Veteran Stereolab keyboardist, Morgane Lhote, turns more toward the light on her sophomore single as Hologram Teen.
Drawing on kosmische krautrock, as well as the early ’80s no wave disco documented by ZE Records and popularized by Tom Tom Club, “Marsangst” elicits a danceable yet mellow vibe akin to the spacey italo sounds of Southern Europe. An insistent beat propels happy electronics through a kaleidoscope of subtly changing rainbow starlight, ultimately landing in a dayglo ether. “Hex These Rules” opens with a beat recalling New Order’s “Blue Monday” before shifting to a straightforward ray of constantly evolving motorik sunshine that invokes both Prince and Utah Saints. It’s the cybernetic soundtrack to robots relaxing in space.
Judging from this and her previous “Post-Apocalypteacakes” single (Deep Distance, 2015), Morgane Lhote deserves to be recognized as far more than a side-player, but an accomplished composer in her own right. May this be just the beginning…
