LAETITIA SADIER Silencio [Drag City] Just as her longtime band, the sadly kaput Stereolab, developed a singular signature sound informed by myriad disparate influences, Laetitia Sadier has settled into her own crypto-sophisticated groove. On her second solo album, the French-born poli-sci seductress works her usual magic, singing snazzy jazz-pop, lounge and psych-rock songs about the perils of modern living. Only this Nico-like chanteuse could coo... 

STEREOLAB Not Music [Drag City] Sadly, this new release does not signal an end to Stereolab’s recently begun hiatus. The 13 songs on Not Music were recorded in 2007 alongside the 17 that made it onto the following year’s Chemical Chords. This new batch shares much in common with the first, while building on ideas the London collective has been cooking up since the early ’90s. As always, Stereolab makes music for situationist cocktail parties—soirees...