Date: Tue, 20 Feb 1996 11:24:11 +0000 
     From: Andrew Norman (nja@LEICESTER.AC.UK) 
     Subject: Stereolab & Denim


Stereolab's "Cybele's Reverie" - no great surprises, the A-side
(produced by Paul Tipler) is one of those songs which sounds as if it
ought to be in a late sixties light romantic comedy film, possibly with
Jack Lemmon and Sophia Loren taking their honeymoon in Switzerland.
Sean O'Hagan arranges some tasteful strings.  The three B-sides were
produced by one of the chaps from Tortoise, and again glide by in a
pleasant and not entirely unexpected manner - there's some saxophone on
"Young Lungs", "Brigitte" is another lightweight French pop song (all
the lyrics on these songs are in French), and "Les Yper Yper Sound"
comes closest to their Too Pure days.  There's something missing,
though - at their best, listening to Stereolab is either like being on
a fast express train, a sense of speed and energy and movement, or like
listening to the best pop group on the planet.  ("Lo Boob Oscillator"
manages to combine both).  This single isn't tuneful enough or
energetic enough.