Stereolab: Dots And Loops

Few bands ooze style like the prolific, instrumentally inventive Stereolab: Over the course of numerous European imports, independent releases, and high-profile major-label albums, the group has consistently glided through appealingly cosmopolitan, bilingual (French and English), increasingly accessible pop. As expected, the 10-song, 66-minute Dots And Loops never ceases to sound fluid and fashionable, with Laetitia Sadler's smooth crooning mixing impeccably well with the band's swanky strings, brass, organs and synthesizers. Overall, it's a fine record, with a great formula and an exotic, lounge-influenced style, but it illustrates a flaw in Stereolab's approach: The album is so consistent, it occasionally seems one-note—almost to the point of devolving into easy-listening background music. The songs are often infectious and hypnotically repetitive enough to transcend that subliminal nature, but Stereolab fans will have to make do with a record that's safe and smooth when it might have taken some especially satisfying risks.