Peng!

Peng! takes a while to settle in – after the clear statements of their early singles, it’s a more complex, murkier beast. The coordinates of the music haven’t changed too much – it’s definitely first phase Stereolab – but over a full length album, they can experiment more, and it’s the unexpected moments that resonate here, like the shivery electro-motorik of “K-Stars”, or the stuttering Silver Apples-esque pulse of “Mellotron.” They’d make better albums, but this is a bold and smart debut.