If you enjoy their odd fusion of 60’s Yeh-Yeh pop and synthy loungecore then you’re really gonna dig the new Stereolab download and CD, released today on the legendary 4AD label. Chemical Chords is their first album proper since 2004's Margerine Eclipse (if you discount the EP collection of 2006, Fab Four Suture) and it features thirteen songs by Laetitia Sadier (woah, foarh!) and Tim Gane (not my type) and one solo Gane composition, as well as string and brass arrangements from (Microdisney’s) Sean O'Hagan. The tracklisting reads like this...
1. Neon Beanbag
2. Three Women
3. One Finger Symphony
4. Chemical Chords
5. The Ecstatic Static
6. Valley Hi!
7. Silver Sands
8. Pop Molecule (Molecular Pop 1)
9. Self Portrait with electric brain
10. Nous Vous Demandons Pardon
11. Cellulose Sunshine
12. Fractal Dream of a Thing
13. Daisy Click Clack
14. Vortical Phonotheque
A US tour begins in September followed by UK dates in December.
09-20 Costa Mesa, CA - Detroit Bar
09-21 Pomona, CA - Glass House
09-24 Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
09-26 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
09-27 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club
09-29 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
09-30 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
10-01 Philadelphia, PA – Trocadero
10-02 New York, NY - Irving Plaza
10-03 New York, NY - Irving Plaza
10-04 New York, NY - Irving Plaza
10-06 Boston, MA – Paradise
10-07 Montreal, Quebec - Club Soda
10-08 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theatre
10-09 Detroit, MI - The Crofoot
10-10 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
10-12 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
10-14 Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre
10-17 Seattle, WA - Showbox
10-18 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
10-19 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom
10-21 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
10-22 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
10-23 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre
10-24 Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern
12-12 Cork, Ireland – The Pavillion
12-13 Dublin, Ireland – Tripod
12-14 Belfast, Ireland – Black Box
12-16 Glasgow, Scotland – Oran Mor
12-17 Manchester, England – Academy 3
12-18 Brighton, England – Concorde 2
12-19 London, England – Koko
The above video features the track Three Women taken from their new release.
The official single release is Neon Beanbag.
Simon Power
Older Music Machines & the People Who Still Use Them