Monade - Studio Albums 2003-2007 (3CD)

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Monade - Studio Albums 2003-2007 (3CD)

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One of Stereolab's many spin-offs and side projects, Monade (pronounced mon-ard) originally featured Laetitia Sadier and Pram's Rosie Cuckston. The duo began collaborating in the mid-'90s, and Sadier recorded the first Monade tracks in 1996 at Pram's studio, with Cuckston playing and also helping to engineer the session. Some of these tracks were released by Duophonic as the Sunrise Telling and Witch Hazel/Ode to a Keyring singles. Sadier continued to record at Stereolab's own studio without Cuckston, and one of these tracks, "Cache Cache," ended up as a B-side on Stereolab's Calimero single. In between her Stereolab duties, Sadier completed enough material for Monade's debut album, Socialisme Ou Barbarie: The Bedroom Recordings, which was released by Duophonic in Europe and by Drag City in the U.S. in spring 2003. For Monade's second album A Few Steps More, the band moved to Too Pure and expanded to include bassist/vocalist Marie Merlet, keyboardist Nicolas Etienne and drummer Xavier Chabellard. Monstre Cosmic arrived in 2008 and featured collaborations with the Bordeaux Conservatoire and the Toulousse-based group Momotte.

Biography by Heather Phares, Allmusic.com

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Monade - Studio Albums 2003-2007 (3CD)

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Monade - Studio Albums 2003-2007 (3CD)

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Monade's full-length debut, Socialisme ou Barbarie: The Bedroom Recordings, collects Laetitia Sadier's recordings both with and without Pram's Rosie Cuckston. Despite the fact that these songs were created over a period of six years and in between Sadier's Stereolab duties, they hang together remarkably well; as "The Bedroom Recordings" suggests, this album offers warmth and intimacy; much more, in fact, than Stereolab's later efforts, which often felt detached and overly polished. Though Socialisme ou Barbarie is by no means a lo-fi effort, its more modest sonics offer many small pleasures, such as "Cache Cache" (which also appeared as a Stereolab B-side), with its loping bassline, serpentine melody, and aloof vocals; the moody, guitar- and cello-driven "Witch Hazel"; "Vent Du Sud," which manages to be funky and bittersweet at the same time; and "Graine De Beaute," a pretty ballad that sounds like an even mellower version of the quieter songs on Stereolab's earlier albums. Indeed, most of Socialisme ou Barbarie is pretty and mellow; while this gives the album cohesion, it also means that some of the weaker, more repetitive tracks like "Enfin Seule" and "Sunrise Telling" tend to fade into the background. By its second half, the album's side-project roots reveal themselves in pleasant but uninspired musical wallpaper such as "Ode to a Keyring"; but before it stalls, Socialisme ou Barbarie does offer some unique moments, such as "Un Express," which ties together blues and Krautrock with Sadier's undeniable je ne sais quois. It's not as much of a revelation as her bandmate Simon Johns' side project Imitation Electric Piano, and their debut album Trinity Neon, or her best work with Stereolab, but Socialisme ou Barbarie's understated charm makes it worth a listen for Sadier's dedicated fans.

Review by Heather Phares, Allmusic.com

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Monade - Studio Albums 2003-2007 (3CD)

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On Monade's second album, A Few Steps More, Laetitia Sadier turns her formerly intimate, bedroom-based Stereolab side project into a more full-fledged band, adding a drummer, guitarist, and bassist/second vocalist. Though the small, often homespun feel of Socialisme ou Barbarie was a big part of its charm, Monade makes the transition from solo act to band more or less seamlessly, gaining a bigger sound without losing Sadier's distinctive stamp. Though this band's arrangements are simpler and slightly more rock-based than Stereolab's, Sadier's vocals and melodies are unmistakable, no matter what their surroundings, and like almost all of Sadier's projects, this new version of Monade and A Few Steps More are nothing less than lovely. This set of songs is also more consistent than Socialisme ou Barbarie, with "Paradoxale," the stylish title track, the summery "Das Kind," and the hypnotic, mercurial duet "Sensible et Extensible" holding the album together, and shorter songs like "Ditty Sweep" and "Dittyam" offering small but colorful musical sketches. A pretty, refreshing working holiday, A Few Steps More balances the intimate charm of Monade's previous work with a slightly more ambitious, but still off-the-cuff, feel that should please Sadier fans.

Review by Heather Phares, Allmusic.com

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Monade - Studio Albums 2003-2007 (3CD)

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It's a little unusual for a band to release its most captivating work more than a decade into its career, but this is the case with Monade's Monstre Cosmic. The band's slow, subtle development has often been overshadowed by Laetitia Sadier's work with Stereolab, but while Socialisme ou Barbarie captured Monade's bedroom studio beginnings and A Few Steps More took a giant leap towards making Monade a full-fledged band, this album puts the finishing touches on Monade's transformation, revealing them as an elegant equal – or at the very least, companion – to Sadier's Stereolab output. More than Monade's other albums, Monstre Cosmic's songs boast clean melodic arcs that layer over each other, building with an almost architectural precision and beauty. "Etoile" is a study in contrasts, balancing bittersweet vocal melodies with warm, comforting basslines and shimmering keyboards, while "Lost Language"'s sleek yet elaborate strings and vibes wouldn't sound out of place on a Stereolab album. That goes double for "Tout en Tout Est Un"'s bossa nova-tinged interludes and "Messe Joyeusse"'s chiming, retro-futuristic chamber pop – but they aren't exactly carbon copies of Sadier's other band, either. Monstre Cosmic's lavish arrangements echo Emperor Tomato Ketchup and Dots and Loops, but they're more streamlined and straightforward, even when "Regarde" switches from a lush melody to an astringent, single-note guitar solo, or when "Elle Topo" throws tympani and ticking watches into its spaghetti western theme mix. As with Monade's other albums (and truth be told, with Stereolab's work at times), the album becomes slightly samey as it unfolds, although "Change of Destination" closes Monstre Cosmic with effortlessly charming call-and-response pop. Even at its least inspired, the album floats by like a dream. With Monstre Cosmic, the gap between Monade and Stereolab may be narrower than ever, but Sadier's voice, melodies, and arrangements always make for an elegant experience, however she chooses to present them.

Review by Heather Phares, Allmusic.com