Chemical Chords
by: Stereolab
Price: $14.98
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Album Description:
Being released by the iconic legendary label 4AD, Chemical Chords is a collection of purposefully short, dense, fast pop songs, according to Gane, brimming with Motown-like drums, O'Hagan's finest baroque-pop brass and string arrangements and etched with some of Sadier's most eloquent, mellifluous vocal performances to date, it is, nonetheless, classic Stereolab; like all their best work, a perfect equipoise between an implausibly cool past and a shamelessly exotic future. The eleventh album in an illustrious career, Chemical Chords began life in early-2007 when Tim Gane started messing with a series of about seventy tiny drum loops on top of improvised chord sequences using piano and vibraphone. Building them up from there later slowing the tracks down or speeding them up a totally new way of doing songs for us With typical prolificacy, the band laboured over the summer at their studio, Instant Zero (in Bordeaux, France), helping transform these blueprints into 32 luminous new songs, withkeyboardist/technician Joe Watson manning the mixing desk. Half the new repertoire was selected for this album, which, for all the breathless spontaneity of its invention, is arguably the band's tautest, most highly focused work this century.
Being released by the iconic legendary label 4AD, Chemical Chords is a collection of purposefully short, dense, fast pop songs, according to Gane, brimming with Motown-like drums, O'Hagan's finest baroque-pop brass and string arrangements and etched with some of Sadier's most eloquent, mellifluous vocal performances to date, it is, nonetheless, classic Stereolab; like all their best work, a perfect equipoise between an implausibly cool past and a shamelessly exotic future. The eleventh album in an illustrious career, Chemical Chords began life in early-2007 when Tim Gane started messing with a series of about seventy tiny drum loops on top of improvised chord sequences using piano and vibraphone. Building them up from there later slowing the tracks down or speeding them up a totally new way of doing songs for us With typical prolificacy, the band laboured over the summer at their studio, Instant Zero (in Bordeaux, France), helping transform these blueprints into 32 luminous new songs, withkeyboardist/technician Joe Watson manning the mixing desk. Half the new repertoire was selected for this album, which, for all the breathless spontaneity of its invention, is arguably the band's tautest, most highly focused work this century.
Disc 1:
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- staggering
i'm a huge fan, but a bit like the reviewer above, while i liked margerine eclipse and fab four (both rewarded repeat listens) this thing is in stereolab's 'a' league - like dots and loops and emperor tomato ketchup. very direct, lots more driving first-beat-of-the-bar foot tappers, and motown flourishes. production wise everything is in its place.weird, beautiful, a great, great record.
Rating: - Kaleidoscope Sound, Fresh & Delicious!
Another great Stereolab album.
Chemical Chords reminds of an old movie soundtrack. Practically each track on "Chemical Chords" sounds like a soundtrack to an old romantic comedy with the elements of a spy movie and the only thing that reminds of this being a XXI century album are the electronic noises and contemporary beats on some of the songs. The record opens with a funny song "Neon Beanbag" with no words that prepares us at once for something joyful, exciting and optimistic. A rhythmic ... Read More
Rating: 
- much much better
something has been off for me with stereolab since marys death. i dont know why. i didnt know her, so it wasnt anything on a personal level. it was a certain charm, maybe?
after listening to this album multiple times, i do believe that the charm is back, there are still cerebral, challenging songs here, yes, but they are crisp, tight, short and amazing. yes, amazing. this is by FAR the most enjoyable stereolab release in years.
the strings, the hooks (all songs have at least one), the ... Read More
Rating: - Let the chemical chords penetrate your electric brain
I have been eagerly anticipating the new Stereolab album for some time, intrigued by Tim Gane's tantalising account of the creative process that led to 'Chemical Chords'- of a batch of his own musical doodles from which the groop developed the final, fleshed out tracks in the studio. So yes, as one would expect from Stereolab, 'Chemical Chords' is a lushly orchestrated album (Sean O'Hagan's arrangements add wonderful texture, especially the strings on 'Cellulose Sinshine' and 'Self Portrait With Electric ... Read More
Rating: 
- Same Old, Same Old
As a fan of "the Groop" for, oh, eleven years now, I firmly believe now, after listening to "Chemical Chords" multiple times, that it's time for the gang to hang it up. ..or at least do SOMETHING different.
Those like myself who have been growing increasingly tired of the formula that used to be interesting may have been having trouble completely accepting "Margarine Eclipse" and "Fab Four Suture" as true Stereolab albums. Yes, they're just like anything else they've done, but at one time, this ... Read More
- staggeringi'm a huge fan, but a bit like the reviewer above, while i liked margerine eclipse and fab four (both rewarded repeat listens) this thing is in stereolab's 'a' league - like dots and loops and emperor tomato ketchup. very direct, lots more driving first-beat-of-the-bar foot tappers, and motown flourishes. production wise everything is in its place.weird, beautiful, a great, great record.
- Kaleidoscope Sound, Fresh & Delicious!Another great Stereolab album.
Chemical Chords reminds of an old movie soundtrack. Practically each track on "Chemical Chords" sounds like a soundtrack to an old romantic comedy with the elements of a spy movie and the only thing that reminds of this being a XXI century album are the electronic noises and contemporary beats on some of the songs. The record opens with a funny song "Neon Beanbag" with no words that prepares us at once for something joyful, exciting and optimistic. A rhythmic ... Read More
- much much bettersomething has been off for me with stereolab since marys death. i dont know why. i didnt know her, so it wasnt anything on a personal level. it was a certain charm, maybe?
after listening to this album multiple times, i do believe that the charm is back, there are still cerebral, challenging songs here, yes, but they are crisp, tight, short and amazing. yes, amazing. this is by FAR the most enjoyable stereolab release in years.
the strings, the hooks (all songs have at least one), the ... Read More
- Let the chemical chords penetrate your electric brainI have been eagerly anticipating the new Stereolab album for some time, intrigued by Tim Gane's tantalising account of the creative process that led to 'Chemical Chords'- of a batch of his own musical doodles from which the groop developed the final, fleshed out tracks in the studio. So yes, as one would expect from Stereolab, 'Chemical Chords' is a lushly orchestrated album (Sean O'Hagan's arrangements add wonderful texture, especially the strings on 'Cellulose Sinshine' and 'Self Portrait With Electric ... Read More
- Same Old, Same OldAs a fan of "the Groop" for, oh, eleven years now, I firmly believe now, after listening to "Chemical Chords" multiple times, that it's time for the gang to hang it up. ..or at least do SOMETHING different.
Those like myself who have been growing increasingly tired of the formula that used to be interesting may have been having trouble completely accepting "Margarine Eclipse" and "Fab Four Suture" as true Stereolab albums. Yes, they're just like anything else they've done, but at one time, this ... Read More
