Not Music


Not Music is the tenth studio album by English-French rock band Stereolab, released on 16 November 2010 by Drag City and Duophonic Records. The album is a collection of unreleased material recorded at the same time as their previous album Chemical Chords.

Background

Not Music was released in 2010, one year after Stereolab went on a hiatus. Most of the songs on the album were recorded during the same sessions as the band's previous album, Chemical Chords. The album also contained remixed versions of "Silver Sands" and "Neon Beanbag", two songs that previously appeared on Chemical Chords.

Critical reception

Not Music received generally positive reviews. On the review aggregate site Metacritic, the album has a score of 70 out of 100, indicating "Generally favorable reviews."
Arnold Pan of PopMatters gave the album a positive review, writing "All in all, the catchiest tracks on Not Music make a good soundtrack for strolling down memory lane, with Stereolab offering fresh takes on old triumphs, rather than just reliving them." Rebecca Raber of Pitchfork was also positive, writing "I suspect it won't be long before we realize that the leftovers of a band like Stereolab are still better than main dishes offered up by many of their peers." The A.V. Clubs Christian Williams wrote that while the record felt padded near the end, "or reheated leftovers, however, Not Music is delicious."
In a mixed review, Jon Falcone of Drowned in Sound wrote "Stereolab will always provide excitement, but in the past, part of that excitement came from a band having no idea of how they should sound, so that the result threw polemics and tangents together with an unmatched grace. Now it feels as though they’re comfortable in their skin. This is great for them, but for the listener it's a bitter sweet comfort and feels akin to insincerely wishing well to an ex who has happily moved on." Under the Radar writer Hays Davis was more critical, describing Not Music as "one of those albums of extras that disappointingly lays bare why these tracks were excluded from those that initially found a release."

Track listing

Personnel

Credits for Not Music adapted from album liner notes.
Stereolab
Additional musicians
Production
Artwork and design
Management