The Liminanas – The Liminanas 6.7

For those who miss Stereolab’s take on 60s French pop, these guys have helped fill the gap. Unlike Stereolab, their sound tends to be a little rougher around the edges. They subscribe to a more retro sound than Stereolab’s ultra-polished pieces.

Sonically, the approach is similar to that of Royal Baths. Velvet Underground references in this sort of music are inevitable. Upon the first song “The Darkside” you immediately are introduced to the approach: short songs, sing/speaking in French, and a certain degree of smoky coolness. 

“Down Underground” does a pretty good job of mixing these two influences, sounding like an early Stereolab outtake. It doesn’t hurt that the vocalist bears more than a passing resemble to Laetita’s voice. 

Oddly enough, with all their darkness, I enjoy the lighter songs the most. Songs like “Chocolate in my Milk” and “Berc¸euse pour Clive” show off their own unique personality the best. Little flourishes like small melodies and relaxed guitars show another side of the band. A side that sounds more certain of itself. 

I sort of wish that they had explored that side of their art. It isn't particularly terrible by any means (they certainly listened to their influences closely) but it would have been nice to hear a bit more of originality.

Stereolab – Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements 9.4

Oh dear, it is my favorite Stereolab. They did so much, spanning from Krautrock to French pop, all the while keeping up their obsession with heavily socialist lyrics. While it is a shame that they ultimately broke up in the good music starved year of 2008, they are still releasing new things under new names (like Laetita Sadier has under her own name).

But out of their extraordinarily prolific career, I’ve reserved a soft spot for this album. Part of it is due to their heavy involvement with Krautrock at this time. Later on, they’d become completely obsessed with 60s French pop, but their live shows usually displayed something of this nature. Loud guitars with the vocals mixed somewhat low. Yes, I realize that I just described Steve Albini’s approach to every band ever, but this is dramatically different than any of his projects.

For one, the sheer amount of happy energy would instantly repel him. “Tone Burst” ranks as one of my favorite openers to any album. It completely sets the mood for what you’re about to experience. Even glimpses of their future French pop selves appear on the excellent “Pack Yr Romantic Mind”. 

Oddly, there’s also a great deal of their experimental efforts on here, with the masterpiece “Jenny Ondioline” clocking in at over 18 glorious minutes. To see this piece performed live is truly a beautiful thing to behold. “Lock-Groove Lullaby” neatly closes the record.

Sadly, Stereolab are no more, on indefinite hiatus. That means most likely we’ll have to make do with the last bits of leftovers called “Not Music”, which is due out on November 10^th of this year. Or you could check out Laetitia Sadier’s self-named solo project, which should be more than enough to help you with your fix.