Stereo Total: Françoise Cactus (vocals, guitar, drums); Brezel Göring (vocals, organ, synthesizer); Angie Reed (vocals, bass guitar).

Stereo Total's MY MELODY marks an advance in the eclectic Euro-pop duo's postmodern art by making it even more of a musically diverse pop-culture splatter painting, while still maintaining an indelibly catchy core. The group's blend of 1960s sunshine pop, early-'80s new wave, traditional French pop, and kitchen-sink experimentalism is rounded out with off-the-wall sampling.

Whether boosting from Parliament ("Beautycase"), covering Serge Gainsbourg ("In/Out"), or working up their own unclassifiable originals, Stereo Total gathers up all the elements of a sprawling pop universe under one neon-colored umbrella. While the band's cartoonish aesthetic might come off as cutesy, there is enough risk-taking here to give the music integrity, making MY MELODY a fun and highly recommended recording.

Stereo Total's 1999 album My Melody continues the group's tradition of international pop postmodernism and clever covers, including two Serge Gainsbourg numbers -- the appropriately go-go-flavored "Vilaines Filles, Mauvais Garçons" and "In/Out" -- and a Casio-colored version of Pizzicato Five's "Tokyo Mon Amour." "Ringo I Love You" by Bonni Jo Mason (aka Cher) and the Beatles' "Drive My Car" (known here as "Tu Peux Conduire Ma Bagnole") also get the Stereo Total treatment, giving My Melody's sound a mid-'60s foundation. Though their covers are entertaining, Stereo Total's original songs complete their sound, blending together so many pop music elements that they also resemble covers or forgotten B-sides. "Beautycase," which lists the contents of a cosmetics case, has the new wave stomp of a forgotten Nena track, while "Larmes Toxique" and "Tout le Monde Se Fout des Fleurs" capture the delicate drama of French pop divas like Françoise Hardy. With its immediate, lo-fi sound and enthusiastic performances, My Melody is a charming, sprawling journey through Stereo Total's diverse pop world. [Kill Rock Stars reissued My Melody in 2006.] ~ Heather Phares