The Laetitia Sadier Source Ensemble - Find Me Finding You

Sadier is probably tired of always being identified as an “ex-Stereolab member”, but it helps place her solo efforts in context, particularly for new listeners who are unfamiliar with her musical background. And the opening track on her latest release will not dissuade writers from such appellations, as ‘Undying Love For Humanity’ could easily have sat on any number of seminal Stereolab releases, e.g., Mars Audiac Quintet, Dots and Loops, and Emperor Tomato Ketchup. Unfortunately, it’s these “Stereolab lite” tracks that garner the most interest, as aside from her collaborations with Giorgio Tuma on Elefant Records, her Drag City solo efforts have been rather underwhelming.

While her Euro-Franco arrangements and loungey cha-cha tunes have some surface charm, her Nico-esque basso profundo vocals are, to say the least, rather flat and monotonous. And songs, such as ‘Double Voice: Extra Voice’ and the semi-title track (‘Psychology Active (Finding You)’) go on well past their sell-by date.

Others, like ‘Love Captive’, ‘Deep Background’ and ‘Galactic Emergence’ lie around like a dead fish, with no attraction whatsoever to entice the listener to stick around to the end. And the glitchy 'Sacred Project' has so many artificial bleeps, bloops, and skips in it that listeners may think their CD is scratched or their download is defective. Sadly, without her former songwriting partner (Tim Gane) to add a little zip and zing to the songs, there’s nothing here to excite or encourage repeat visits.