "Three Women"03 "One Finger Symphony"04 "Chemical Chords"05 "The Ecstatic Static"06 "Valley Hi!"07 "Silver Sands"08 "Pop Molec...
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Go To Your Happy Place
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Stereolab is what would be playing in elevators if elevators were awesome. I in no way mean that as an insult. I love Stereolab. They are a wonderful jumble of noise, irrepressible happiness, and french. They're just always background music, to me. Stereolab and Fantastic Plastic Machine (and, to a lesser degree, Pizzicato 5) occupy the space of background music for me, perfet for listening to ...
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i've been waiting.....
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I've litterly waited so patiently for some more STEREOLAB.....and it is here.....a new album..and now I noticed that they will be about a four hour drive away, playing LIVE in a week....I am going to rush out early and take a mini-road trip and catch this show. It has been ten years since I've seen STEREOLAB live. In fact, when I saw them perform, Mary was still alive. She died in a bicycle ...
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Interlude: You Can Play These Songs With Chords
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Irving Plaza has become a pretty popular stop of late, actually eclipsing the stalwart Bowery Ballroom, and I have to give Live Nation and pals some credit for booking some interesting acts over the last couple months. I do have to say that the lighting is pretty terrible, though. Anyhow, Stereolab played a bunch of shows here at the beginning of October, and I was fortunate enough to catch t...
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Valley Hi!
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Just listen! Feel good! The best 2 minutes of your day maybe
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Stereolab - Chemical Chords
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Now on their 10th album, Stereolab have plowed their particular furrow for many years, constantly tweaking their particular mixture of dreamy french pop. Does their latest offering stand out from the crowd?~~
More >
 "Chemical Chords")
