Stereolab: Peng (clear) LP

Originally released in 1992, Peng! is the debut full-length album by sonic experimentalists Stereolab. Sometimes jam-packed with thundering keyboards and driving drums, at other times ethereal, airy and light, Peng! captures this thinking man's band at the early stages of its prolific career. Emulating aspects of the Velvet Underground's rhythms as well as the Moog-happy keyboard euphonies of the early 1970s, Stereolab's far left-of-center pop vision has always been something of a love-'em-or-hate-'em proposition. Longtime fans familiar with the band's later work will find interest in this early recording as it includes the moody, cafe-styled "K-Stars" sung fetchingly in French by Leatitia Sadier. There's also the dry, rub-a-dub guitar of "Perversion," which is a dissertation over post-modern music.