Europa 51

Named after a Rossellini film starring Ingrid Bergman and made up of members from Stereolab and the High Llamas — you can almost feel a warm Mediterranean breeze already, can’t you? The vibe on Abstractions alternates between the low key lounge cool of Tortoise at their sleepiest and a sort of Euro-western folksiness. Banjos and drunken trumpets encircle the late Mary Hansen of Stereolab, who provides a vocal presence on a few tracks. Simon Johns and Andy Ramsay never break the smooth bubble that surrounds the mostly light-as-air themes. As with Stereolab and High Llamas, listeners who prefer music with edge will find no finger holds here. Fans of the future lounge sounds will be satisfied and even a little surprised by the subtly changing array of styles and sounds found on the disc. For them there is the bonus of a 25-minute film score written by the band for the short Top Ten of Everything.