London-based experimental, electronic, post-rock and pop music outfit Stereolab return to marketplace with a brilliant collection, Not Music, an accompaniment to their underappreciated 2008 effort, Chemical Chords.  While it stands alone as a record in its own right, the tracks included on Not Music are cues left out from their last record; it follows the format of some previous b-sides and rarities collections they’ve put out such as Fab Four Suture, Oscillations from the Anti-Sun and the Switched On series.  Not Music is perhaps not as cohesive as Chemical Chords, yet in its disjunction and assemblage, is a wholly interesting and worthwhile listen.  Always playful and uplifting, Stereolab’s distinctive sound continues to thrive in that special place between the energetic and thoughtful, carried effortlessly by singer Lætitia Sadier’s blissful and soothing voice.  With their cloudy synthesizer sound, Stereolab’s Not Music showcases a strong collective and creative deliberation in their songs, for example in my personal favorite, “Equivalences,” a multilayered, non-vocal exploration of percussion, pattern and meter.

The record clocks in at about an hour in length with thirteen tracks of varying lengths and moods. From the opening song, “Everybody’s Weird Except Me” to offbeat and obtuse tracks like “Leleklato Sugar” and the thought-provoking “Delugeoisie,” Stereolab’s Not Music collection has something for everyone.  The surf-inspired cut, “Sun Demon” is another tent pole of the record, a clever, comforting and unyielding art-track.  The signature post-rock and cleverly monotonous Stereolab aesthetic is still present, and continues to be refreshingly innovative. “Pop Molecules (Molecular Pop 2)” stands out for me as the second most important track on the record (another non-vocal selection), the music speaks for itself through its painterly and grounded abstraction—its airy and ethereal post-rock quality is juxtaposed with heavy microwave noise (largely resonates in the background at a lower frequency than most of the ‘foreground’ of the track) which places the song in an unnerving and paradoxical space, agitating its listener through its constantly ‘escalating’ arrangement. This song appears as a follow-up to the track “Pop Molecules (Molecular Pop 1)” found on 2007’s Chemical Chords.

The folks of Stereolab clearly haven’t forgotten the formula that has treated them so well in past years.  While they’re enjoying working with the same equation, they’re introducing elements that contribute to creative new directions in its instantly recognizable minimalistic techno-expressionism. Remaining true to their tried-and-tested sound, Stereolab demonstrate that their work is as timeless as the 60s and 70s experimental electronica they draw inspiration from.  While it’s rather saddening that Stereolab is on an indefinite hiatus at the moment, this release gives us something to listen to in the meantime. Whether or not they’ll be gone from music-making for too long is still in question, but what’s comforting to know is that their music, starting from early demos and their debut Peng!, in addition to Transient Random-Noise Bursts, Mars Audiac Quintet, etc. still resonate today and are always open for reevaluation and revisiting.

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