Stereolab

Cutting and pasting tracks from Emperor Tomato Ketchup and the "Cybele's Reverie" CD single, this four-song promo exists primarily to serve "The Noise of Carpet," a brilliant subversion of pop conventions that remains a high-water mark in the vast Stereolab catalog. A blistering repudiation of alt-rock's "loser, baby" snark, its surging melody, zigzagging synths, and pointillist harmonies capture the absolute essence of the group's retro-futurist ethos. Presumably a tribute to art-folk chanteuse Brigitte Fontaine, the non-LP "Brigitte" is a study in contrasts. Its first three minutes embrace the kind of bouncy, insistent electro-pop that defined Stereolab's earlier records, but then the song breaks in half, with the remainder exploring the airy, rapturous sounds and textures that would assume prominence during the next stage of their career. "Les Yper-Yper Sound" -- a throbbing instrumental remix of the LP's "Les Yper-Sound" -- rounds out the set. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide