Stereolab Fab Four Suture CD

Upon first listen, Stereolab's 2006 full-length outing, FAB FOUR SUTURE, sounds strikingly familiar, with burbling keyboards, prominent bass, precise rhythms, subtle guitar, and, of course, Laetitia Sadler's detached and heavily accented vocals all squarely in place. Repeated playing, however, reveals the album (originally issued as a series of singles) to be more than just a rehash of past glories; while certainly not reinventing the French/British indie-rock group's meticulously designed wheel, the disc works to its strengths. Parts 1and 2 of the droning "Kyberneticka Babicka" bookend the record, while the chiming "Get a Shot of the Refrigerator" stands out as one of the ensemble's most dynamic latter-day tracks, recalling the finer moments of 2001's excellent SOUND-DUST. "Visionary Road Maps" carries a vaguely foreboding atmosphere, and Stereolab's perpetual eagerness to fuse a moody cinematic vibe with glitchy experimentation finds a nice outlet on "I Was a Sunny Rainphase." Although FAB FOUR SUTURE is unlikely to draw many new converts into the Stereolab fold, this assured 12-track set rewards patient fans with an album that slowly unveils its charms.

Stereolab: Laetitia Sadier (vocals); Tim Gane (guitar); Joe Watson (keyboards); Simon Johns (bass guitar); Andy Ramsay (drums).

Rolling Stone (p.67) - "Brighter cuts like 'Whisper Pitch' are entrancing in a Magic Eye kind of way, and 'Interlock' works up suave funk..."
Uncut (p.118) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[With] beautifully layered, complex arrangements of trombone electronics and harmony vox."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.102) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "With each release they've loosened up more and more from their trademark early '90s minimalist motorik."