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monade, "socialisme ou barbarie (the bedroom recordings)"
The first exposure to the lead singer of Stereolab, Laetitia Sadier's solo project Monade came on a split single with M (later known as Aerial M and currently Papa M). The music was unobtrusive, peaceful, and serene, much unlike the intense sounds Stereolab were notorious for. Finding Monade music was always a treat, whether it was on an obscure 7" single or a split release.
Through these relatively quiet releases, the availability and market flood of Monade music has been quite low key, much like the music. Stripped down to very basic elements of guitar, vocals, and the occasional organs and percussion, Monade music is perfect for a lazy sunny afternoon. This, the first full-length album, captures pretty much everything previously released (with songs only slightly expanded in a couple cases) and some previously unreleased material. Sadier's voice, which is most typically backed by a host of horns, intense drums, and a plethora of rock instruments sounds wonderful up against the simple guitars which could have easily been recorded in the inbetween times, in bedrooms, away from the grandeur of large studios and major label budgets. At a time where I think the current status of Stereolab might be a little bit tender after the untimely loss of Mary Hansen, an album like this is a fantastic gift to have, to cherish, and take an introspective moment with. At 12 tracks, the 45 minutes passes very quickly, and it never loses its charm with continuous repeats.
