Cavern of Anti-Matter – Void Beats/Invocation Trex

It’s been seven long years since Marxist ambient-boogie machine Stereolab decided to go on an indefinite hiatus, leaving a small army of vinyl junkies bereft.

Thankfully, for all those missing his group’s self-styled 'space age bachelor pad' music, Cavern of Anti-Matter sees Stereolab's Tim Gane return to the fray with an epic 72-minute album full of the kind of metronomic beats, Krautrock and electronica which made his previous band such an eclectic delight.

Unlike Stereolab, where Laetitia Sadler’s vocals played an integral part in proceedings, the emphasis here is on stretched-out soundscapes and electronic manipulation. Opener Tardis Cymbals builds and builds upon a layer of vintage synths and jerky drumbeats while Melody in High Feedback Tones does exactly what it says on the tin. With original Stereolab drummer Joe Dilworth also involved, there’s the feel of an avant-noise supergroup when DeerHunter’s Bradford Cox and Spacemen 3’s Sonic Boom lend some typically out-there contributions. Deeply sublime.