Coming from the same sessions as “Chemical Chords” but with better album artwork, this will be your last Stereolab fix for quite some time. Lætitia Sadier has “The Trip” out, so that might allow feeling like they have a prolific post-existence output.
You can tell this is the same session as “Chemical Chords” due to the similar feel of the music. Like that release, it has a jaunty, upbeat vibe behind it. I know, it is ironic since this is their last official release for a while. “Everybody’s Weird except me” is pretty much what you’d want from a Stereolab opener: clear, repetitive, with those little 60s flourishes they do so well. “Super Jaianto” sort of surprises me, it could have easily made the cut onto Chemical Chords, and I’m a bit shocked it didn’t. All these interlocking pieces come together in such a clever way before it dissolves right in the middle of things.
There are a few bits on here which allude to a certain melancholy, like the center of “Leleklato Sugar” which touches on a humanity that they usually gel over. “Silver Sands Mix” is a bit strange; it is like a weird attempt at a dance song, which does a ‘meh’ job. There’s a bit more synthesizer-worship on this track than I’d like. Since it is right in the middle of the album, it doesn’t exactly make the flow drag, but it feels a bit out of place. Don’t worry, the beautiful duo of “Laserblast” and “Sun Demon” make up for this failed experiment.
Brad Cox’s mix on here, “Neon Beanbag [Atlas Sound Mix]” sounds a bit denser than what surrounds it, but it is a nice final conclusion to the record (Pop Molecules has a snotty abrupt end to things).
Overall, this feels like an appropriate way to say goodbye to the fans.