Emperor Tomato Ketchup [Expanded Edition]

Stereolab: Duncan Brown, Tim Gane, Mary Hansen, Morgane Lhote, Andy Ramsay, Laetitia Sadier (vocals, various instruments).
Additional personnel: Sean O'Hagan (string arranger, electric piano, organ, vibraphone); Marcus Holdaway, Sally Herbert, Mandy Drummond, Meg Gates (strings); Ray Dickarty (alto saxophone); John McEntire (vibraphone, guitar, synthesizers, maracas, tambourine).
Producers include: Paul Tipler, Duncan Brown, Tim Gane, Mary Hansen, Morgane Lhote.
Engineers include: Paul Tipler, John McEntire, Paul Tipler.
Recorded at Blackwing Studios, London, England and Idful Music Corp., Chicago, Illinois.
Stereolab have always been fascinated with a wide range of textures, which, under their special care, come together in a droney, poppy, spacey sound all their own. In their hands, the monotony of mid-'70s Krautrock, the hi-fi effects of so-called space-age bachelor-pad music (strings, eccentric harmonies, odd studio sounds), and the simplicity of the Velvet Underground's dark pop combine into a mighty monolith that pushes popular music's borders, while making heads sway in teeny-bopperish glee.
EMPEROR TOMATO KETCHUP adds a bit of funk to Stereolab's system, making the monolith swing in directions only hinted at previously. "Metronomic Underground," for instance, builds a series of mysterious grooves over its eight-minute span; it's as structured as the title implies, and as smoky as the French cafes Laetitia Sadier's vocals evoke. But the discovery of the groove is only one of Stereolab's newfound pleasures. The spacing of instruments has taken on a whole new dimension (listen to how the interplay of syncopated guitars, shaker and organ constructs the melody of "Tomorrow Is Already Here"), spreading out the band's formerly vertical sound. And their association with studio savant John McEntire (of Tortoise) has elevated the technological aspects always inherent in their creations. Still, jumpy one-note sambas like the title track remain the group's forte; a telling sign that as much as EMPEROR TOMATO KETCHUP widens Stereolab's horizon, it doesn't lose sight of what makes them unique.