<p><span><span>- One of the world’s most beloved avant-pop bands, Stereolab have enjoyed something of a resurgence in recent years, performing live and reissuing classic entries from their disconcertingly large discography. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>So it is timely that they gather non-album tunes, EP tracks and other rarities from 1999 to 2008 and compile them in the fourth and latest edition of their celebrated <em>Switched On</em> series. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>This is a particularly expansive collection, taking up two discs with a running time of just over one-hundred minutes. Luckily, those minutes fly by, as Stereolab prove that even their throwaways are head and shoulders above most bands’ best work. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>The album starts with their 2000 EP <em>The First Of The Microbe Hunters</em>, seven songs which run the gamut from tropicalia-infused krautrock in <em>Outer Bongolia</em> and breathtaking pop in <em>Barock-Plastic</em> and <em>Household Names</em>. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>While the album is remarkably cohesive for a lengthy compilation, the more curious will get a kick out of what appear to be sketches for songs such as <em>Fried Monkey Eggs</em> appearing in both instrumental and vocal renditions and the squiggles of <em>Monkey Jelly</em> in two versions, one with vocals, the other isolating and enhancing the track’s rhythm loop. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>A particularly successful marriage of experimental noodling and inventive groove comes in <em>Free Witch And No Bra Queen</em>, an example of the group’s ability to abruptly change direction while making it feel like the most natural thing in the world. The first minute-and-half is a chopped-up jazz record sample, before a <strong>Booker T</strong>-style R&B groove takes over, with lead singer <strong>Laetitia Sadier</strong>’s vocal harmonies providing cool ethereality. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>The <strong>Giorgio Moroder</strong>-esque propulsion of <em>Dimension M2 </em>and the particularly <strong>Serge Gainsbourg</strong>-flavoured <em>Calimero</em>, featuring French vocalist <strong>Brigitte Fontaine</strong>, add to the rich, exotic listening experience.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>Some production contrasts aside (lushness vs. tinny lo-fi), <em>Electrically Possessed</em> flows impressively as a continuous listening experience; and while the last couple of years have seen a welcome re-release of old material and a bunch of live performances, here’s hoping this renewed interest will inspire the band to return to the studio for something new. There are few bands formed thirty-one years ago that still sound as fresh and innovative today as they did then. Stereolab are firmly part of that small minority.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>- Matt Thrower.</span></span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=344022900/size=large/bgcol=ff…; seamless><a href="https://stereolab.bandcamp.com/album/electrically-possessed-switched-on… Possessed [Switched On Volume 4] by Stereolab</a></iframe>