Margerine Eclipse is one of Stereolab’s best albums and possibly my second-favorite right behind Sound-Dust. Stereolab play off their strengths by making an album full of great retro, space-age pop songs, avoiding lengthy repetition. The end result is a relaxing journey that’s just about perfectly paced, if only a little bit long when it comes to the 53-minute running time.

Long-loved backing vocalist Mary Hansen died in a tragic bike accident when a car struck her, and the highlight track “Feel and Triple” is a mournful dedication to her. The song makes it obvious through the backing vocals’ chanting, “Goodbye, Mary.”

Goodbye, Mary Hansen, indeed. I hope you’re resting in peace and feel happy with what you accomplished in life. I don’t want to make this review too somber, so let me end it on a positive note. Margerine Eclipse is the last truly great album Stereolab at the time of writing this, and as such, I’d recommend it to anyone interested.