 |
Despite making their online announcement of an indefinite hiatus last year, Stereolab haven't exactly been sitting on their keyboards. August of this year saw the release of lead vocalist Laetitia Sadier's solo debut, The Trip, and now we have the release of this odds-'n-'sods companion to 2008's Chemical Chords. With the vast sweep of Stereolab's œuvre already in place, listening to the leftovers on Not Music is sort of like taking one more nostalgic look at your old pad before moving to your new apartment. In the world of Stereolab, you might remember those spongy green drapes ("Everybody's Weird Except Me") or that square frosted lampshade ("Leleklato Sugar"), but the decision to move on was a good one. Inasmuch as Stereolab have accomplished pretty much everything they could, Not Music feels like a passive retread. On at least one track, however, Sadier and Tim Gane remind us just why this is one of the best retro-futuro bands ever. "Silver Sands (Emperor Machine Mix)" morphs a straight-ahead Kraftwerk pastiche into a primitive Arthur Russell club banger over 10 swinging minutes. Stereolab can still switch it on.
