Unsurprisingly for the singer of Stereolab, Laetitia Sadler’s conception for Monade was cerebral rather than populist. “The original idea was to have one long track that would take its course and you would never hear the same part twice,” she said, and the wandering grandeur of the album certainly echoes the flow and change of the river that inspired it. If the French language titles don’t lend the songs a veneer of sophistication and taste, the measured poise and casual elegance make Monade an interesting, if slight, pleasure.
Evoking the sombre sensuality of Portishead in the sly drumming and rich arrangements, and a less exhibitionist Doors through the swirl of organ , Monade are powerful in their restraint. They shift genres and moods without ever loosing their distinctive sophistication. ‘Elle Topo’ has a cinematic scope and a joyous appropriation of hip sixties pop; ‘Invitation’ updates mellow jazz and ‘Etoile’- the most immediate melody here- has a space-age airiness. Over it all, Sadler’s voice is silky- never over-emotional, she reins in the occasional excesses of the music with a pure soprano.
Monade never really captures the attention: it stays in the background, creating a mellow mood and settling into tasteful grooves. It perfectly captures warm evenings, good company and stylish dinner-parties.