Chemical Chords

Chemical Chords is the ninth studio album by English-French rock band Stereolab, released on 18 August 2008 by 4AD and Duophonic Records.^[14][15]

Chemical Chords
Studio album by Stereolab
Released	18 August 2008 (2008-08-18)
Recorded	2007
Studio	Instant Zero (France) Press Play (London)
Genre	Indie pop[1] lounge[2]
Length	48:09
Label	4AD Duophonic
Stereolab chronology
Serene Velocity (2006) Chemical Chords (2008) Not Music (2010)
Singles from Chemical Chords
"Three Women" Released: 28 April 2008[3]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	72/100[4]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
The A.V. Club	B+[6]
Drowned in Sound	8/10[7]
The Guardian	[8]
The Irish Times	[9]
Mojo	[10]
Pitchfork	8.1/10[11]
Spin	[12]
Uncut	[13]
XLR8R	7/10[2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Lætitia Sadier and Tim Gane, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Neon Beanbag"		3:49
2.	"Three Women"		3:46
3.	"One Finger Symphony"		2:05
4.	"Chemical Chords"		5:12
5.	"The Ecstatic Static"		4:44
6.	"Valley Hi!"		2:14
7.	"Silver Sands"		3:08
8.	"Pop Molecule (Molecular Pop 1)"	Gane	2:15
9.	"Self Portrait with 'Electric Brain'"		3:16
10.	"Nous vous demandons pardon"		4:52
11.	"Cellulose Sunshine"		2:36
12.	"Fractal Dream of a Thing"		3:37
13.	"Daisy Click Clack"		3:28
14.	"Vortical Phonotheque"		3:07
Total length:			48:09

iTunes Store edition bonus track

No.	Title	Length
15.	"Spool of Collusion"	2:12
Total length:		50:21

Japanese edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
15.	"The Nth Degrees"	4:13
16.	"Magne-Music"	3:53
17.	"Spool of Collusion"	2:10
Total length:		58:25

UK limited edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
15.	"The Nth Degrees"	4:13
16.	"Magne-Music"	3:53
Total length:		56:15

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.^[16]

Stereolab

• Tim Gane – guitar, bass, drums
• Lætitia Sadier – vocals
• Simon Johns – bass
• Andy Ramsay – drums, drum machine, electronics
• Joe Walters – French horn
• Joe Watson – keyboards, vibraphone, electronics, drums

Additional musicians

• Steve Hamilton – brass
• Sally Herbert – strings
• Marcus Holdaway – strings
• Dave Liddell – brass
• Laura Melhuish – strings
• Sean O'Hagan – string and brass arrangements
• Brian Wright – strings

Production

• Bo Kondren (credited as "Bo") – mastering
• Hans Schaaf (credited as "Hans") – mastering (assistant)
• Stereolab (credited as "The Groop") – mixing
• Joe Watson – mixing, recording

Design

• House – artwork

Charts

Chart (2008)	Peak position
Irish Albums (IRMA)[17]	69
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[18]	163
UK Albums (OCC)[19]	102
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[20]	10
US Billboard 200[21]	170
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[22]	7
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[23]	24