Stereolab, Margerine Eclipse

We’ve been saying for years now that the future of pop music is the Flaming Lips, but that may have been only because Stereolab appeared to be on extended hiatus. True, they’re Eurotrash, whereas the Lips are all-American Okies. But like so many great rock bands from abroad, Stereolab had a special ear for traditional recording methods and instruments, obsolete forms of pop, and an obsession with melody. If you can tolerate the heavy dose of intensely self-conscious “artiness,” you’ve got a keeper. We were worried that the tragic death of singer Mary Hansen in 2002 would shelf the band literally or figuratively—so we’re pleased to see this new disc.