Alright, before we get started, I need you to check this. Brent D gets his cheers and jeers from the leering public, but for my money, he contributed one of the best reviews this site's ever seen. It's not just that he found a way to out-pomo Stereolab and Jim O'Rourke, but that he did it in such a way that didn't necessarily insult anyone involved-- including fans of the record. How should I know? Because I was one of the few who actually liked Cobra & Phases, despite its flat, obviously derivative easy-listening sounds, krautrock medleys and horns cribbed from "Playboy After Dark". DiCrescenzo hit on all that stuff, but not below the belt. I loved the Groop, but also recognized how completely relevant his points were. Result: conundrum.
The thing about latter-day 'Lab that many detractors fail to realize is that this period, rather than everything they did prior to Emperor Tomato Ketchup, is "their sound." Look at the progression of records from Peng! through ETK, and then notice the trend ever since. As the band worked through their infatuations with smooth-yet-experimental sounds, awkward cool, and turning French into an actual rock 'n' roll tongue, it only seems right that they would settle down with a uniform approach. Cobra & Phases, the First of the Microbe Hunters mini-LP, and 2001's underrated Sound-Dust might not have been the bloated, lazy lounge malingerers everyone makes them out to be. Well, okay, Microbe Hunters wasn't that great and Cobra could've benefited from trimming 20 minutes of fat-- BUT: I still contend these are not nadirs, but apexes of Stereolab's development. Brent called it "stultifying"; of course, there's no accounting for taste.
So it's all the more dreadful to face the facts that have sprung up over the course of their past few albums, the most obvious of which is: even if you corner the market on cocktail space jazz, it doesn't necessarily mean anyone's going to give a shit for more than a couple of records. Granted, Stereolab have a knack for making their extremely minimal song components feel greater than the sum of their parts, but that also means that they're always running the risk of crossing over into the indistinct. Until now, they've generally avoided that, but Instant 0 in the Universe (Acid Mothers, they snagged your stash!) manages to ignore the essential art-rock flourishes of Sound-Dust, and in fact, has done away with anything even remotely interesting or new: these songs sound plucked straight from cutting room floor. Which still doesn't make it terrible-- Stereolab, at this point in their career, hardly seem capable of producing any truly, offensively awful material-- but in a way, it's worse: Instant 0 leaves about as much of an impression as its title indicates.
"...Sudden Stars" begins with a quaint Farfisa/guitar counterpoint and Laetitia Sadier's ever-distinct alto. Her vocals have always been one of my favorite sounds in new rock, and it's sad to think that Mary Hansen's won't be there to add another layer of sophistication and complexity. Nevertheless, the band's vision has survived: this is Stereolab to a tee. Unfortunately, the familiar overwhelms-- right down to the propulsive drumming at the front of the mix and yet another chord progression descended from Yes' "Starship Trooper" (don't fight it)-- and even the most sympathetic ears may not be able to maintain interest for the song's whole duration. "Jaunty Monty and the Bubbles of Silence", meanwhile, is a sprightly piece of... well, hell, I don't really need to say anything about it, do I? You know what it sounds like!
All of this said, it isn't the similarities between these songs and so many others that disappoints, but that these seem so uninspired. I love the idea of splicing motorik and Gainsbourg in "Microclimate", but Sadier's lilting vocal melody in the waltz section sounds maybe a bit too lilting, like she meant to just go back to bed. Even their backing tracks, generally some of the most reliable in the biz, suffer from such a lack of color and energy that they could easily pass for demos. Some might take that to mean Instant 0 is a "stripped down" affair, that the band has simply returned to their roots. Sadly, it really does just seem flat to me.
The worst part about this is that I'm wasting my chance to pump up the maligned Stereolab records on a not-necessarily-thrilling EP. I don't know if the band will ever release a great record again, and truthfully, I don't much care. They've given the indie kids and the record collector geeks theirs, and still put on a pretty tight live show; nothing much to prove these days. Still, one can always hope for another retro-futuristic hurrah. Instant 0 is not that last exultation, but I'll assume it isn't final in any respect.
