The Noise Made By People

The \'60s meet the distant future on the bewitching debut album from these Stereolab protégés. While their analog electronics and quavering sound effects suggest the avant-garde output of Delia Derbyshire and The BBC Radiophonic Workshop, their songwriting evokes classic Brill Building pop. The result is an unusually gentle take on psychedelia, where medieval madrigals meet Mellotron (\"Echo\'s Answer\"), and harpsichords punctuate vintage synthesizers (\"Come On Let\'s Go”). Trish Keenan\'s flawless vocals provide the irresistible through line—and a cool, calming presence even when the music\'s at its most abstracted.

A look at the music history book tells us a lot of things. One of these is that nearly everything ...