Stereolab - Chemical Chords

4AD

Stereolab’s first studio album proper since 2004’s Margerine Eclipse sees the band on typically cheerful form. Opener ‘Neon Beanbag’ starts with a beat lifted straight from the built-in drum machine on a Seventies organ, and it sets the tone for the album as a whole. It’s upbeat, with playful vocals and a cornucopia of synthesiser and organ sounds vying for attention all at once.

The arrangements are complex, but not in a way that’s immediately obvious, with each listen highlighting previously-unheard facets and layers. Combining the effortless chic of easy-listening with a little electronics, ‘Self Portrait With Electric Brain’ takes Burt Bacharach and mixes it in with a little synthesiser squelch to satisfying effect, while ‘Pop Molecule (Molecular Pop 1)’ explodes in a short outburst of gleefully fuzzed-out noise. All in all, it’s an entertaining listen, despite sonically not treading much new ground for the group. Chris McCorry

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DOWNLOAD: ‘SELF PORTRAIT WITH ELECTRIC BRAIN’, ‘POP MOLECULE (MOLECULAR POP 1)’.
FOR FANS OF: YO LA TENGO, THE CONCRETES, BURT BACHARACH.

Issue #52 - Very Bro-some

Featuring Panama Kings, ASIWYFA, an investigation into DIY touring, details of what over 25 of the finest NI bands are up to in 2009 and much more.