Stereolab, three 7" singles
Recently freed up from the tyranny of AOL Time Warner Elektra, Stereolab have seized the opportunity to get some things off their chest. Oscillations from the Anti-Sun, the compilation issued in the beginning of the year is perhaps one of the most generous single-artist collections ever, featuring all the band's music videos and a number of odd other video appearances on one DVD along with three CDs of music from out of print singles and stickers featuring replicas of the original covers.
Now that everybody can be just about caught up, it's new single time. The first of the trio features two versions of the same song. "Kybernetická Babička" is peppy and bright, but the surrealistic lyrics of Laetitia Sadier is replaced by a bunch of "ahhh"s. While it is pleasant, it is rather forgettable and almost unnecessary to have two sides of nearly the same thing. Perhaps they're saving it for another car commercial or film soundtrack, but I have been far more impressed with other Stereolab instrumental grooves in the past.
The second single is perhaps the most enjoyable, at least for me anyhow. "Plastic Mile"starts off in an almost uneasy way but two minutes in, the entire song shifts and transforms into full-form Stereolab bliss mode. Swrling keyboard and guitar melodies are backed by a classy brass sound, sprinkled with Sadier's vocals providing both melody and harmony. Similarly, "I Was a Sunny Rainphase" opens with a strongly established upbeat melody and makes a big detour as well.
The third single is more along the lines of the retro-pop Stereolab have tried before, with a driving Phil Spector influenced pulse, bouncy basslines and socially optimistic lyrics ("we can learn to respect each other") on "Interlock.""Visionary Roadmaps" on the flipside is equally paced and also as enjoyable, but with an '80s-esque pick-struck bassline that isn't common for the group. The duality is familiar territory when it, like the songs on the second single, shifts into a completely different song for the last minute or so.
All three singles are delightful and a very cool thing for the fans to be buzzing over. Additionally, vinyl singles command a certain attention because when the approximate five minutes are done, they need to be flipped over. If these singles are slight detours from the album then I eagerly await the band's next record, probably far more excitedly than I have in recent years.
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