Music Roundup: Stereolab Strikes Again With ‘Not Music’

London's Stereolab has had quite the affluent career, haven't they? Laetitia Sadier & Co. have pushed on for nearly 20 years to their own uniquely charming beat and today, the indie pop vets issue their 12th studio effort, Not Music. The 13-song set came together during the recording of 2008's Chemical Chords and arrives during their currently self-imposed hiatus, while building on Tim Gane's improvised approach in blending 70 loops amid layers of piano and vibraphone. On top of that, he flirted with the speed of each track until arriving at the perfect mix. Absolutely fantastic!

"Everybody's Weird Except Me":

"Silver Sands":

Other notable releases out this week:

The Big Pink – Tapes
Julian Cope – Floored Genius Vol. 2 [Expanded]
Annie Lennox – A Christmas Cornucopia
Ocean Colour Scene – 21 [4-CD Box Set]
The Pipettes – Earth Vs. the Pipettes
The Temper Trap: Conditions Remixed

In other music news:

– British Sea Power's forthcoming studio effort Valhalla Dancehall will arrive in the U.S. on January 11. Hooray! If you've already memorized the Zeus EP, get your hands on a free download of "Living Is So Easy" via Rough Trade Records. Also check out the band's official site for a complete tracklisting and artwork. They've done it again alright!

– Alison Goldfrapp is a peculiar one when it comes to giving press interviews. But the dance pop queen opens up to BBC Radio 6 about touring in support of 2010's Head First and what she and her musical partner Will Gregory have coming up in the new year. She sounds positively comfortable for a change.

– Since releasing "Bring the Light" as a free download via their official site last week, reception for Liam Gallagher's post-Oasis band, Beady Eye, has been somewhat split. I think it's quite rollicking and true to Gallagher's bad-boy spirit. Now, NME has its video premiere.

– Keith Richards and Johnny Depp have a little more in common besides their Pirates of the Caribbean connection. Depp lends his voice to the audiobook for Richards' latest memoir, Life, out this week. NPR has a snippet and it's mighty saucy to say the least.

– Today in trivia: Today in 1968, Led Zeppelin made their live debut as a band at the Manchester College of Science.

– One of my favorite new bands of 2010 is Hurts and this week the English synth duo issues their third UK single "Stay", as featured on their solid debut album, Happiness. Here's a look at their incredible video. Gorgeous isn't it?