Derivative sounds 'Eclipse' Stereolab's talent

Stereolab songwriters Tim Gane and Laetitia Sadier obviously adhere to the adage, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," because they haven't felt the need to fix anything since the 1996 album, Emperor Tomato Ketchup. This isn't necessarily good or bad, but their effort certainly is in question with the release of Margerine Eclipse. \nWhat Stereolab has done best in its seven previous albums of stagnant songwriting is the overlapping of sounds and melodies. Stereolab's ability to superimpose funky beats and rhythms over jangling guitar and soothing, singsong vocals has been a staple of its success. Even with the death of backup singer, Mary Hansen, the band is able to maintain vocal overlapping by mixing tracks of Sadier singing lead and backup parts. A good example is "Dear Marge," in which Sadier's two vocal performances interlace wonderfully. \nThe Marxist-driven lyrics that are commonplace in a Stereolab record appear a bit more sparingly on Eclipse. Regardless, "Margerine Melodie," stands out as one of the most inspired songs on the record, and its social commentary is as frank as Stereolab has ever been. It's obvious that nothing is broken, but much of the group's sound is worn-out -- this must be realized soon, if not, the sound is likely to snap.