Monade - Monstre Cosmic

Monstre Cosmic, third album by Monade, the side project of Stereolab chanteuse Laetitia Sadier; continues the development from the initial bedroom solo project into a full band, presenting slightly more mature approach than previous two albums. Tellingly, listeners can expect the same kind of francophilic hypnotic and dreamy indie pop with a slight jazz tinge as her day job. Nonetheless, compared to Stereolab's multilayered, rich and polished style Monade comes off more modest, straightforward and homespun. At the same time the arrangements are becoming more inventive, utilizing vibraphone, acoustic piano and strings. And it goes without saying that this record is worth listening to just because Sadier sings on it: her voice is not only distinctive and immediately recognizable, but she also possesses an impressive range, rising higher and descending lower than one can usually expect from female indie vocalists. The music as heard on this record sounds an even more natural context for her distinct voice than the most recent Stereolab records. While this album doesn't come close the peaks of classic Stereolab, it's an enjoyable and consistent listening nonetheless.

*This review was published in Estonian in a journal called Postimees. This is the English translation