It's jarring to stumble upon "Pop Molecule (Molecular Pop 1)" in the midst of Stereolab's 11th album; for a band otherwise so devoted these days to kicking out the candy-coated jams—trying to prove that all sorts of retro, exotic adult pop fits in just fine with modern indie rock—it's a sudden reminder that noise, fuzz, and repetition used to play a much larger role in their work. It's frustrating that their old tendencies are kept to a... More >>>