[.ca] Cobra and Phases Play Volt. .

From Amazon.com:
On this bemusingly titled album, Stereolab toss around small chunks of music as catchy and irresistable as anything they've ever recorded. The warm Moog synth that leads off "Infinity Girl" or the horns that burst out of Laetitia Sadier's dry, layered voice in "The Free Design" will significantly boost your serotonin levels. The deconstructions these sonic scraps undergo and the analog keyboard textures around them are radically broad-minded, unveiling a separate and equally engaging architecture all their own. The ear follows one, then the other, first harmonically together, then suddenly cacophonous, all wrapped up in that familiar, '60s-a-go-go ambience. The scrupulous sensibilities of coproducers John McEntire and Jim O'Rourke are all over this record, incorporating the Chicago post-rock electronic sound and left-field musical influences at the heart of their work. Yet just when the song is sure to fall apart, Stereolab rediscovers the melody at the core. Take "Puncture in the Radax Permutation": a descending string melody mingles with a plunking xylophone-like pattern, the blend getting more and more abrasive. Suddenly the strings rise up with the drum track and a dreamy little tune reveals itself. It's not a record that's easy to get one's head around. Repeated listens, however, expose the diamonds in the rough, though the rough itself proves just as valuable. --Matthew Cooke

Like Sonic Youth and the Beastie Boys, Stereolab have always acted as cultural ambassadors (enthusiastically turning folks on to neglected artists and sounds) as much as a band of their own. On this gorgeous disc the group spice up their sonic soup with jazz, creating complex songs that are spot-on terrific and remind the listener of no other band in the world. --Mike McGonigal

where did they get that funky old keyboad?:
See, this kind of music is really good, and it proves that good music is still being made, for sure. I don't know if you would wanna buy a CD just for one good song, but try this CD out for "People Do It All The Time." Remember the keyboard instrument from the early 70's called the clavinet? Vah-vah-boom, well there it is right in the very beginning of the song. You know, it reminds me of the sound of Todd Rundgren when he realesed his 1974 opus Todd. Remember "A Dream Goes On Forever"? Maybe you younger lads know it from the movie The Virgin Suicide or the silly little movie Almost Famous with Kate Holmes. But that's the sound they are going for. Listen. I was like, wow, I haven't heard tricks and gadgets like this since I put on 74's Todd for the first time. They even get long and freaky on some tracks almost like, hey, let's do "Shaft Goes To Outer Space" except they keep rockin out with the drum machine so the girl int he back of the club will keep dancing for eleven minutes straight-yo. Wheww, the chord changes on "People Do It All The Time" reminds me of Todd Rundgren. I think thats neat-o. Oh yeah, it could also be like the opening chords to "Until I Die" by The Beach Boys. Zippy-a-dee doo. On a clavinet nonetheless. Could even be one that was used in 1974!! Sorry just to dwell on the one song here as this release is plump with all kinds of niffty little sonic treats that you thought you could only hear on commercials for SUVs and computers. Nope. The lady sings in french which is always nice because then you don't have to sit there and listen to the words like you have to do on a Beck album with that look on you face like, Hmmm, I shoulda had a beer first and maybe these cooky lyrics'll start makin' sense. I still would rather listen to Todd ("Todd") and watch an episode of That 70's Show and remember the good old days. Peaceylove- Shelia

not the best, but incredible never- the- less.:
Stereolab probably is one of the best kept secrets that never quite reached a level of mass appeal and constant radio bombardment. In a way, this is a good thing because the band is able to maintain reverence among those who are fortunate enough to hear this group. If this album was a place, it would be Chicago as portrayed by the artist Radebaugh. It's jazzy, mature, retro-futuristic, yet cosmopolitan. Othertimes it is easy going, while capturing elements that are both playful and wonderous. It's certainly not New Yorkish though. This one is distinctly representative of the Windy City. Dots and Loops, while capturing similar elements, is more reflective of a Parisian setting. Cobra Phases is laced with various musical influences such as Sun Ra, the Free Design (hence the song name), and other obscure vinyl treats that have mostly been tucked away in a warehouse somewhere. It's a wonderful album because it takes these influences and actually uses them to create a musical entity that is in my opinion, more evolved than they ever were. Then again, that is what Stereolab is particularly good at doing- digging up forgotten styles of music and giving them class. The reason why I could not award this as a 5 star album is that while it was excellent, the problem was that some of the songs should have been trimmed off the album. It could have been about 3 tracks shorter. One song that could have been scrapped is "Blue Milk". Understandably, some people can argue that it reverts back to their pre- "emporer tomato" style of trance-rock. These same people would probably find inspiration in hearing a track of Fran Drescher laughing nonstop for 11 minutes. The song is flat, aggrivating, uncreative, and should have been reserved for a soundcheck rather than as a display of art on the album. I want to hear complexity of absolutely gorgeous songs like "the Free Design." I want to hear the harmonious dischord (in this case the oxymoron works) of acid jazz songs like "Fuses". I want to hear the ultra-lounge chill out sounds of "People do it All the Time" and "the Spiracles." And the list goes on.

Segun tu estimulante:
Aunque, según mi criterio, ya estos acercamientos podían sentirse, en este disco stereolab acentúa aun más los sonidos, bases y acordes de jazz, sobretodo en el uso de metales. El primer track fuses, es una clara evidencia de esto. Agresividad moderada, melodías que sumergen en la alegría o la depresión según el estimulante, otro paseo en el casi infinito mundo sonoro de posibilidades que nos brinda stereolab. Escucha y disfruta

Not their best but still fantastic:
This is truly an incredible album. Stereolab is such an asset to the world and fills a very unique void. Certainly they have their immitators and, honestly, they are immitating themselves, but the outcome is something so wonderfully there own. While they might not be my favorite band in the world, I hold them in the highest regard for what they do. Cobra, like almost all of their work, is astounding. The songs are fantastic and Jim O'Rourke's production is great as always. But, to be perfectly honest, if you have never heard them, I do not think this is the place to start. I consider Dots and Loops to be the ultimate Stereolab record. That being said, don't let me scare you away. This album will not disappoint.

Brilliant, just might need some home-editing:
I'm a fan who fell for "the groop" after hearing 'Dots & Loops,' and then I'd picked up a couple earlier releases, but the critical magazine reviews for this one (and the ugly cover) put me off until I found it a couple years later in a 'used' bin. Even after getting a listen for myself, my initial response was that the critics were right. After a few spins, I shelved it, until 'Margerine Eclipse' recently got me listening to my old Stereolab discs again. This still seemed impenetrably dense, a long slog to get through it all in one sitting, until I read through some Amazon reviews and took the advice of those who said to listen to it in short sections. Voila! The secrets of a new world revealed! There really is a fantastically imaginative album in here. It just needs some editing to bring out its best. Your mileage may vary, but my solution is to cut "People Do It All The Time" and the "Velvet Water/Blue Milk/Caleidoscopic Gaze" section. The start of the album flows better when track 1 goes straight into track 3, and the latter half is tighter without the 24 minutes of slow, ambient texturing of tracks 10-12. (The excised cuts can be worthwhile in their own right, but maybe they just would've been better reserved for an EP or single b-side.) Sometimes I move "People Do It" into the "Spiracles" slot, or I leave in track 10 or 12, but whatever. Just give it a try, and play around with it until the program flows for you. I can't give 5 stars to an album that needs 3-4 cuts taken out to bring the whole into focus, but digging into this music lately has been an exciting trip. It is Stereolab at their warmest, funniest, and most daring. They sound like a band of unlimited ideas, unafraid to try anything, and able to get most of it across so long as you're willing to make a little effort to meet them part-way. And if a few things don't work so well? Oh, well. Most of it is brilliant, and who else can take you on such a joyride? They're still giving more than your money's worth.

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