Stereolab chanteuse flies solo
With her distinctly ethereal voice, it’s hard to imagine Laetitia Sadier operating outside the dreamy electro-pop of her longtime band Stereolab or her side-project Monade. What sets her solo debut apart from her past work is its emotional frankness. The Trip opens with the spacey synths of “One Million Year Trip,” a sobering tale about her sister’s suicide: “My little sister’s voice / Forever muted, inaudible / She went on a million year trip / And left everything behind.” Where Stereolab’s songwriting was tangential and detached, with lyrics arranged around the melody, Sadier’s solo work is deeply reflective, her words at center stage. Mortality is a common theme; “Fluid Sand” deals with finding meaning after her sister’s death: “One has to find their truth / In the living world.” A handful of sultry covers (Les Rita Mitsouko’s “Un Soir, Un Chien” is a shining example) and a good dose of electro bossa nova balance out this stunningly candid first offering.