"All things considered, Cobra and Phases is actually one of the best albums Stereolab ever made. It simply had the misfortune of attempting to follow up the two best albums they ever made, 1996's Emperor Tomato Ketchup and 1997's Dots and Loops. Compared to them, any change in direction would be seen as jarring ... The best advice would be to simply relax and let this album take you where it wants to go, rather than try to make it fulfill the unrealistic expectations that were built up before it. You may like where you end up. Plus, the 20th anniversary reissue contains demo versions for just about every track on the original, so you can see how they got there more clearly than ever".