Revitalised by the breathless spontaneity of the album’s invention, Chemical Chords is arguably Stereolab’s tautest, most highly focused work this century. An album of 14-new tracks brimming with Motown-like drums, fine baroque-pop brass and string arrangements, etched with eloquent, mellifluous vocal performances. It is, nonetheless, classic Stereolab; a perfect equipoise between an implausibly cool past and a shamelessly exotic future. Chemical Chords showcases Stereolab's inimitable talent of being able to sonically reference their rich catalog while simultaneously charting brave (and beautiful) new paths.
