Stereolab's first full-length recording without guitarist / vocalist Mary Hansen, who died in a tragic accident in december of 2002, Margerine Eclipse finds the band soldiering on in admirable fashion. Essentially picking up where they left off on 2001's Sound-Dust, the group continues to employ their trademark blend of vintage keyboards, airy french / english vocals, and frothy lounge-meets-electronica pop sensibilities. That's not to say that there absolutely no new developments; one can hear the occasional dash of hip-hop rhythm (La Demeure), Autechre-like laptop glitch-pop (Vonal Declosion), and even a bit of disco (at the end of album-closer Dear Marge) amid the familiarly odd time signatures, quirky socio-political lyrical observations, and postmodern retro-futurism. Most importantly, though, Stereolab's finely tuned knack for interesting arrangements, arresting timbres, and modestly elegant melodies remains unsullied.
Released: February 2025
Cat: DUHFD29RT
Label: Duophonic
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Tracklist
1. Vonal Declosion
2. Need To Be
3. Sudden Stars
4. Cosmic Country Noir
5. La Demeure
6. Margerine Rock
7. The Man With 100 Cells
8. Margerine Melodie
9. Hillbilly Motobike
10. Feel And Triple
11. Bop Scotch
12. Dear Marge