It has been four years since Stereolab had a proper release --- not to discount the 2006 EP release, FAB FOUR SUTURE --- so the release of CHEMICAL CHORDS, the long-existing band’s eleventh CD, is a welcome thing indeed. Co-founder/drummer Tim Gane describes CHEMICAL CHORDS as well as I ever could, calling it “purposely short, dense, fast pop songs.” Just so; however, the sixteen tracks on CHEMICAL CHORDS are hardly formalistic or elementary. I’m going to take a long shot here and compare Stereolab on CHEMICAL CHORDS to the work of Lindsey Buckingham, in the sense that both compose deceptively simple tunes that are in fact complex, revealing themselves only after repetitive exposure.
Much of Stereolab on CHEMICAL CHORDS reminds me of a group named The United States of America who released one album in the late 1960s before disappearing into the ether. The comparison is meant as a compliment; The United States of America was groundbreaking, but accessible, and Stereolab on CHEMICAL CHORDS mines similar ground. Part of the reason for this is that Stereolab used classical Moog synthesizers in the creation and recording of CHEMICAL CHORDS. There is an odd, and delightful retro feel throughout the project as well. Some of the tracks (“Three Women,” “Valley Hi,” “Daisy Click Clack”) feature a drum and bass introduction reminiscent of the Motown sound. “Three Women” is of particular interest, opening with a thumping bass and drum before drifting into a baroque melody complete with harpsichord, which in turn plays counterpoint to Memphis-horns style riffs, with an occasional fuzz box guitar solo line that sounds as if it’s the inverted guitar riff from “(I Can’ Get No) Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones. Each of the tracks, however, possesses its own set of unique features. “Silver Sands,” for example, sounds as if it was recorded by Squeeze, if they had formed in, say, the year 2020, and were fronted by Nico. And that brings up the unifying factor of Stereolab’s work in general and CHEMICAL CHORDS in particular. Co-founder Laetitia Sadier’s distinctive, ethereal vocals link each of the tracks on CHEMICAL CHORDS, anchoring the project while not weighing it down whatsoever.
CHEMICAL CHORDS has been long a-borning, beginning life in early 2007 with Tim Gane working with a host of “tiny” (Gane’s description) drum loops which were slowly and gradually fashioned and crafted into songs. CHEMICAL CHORDS was ultimately whittled down to sixteen tracks from a selection of thirty-two songs. Having heard what has been released, my curiosity is aroused: what did the other tracks sound like? If there is a second helping of CHEMICAL CHORDS, bring it on.
