The Chemical Brothers - Push the Button!

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Has anyone heard this yet?

― white boi, Tuesday, 21 December 2004 20:36 (twenty years ago)

yup. Very song-based again, and as we all know from previous albums, Tom & Ed aren't exactly Lennon & McCartney. Galvanize is a pretty good track, thanks to Q-Tip, rest of the album is pretty standard, tending to the bland side. Lots of worldmusic influences, mostly Indian. Not a really góód track, like Out of Control for instance. Still, better than The Prodigy.

― Guuzbourg (Guuzbourg), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 21:08 (twenty years ago)

Would someone put this on slsk already?

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 21:23 (twenty years ago)

This is a good thread. There should be more like it.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 08:18 (twenty years ago)

he just thought you might be interested...

― Frankenstein On Ice (blueski), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 11:57 (twenty years ago)

that q-tip song was pretty bad i thought. shoddiness all round.

― splooge (thesplooge), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 11:59 (twenty years ago)

not shoddy so much as just more dull retreading (tho i maintain 'Come With Us' is the best type of track like that they've done and their best album opener)

― Frankenstein On Ice (blueski), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 12:42 (twenty years ago)

yes, dull retreading. god help us when the chemicals become like the dance version of the who and stones!

― splooge (thesplooge), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 12:53 (twenty years ago)

that's already happened, splooge - they're elder statesmen at just gone 30! pah.

And the album? Collaboration-tastic as per. Kele from Bloc Party barely blips on the radar, Anwar Superstar (anyone know more about this chap?) provides some fabulous rapping on the album's joint best track "Left Right"; and The Magic Numbers allow a track they've quite obviously written themselves - it's, yknow, an actual *song* - to be tweaked and twiddled by Tom & Ed to dizzying effect - another highlight.

That's it though, really. No huge hit, no underground floorfiller, not even Tim Burgess can save them apparently. Dullorama.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 13:29 (twenty years ago)

why dont they just stop making 'songs' for gods sake. enough already.

― splooge (thesplooge), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 13:31 (twenty years ago)

Why do people who hate my favorite bands get to listen to this stuff before I do? Fuckers.

― STOP WITH YOUR PTANS (natepatrin), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 14:43 (twenty years ago)

On Come Inside (track 5) they try to get all Liquid Liquid/Grandmaster Flash/Franzferdinand-like dancerock-y. Alas, it doesn't work

― Guuzbourg (Guuzbourg), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 15:02 (twenty years ago)

the real question here is will any of us be able to tear ourselves away from palookaville long enough to listen to this?

― mark p (Mark P), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 15:41 (twenty years ago)

hey i'm still only listening to AONO on repeat...

― Frankenstein On Ice (blueski), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 15:43 (twenty years ago)

Please tell me you're joking.

― STOP WITH YOUR PTANS (natepatrin), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 15:46 (twenty years ago)

(PS: I fully expect this to be more entertaining than Junior Boys.)

― STOP WITH YOUR PTANS (natepatrin), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 15:46 (twenty years ago)

guys if apollo 440 release something soon i may explode with the joy of it all!

(xpost nate you are drunk)

― mark p (Mark P), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 15:47 (twenty years ago)

no! I = sXe!

I am not drunk. Just irritable. From all you player haters. And yes, Junior Boys BORED THE FUCK OUT OF ME. They have one good single. That's it.

― STOP WITH YOUR PTANS (natepatrin), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 15:51 (twenty years ago)

are @440 still going after the disastrous reception of their previous double cd ?

― mark e (mark e), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 15:58 (twenty years ago)

i just got it off soulseek
gonna listen to it now

― christopher (WHO), Tuesday, 28 December 2004 02:47 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, I found it on bittorrent today. Didn't like it much the first time through, but it's getting better on the 2nd and 3rd times through.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Tuesday, 28 December 2004 02:54 (twenty years ago)

i've listened to it 4 times so far and it gets a little better every time. doesn't really sound that much like the chem's but i'll take it any day over the fatboy and prodigy albums. get's an 8 out of 10 from me

― christopher (WHO), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 02:07 (twenty years ago)

who has this on soulseek?

― adam west (adamwest), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 02:45 (twenty years ago)

I do (third_i)

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 03:46 (twenty years ago)

so far this record is breaking my heart, and not in a good way.

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 12:58 (twenty years ago)

Anwar Superstar (anyone know more about this chap?)

Muslim rapper from New Jersey, younger brother of Mos Def. http://www.zebox.com/goodfellamusic/music/

― JoB (JoB), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 14:04 (twenty years ago)

ah, thankyou. following further listens, his track really is the best thing on the record along with the magic numbers one - the rest is completely forgettable. ah well.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 14:22 (twenty years ago)

WTF
WTF
WTF YOU PEOPLE???

I have listened to four tracks so far and it is the Chemical Brothers fucking with mideastern/Timbalandian/Neptunian/postpunk-disco pop conventions! What is wrong with you funhaters?! Unless tracks 5-8, 10 and 11 suck ass (and I am really not trusting the opinion right now of anyone who says they do), this is going to be their Kish Kash.

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 15:49 (twenty years ago)

(my bad; listened to five tracks)

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 15:49 (twenty years ago)

Oh hell. I have just heard "Left Right". SOCIALIST DUB CRUNK I LOVE YOU

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 18:21 (twenty years ago)

"Marvo Ging" = Led Zeppelin III swallowing its own tail. OK, I'm convinced -- this rules it. C'mon, they coulda done "The Golden Path" 11 times instead, ya grumpy-pants kids.

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 18:24 (twenty years ago)

"Come Inside" does work, since they're not so much trying to be Franz Ferdinand (haha) as they are building on "Loops of Fury" and/or "In Dust We Trust"; it's totally the "classic signature sound" track

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 18:45 (twenty years ago)

(While Europe sleeps, one Midwestern cold sufferer rails against the dying of the light)

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 18:47 (twenty years ago)

i'd agree/disagree if the fucker stopped being remotely queued...

― Frankenstein On Ice (blueski), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 18:49 (twenty years ago)

Whoa, "The Big Jump" is a dance-punk track. Like Gang of Four if they actually shut up and learned to enjoy playing 4/4. I like it, but I like almost anything that sounds vaguely DFAish so long as it doesn't have bad pseudo-deep "political" lyrics.

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 18:54 (twenty years ago)

"Surface to Air" reminds me of "Where the Streets Have No Name" and The Strokes' "The Modern Age" all tranced out. Which explains the haterism, I guess. (Justifies? No.)

Funny thing about the track sequencing: this is the first Chemicals record ever that doesn't follow the midtempo-funk-anthem -> super-uptempo speed funk 1-2 of their last four.

More reassuringly, they still like them some big-ass explosions.

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 19:34 (twenty years ago)

big ass-explosions

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 19:36 (twenty years ago)

Booty-claps of the gods

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 23:24 (twenty years ago)

"believe" is truly dire.

― mark p (Mark P), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 23:58 (twenty years ago)

i'd agree/disagree if the fucker stopped being remotely queued...

The Chemical Brothers - Push The Button[ADVANCE-PROMO-2005](--aps).torrent

― JoB (JoB), Thursday, 30 December 2004 00:15 (twenty years ago)

I had to manually change the speed of "Galvanize" in that torrent. For some reason, it was playing a little too fast (Q-tip sounded like a munchkin).

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Thursday, 30 December 2004 00:18 (twenty years ago)

aw damn just as i started getting it, third_i signs off. :/

― adam west (adamwest), Thursday, 30 December 2004 00:49 (twenty years ago)

Main Entry: dire
Pronunciation: 'dIr
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): dir·er; dir·est
Etymology: Latin dirus; akin to Greek deinos terrifying, Sanskrit dvesti he hates
1 a : exciting horror b : DISMAL, OPPRESSIVE
2 : warning of disaster
3 a : desperately urgent b : EXTREME

mark p unwittingly otm

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Thursday, 30 December 2004 01:05 (twenty years ago)

(the boldface bits, at least. You want DISMAL and OPPRESSIVE, listen to Radio 4.)

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Thursday, 30 December 2004 01:06 (twenty years ago)

Man, is it just me or is dance music officially completely and totally fucking dead? I mean, fuck, what is with all these critically-panned dance records? First it was Palookaville*, then it was Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned, and NOW IT'S FUCKING PUSH THE BUTTON!!

* - which I actually really really loved, but never mind.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 30 December 2004 01:33 (twenty years ago)

do you mean dead in the media, or dead in reality? and if the former, who cares?
(for the record, i've listened to this about once through, and a couple of tunes jump out at me - "hold tight london" is lovely - but a few, including "galvanize" and "left right" are mediocre to awful. rather turgid.)

― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Thursday, 30 December 2004 01:40 (twenty years ago)

the media, of course., i care.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 30 December 2004 01:46 (twenty years ago)

yeah, but any media outlet dumb enough to judge the state of dance music on these albums hardly matters, does it? i mean, obviously it grates upon me too, given that it makes it a lot harder for me, as a journalist who mostly covers dance music, to find work. but ultimately arguing with the know-nothings feels like a losing battle.

― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Thursday, 30 December 2004 01:53 (twenty years ago)

unfortunately nate, your small victories in aesthetic logic don't make the record any better. (altho "desperate" and "urgent" sound about right..)

― mark p (Mark P), Thursday, 30 December 2004 02:41 (twenty years ago)

I've not heard it yet but I didn't realise there was a monopoly on Chemical Brothers fandom beginning with certain US posters.

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 30 December 2004 02:58 (twenty years ago)

I don't see where a handful of late 1990s "dance" acts releasing albums that are being panned is indicative of the death of anything. Unless dance is defined as a genre that existed as a handful of acts from that period. I've run into this attitude, though.

― mike h. (mike h.), Thursday, 30 December 2004 04:00 (twenty years ago)

Sorry, I'll go back to listening to the Crystal Method now, or whatever it is Americans are supposed to like.

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Thursday, 30 December 2004 05:14 (twenty years ago)

Man I'm glad I'm from the US so I get to listen to Chemical Bros. and Crystal Method.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Thursday, 30 December 2004 05:22 (twenty years ago)

listening to the Crystal Method

JESUS PEOPLE, SEE WHAT YOU'VE DRIVEN HIM TO??

― haitch™ (haitch), Thursday, 30 December 2004 05:24 (twenty years ago)

Hahaha!

I distinctly remember reading the U of M college paper's '97 year-end arts section and being confronted with a write-up that claimed the Crystal Method were the real deal which would last well into the 21st century and the Chemical Brothers were flash-in-the-pan commercial posers. I think that's when I first snapped and became the defensive oaf I am today.

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Thursday, 30 December 2004 05:33 (twenty years ago)

"U of M" = Minnesota; "college" = redundant

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Thursday, 30 December 2004 05:34 (twenty years ago)

First it was Palookaville*, then it was Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned, and NOW IT'S FUCKING PUSH THE BUTTON!!

big names! albums! i dont think dance music works that way anymore.

― :| (....), Thursday, 30 December 2004 05:52 (twenty years ago)

I'm so glad I'm not reviewing this one. I learned my lesson with The Prodigy and Fatboy.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Thursday, 30 December 2004 06:07 (twenty years ago)

I disliked the Prodigy record (save "Girls") and loathed the Fatboy record and I am going to say that this one is very good. Probably their third-best album ever, easily the best since Dig Your Own Hole.

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Thursday, 30 December 2004 06:41 (twenty years ago)

Sentiment seconded.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Thursday, 30 December 2004 06:42 (twenty years ago)

Man I hope you're right.

I really, really, really hope you're right.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Thursday, 30 December 2004 08:30 (twenty years ago)

it's not really a big deal if he's not

― Frankenstein On Ice (blueski), Thursday, 30 December 2004 14:17 (twenty years ago)

Have the chems ever actually released a compilation of their remixes of other artists? That would piss all over any of their "own" material from a very great height indeed.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Thursday, 30 December 2004 14:48 (twenty years ago)

They did release a mix album a few years back that featured some of their remixes if I remember correctly. Don't quote me on that though.
Their Italo-house remix of Mercury Rev's Delta Bottleneck Stomp was fantastic. Best thing they've done other than the Private Psychedelic Real and Music:REsponse.

Ah! Here it is - no Mercury Rev remix though.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000009Z4T/qid=1104419163/sr=1-15/ref=sr_1_2_15/202-4690715-7611857

Galvanise really isn't much cop though. And I'm a huge Tribe fan. Oy vey.

― stew, Thursday, 30 December 2004 15:09 (twenty years ago)

you sure that's the right link? that's hardly got any chems remixes at all! and in fact, i own it already! and it's very good! but not what i meant!

what about the old Prodigy/Primals remixes they did back in the day, when they were still Dust and not Chemical? What about Ariel's "Let It Slide"? Y'know...

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Thursday, 30 December 2004 15:23 (twenty years ago)

Actually I just resent Nate painting ILM as relentless Chemical Brothers haters in the face of his one man defence. Lots of people here actually like the band, as a glance at any Chemical Brothers thread would show.

Also there be a "cause" to this relentless championing of an already massive dance act, but I'm fucked if I can see what it is.

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 30 December 2004 15:39 (twenty years ago)

http://www.chungtech.com/tuffsheet/images/smilies/boombox.gif

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Thursday, 30 December 2004 15:54 (twenty years ago)

um, that was an accident. sorry!

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Thursday, 30 December 2004 23:44 (twenty years ago)

Actually I just resent Nate painting ILM as relentless Chemical Brothers haters in the face of his one man defence.

1) Not all of ILM, just the massive of this thread, who don't even bother to make much of their complaints re: this album save "shoddy" and "dull and "dire"
2) That "while Europe sleeps..." line, like most anything I post that sounds even remotely hubris-laden and authoritative, was a joke
3) This whole thread was all "ick this is terrible" or "mixed bag" at best except my batshit cheerleading and a couple of "it's a grower" comments, so you're getting all horked up over a thread summary caricature that isn't entirely inaccurate here
4) "defense" is spelled with an "s"

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Friday, 31 December 2004 00:09 (twenty years ago)

not in the UK it ain't.

― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Friday, 31 December 2004 01:25 (twenty years ago)

WHO CARES?!! U-S-A! U-S-A!

(Again, refer to #2)

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Friday, 31 December 2004 03:43 (twenty years ago)

It must be nice to feel defensive about the Chemical Brothers and not give a toss about the other billion dance acts.

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 31 December 2004 04:32 (twenty years ago)

Not giving a toss

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Friday, 31 December 2004 04:37 (twenty years ago)

yes well why bother ranting about the Chemical Brothers then, it'll be fucking dance album of the year almost everywhere anyway whatever the fuck it sounds like.

I actually like the Chemical Brothers alot and after the last Battleweapon I have faith this might be a good record but why anyone would boost them so much now is mystifying to me, and I'm quite sure anyone denigrating them is not some off the peg hater.

I just can't understand someone championing the big guy so much, if anything the more people who say "fuck the Chemical Brothers" in favour of singles and individual tracks the better.

they're never going to mean anything major anymore, they belong to nobody now.

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 31 December 2004 04:45 (twenty years ago)

i actually hated them for years, largely prejudicially -- and in part as a reaction to years of senseless media boosterism of them at the utter expense of so many other acts -- and only came around after "the golden path" (laugh if you must!) and their remixes of kylie's "slow."

however, listening to this, i gotta say it's a really mixed bag. the highs are great but the lows are dreckulous.

― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Friday, 31 December 2004 04:51 (twenty years ago)

I hate "The Golden Path"!

You'd love Battleweapon 7 I'd say, Philip.

I dunno, my lack of enthusiasm to download the record says alot really, album dance seems so worthless at the moment, I really hope Daft Punk escape this by keeping their pop vibe. I just can't imagine wanting to hear a new Chems album when there are so many good DJ mixes out at the moment.

I mean, to the extent that the DJ mix really is the best thing you can get on CD in dance music at the moment, there must be 20 really amazing mixes this year.

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 31 December 2004 04:53 (twenty years ago)

i'll look for battleweapon... and actually as for golden path, it's the ewan pearson mix i like (predictable!)

mostly agree with you on "album dance" except that when it was good this year, it was great - le dust sucker, ada, mayer... but yeah, you're right, mixes generally trump albums, as they should.

― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Friday, 31 December 2004 05:02 (twenty years ago)

why anyone would boost them so much now is mystifying to me [...] I just can't understand someone championing the big guy so much

Mostly because they released my favorite album of the 1990s (Dig Your Own Hole is sequenced better than almost any other DJ mix I've heard, and yeah here is where the aspersion re: my knowledge of dance music gets flung about). That, and there aren't a ton of groups I've heard nowadays that do what they do stylistically and do it so consistently well. Hell, there weren't even a ton of groups in the huge Big Beat orgy of '96-'98, when everyone was trying to pull the next "Leave Home" out their ass.

Of course, my second favorite album of the 1990s is Mellow Gold, so I really have no entitlement whatsoever to even register any sort of strong opinion about the carefully-regimented beast that is "electronica" or whatever term us outsiders are s'posed to use.

They're never going to mean anything major anymore, they belong to nobody now.

Thanks for the bulletin; I'll be over here choking on the cool peoples' dust.

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Friday, 31 December 2004 05:07 (twenty years ago)

(The other two groups of this ilk I will defend to my death this way are Daft Punk and Basement Jaxx. I am on Astralwerks' dick and it's sad.)

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Friday, 31 December 2004 05:09 (twenty years ago)

Perhaps contrarily I still believe that The Chemical Bros continue to have it in them to make "album dance" that isn't cringeworthy but fabulous - I mean even Ronan loves "The State We're In", yeah?

That said I also think a lot of the actual album dance they do these days is cringeworthy ("The Golden Path", "The Test"), whereas their tracky stuff can at least rely on their ongoing programming skills without interference from big! concepts! and! collaborations!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 31 December 2004 08:55 (twenty years ago)

I do have faith, as I said. Battleweapon 7 is as good as anything else this year.

I should just get the record and report back, people criticised "Come With Us" alot and that's a great record.

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 31 December 2004 13:56 (twenty years ago)

fret not Nate, those three acts are where they are for a reason - they've all made the best dance music ever in their time, only they all embraced the mainstream respectfully rather than adhering to the 'stay low' ethic. nothing wrong with that imo.

i suppose it didn't occur to people that acts rooted in dance/electronic would continue making albums for over ten years which is what's happened and will surely continue to, meaning natural decline becomes a factor, meaning many get bored with just the idea of acts like the Chems (as i have since 'Come With Us') let alone the unrealistic idea they'll always be at the top of the game.

― Frankenstein On Ice (blueski), Friday, 31 December 2004 14:11 (twenty years ago)

apollo 440 news, anybody? please?

― mark p (Mark P), Friday, 31 December 2004 14:11 (twenty years ago)

ROCKER TO ROCKER, RAVER TO RAVER, SOMETHING SOMETHING DO US ALL A FAVOUR

― Frankenstein On Ice (blueski), Friday, 31 December 2004 14:16 (twenty years ago)

maybe 808 State will release a new album, with guest vocals from Ian Brown, Jimi Goodwin, Emiliana Torrini and Swing Fly!

― Frankenstein On Ice (blueski), Friday, 31 December 2004 14:20 (twenty years ago)

haha you forgot tim burgess!

― mark p (Mark P), Friday, 31 December 2004 14:33 (twenty years ago)

oh no wait, he's working.

― mark p (Mark P), Friday, 31 December 2004 14:33 (twenty years ago)

kate thornton and chris evans are working with liam howlett.

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 31 December 2004 14:43 (twenty years ago)

Noel Edmonds too.

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 31 December 2004 14:43 (twenty years ago)

incidentally Liam Howlett has just appeared in the latest edition of Debrett's guide to Britain's most influential people...

― Frankenstein On Ice (blueski), Friday, 31 December 2004 14:45 (twenty years ago)

My favourite track is "The Big Jump", whose synth line bears an uncanny resemblance to that in "The Creeps" by Freaks.

― JoB (JoB), Saturday, 1 January 2005 17:56 (twenty years ago)

The tune with Kele from Bloc Party on it is great you mentalists! Contrary to what's been said on this thread, its actually pretty tracky and dancefloor-orientated. Its not quite Electronic Battle Weapon quality but you can't go wrong with big 'woop woop' noises. There is no need for Kele to be on there at all, mind.

The one with Tim Burgess on it is a mess. How on earth did they manage to make ravey pianos sound so WRONG?

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 3 January 2005 11:25 (twenty years ago)

I am liking the Anna Lynne track as well, nice simmering slow build, and I'm a sucker for ethereal female vocals in dance music. I wouldn't call it a 'song', its standard issue Orbitalesque girly warbling.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 3 January 2005 11:42 (twenty years ago)

did you get it on slsk?

― Frankenstein On Ice (blueski), Monday, 3 January 2005 14:04 (twenty years ago)

Come Inside is certainly not an attempt at aping Franz Ferdinand or post-punk or anything of the sort. It's bass-led Chems by numbers though. Yawn.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 3 January 2005 18:37 (twenty years ago)

Close Your Eyes is nice. Who are these Magic Numbers people?

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 3 January 2005 18:43 (twenty years ago)

(Yes, I have this on slsk Steve)

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 3 January 2005 18:44 (twenty years ago)

Shake Break Bounce = faux-dancehall beat, Spanish guitar strumming, millions of sounds crawling out of the woodwork. Blimey, its Basement Jaxx! Except not as good.

Marvo Ging = entirely predictable backwards guitar cod-Indian thing enlivened by good bassline.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 3 January 2005 19:06 (twenty years ago)

Surface To Air. It is SCIENTIFICALLY IMPOSSIBLE to make a track with chugging motorik Kraftwerk synths, New Order bass and wob-wob-wobbing electro breakdown and for it to be anything less than marvellous. Best album closer since The Private Psychedelic Reel.

On first listen, its a pretty good record. Not earth-shattering, but nowhere near as bad as some people are making it out to be. Solid 7/10.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 3 January 2005 19:08 (twenty years ago)

(Mocking "The Test" makes Baby Jesus cry.)

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 3 January 2005 19:10 (twenty years ago)

'come inside' and 'surface to air' definitely featured in their set at last year's Glastonbury. not sure if the other tracks did.

― Stevem On X (blueski), Friday, 7 January 2005 15:19 (twenty years ago)

oh yeah, that's what those were! come inside had that clown's face graphic.

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 7 January 2005 15:26 (twenty years ago)

'surface to air' was the one that had me thinking they'd just tweaked 'the golden path' so it sounded EVEN MORE like 'where the streets have no name'

hearing 'Left right' i just think they should've produced 'Mosh' for Marshall

― Stevem On X (blueski), Friday, 7 January 2005 15:29 (twenty years ago)

'hold tight london' wan't at all what i expected it to sound like. like the swooshes, seems a bit like Deep Dish's 'flashdance' on comedown with that guitar lick

― Stevem On X (blueski), Friday, 7 January 2005 15:34 (twenty years ago)

actually it's The Strokes 'The Modern Age' that 'Surface To Air' reminds me of more than anything else

― Stevem On X (blueski), Friday, 7 January 2005 15:42 (twenty years ago)

There is no need for Kele to be on there at all, mind.

EXACTLY.

Close Your Eyes is nice. Who are these Magic Numbers people?

Don't get me started, DC. Come to Hedonistic next Friday and i'll give you a CD innit.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Friday, 7 January 2005 16:38 (twenty years ago)

Is it better or worse than come with us?

― major jingleberries (jingleberries), Friday, 7 January 2005 17:18 (twenty years ago)

not as good for me

― Stevem On X (blueski), Friday, 7 January 2005 17:29 (twenty years ago)

'surface to air' = bloody good indeed. it's like dance music created with me in mind.

― surface noise slight return, Saturday, 15 January 2005 07:15 (twenty years ago)

yeah it's amazing! I wish I had got this record before I DJed on Thursday.

Not so sure about the rest of it, some of the breaksy stuff is just like worse versions of old tracks.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 15 January 2005 14:40 (twenty years ago)

and you are all nuts, the track with the dude from Block Party is close to the best, cos it sounds like electroclash. not 100 percent happy with it, it doesn't do much, but should be good live.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 15 January 2005 14:42 (twenty years ago)

the rest of it though, I mean even the sentiment, everything about it just feels dated and perfectly geared for people who never listened to the other records to suddenly dig the Chemical Brothers.

I mean "dance act collaborates with indie rapper for politically charged Public Enemy influenced 'real hiphop' track". So fucking done by now.

They're obviously great producers but you feel there's a lack of focus on this album, and while on Come With Us they channelled that lack of focus or direction into making a fairly faceless club record, on Push The Button it's like they mashed together a load of collaborations and tried to make an album of songs.

I'm not feeling it, mostly. But yeah not as bad as the Prodigy, which is scant praise. Guuzbourg otm.

Also that "The Big Jump" track would be good except for the fucking awful vocal and the ridiculous guitars.

There's alot of overproduction on the record, or parts where you feel if they hadn't got such an amazing studio the tunes might be better!

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 15 January 2005 14:49 (twenty years ago)

I am going to say that this one is very good. Probably their third-best album ever, easily the best since Dig Your Own Hole.

As for this I don't know if you're smoking Dan Perry's patented loyalty brand cigarettes but Surrender/Come With Us are so much better than this record.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 15 January 2005 14:53 (twenty years ago)

Shake Break Bounce is one track that I think would actually benefit from a vocal over the top. But only if the vocalist in question was MIA.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Saturday, 15 January 2005 16:32 (twenty years ago)

I don't think I've listened to anything other than "Surface to Air" more than once, and I think I've only heard the first 30 seconds of half the songs. Anyone else finding it really hard to sit through a whole album when you know that nothing's going to be as good as what you've heard so far? Ronan is pretty much OTM on everything so far.

― mike h. (mike h.), Saturday, 15 January 2005 17:48 (twenty years ago)

yeah I feel the same, nothing makes me want to listen to this a third time even.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 15 January 2005 17:51 (twenty years ago)

Surrender had a killer first half and "Hey Boy Hey Girl" but also suffered from a couple really ponderous downtempo folky-Spiritualized tracks and the mediocre "Setting Sun" rewrite "Let Forever Be". Come With Us is more consistent but has "The Test", which is almost enough to give me gonorrhea of the ear. (After a bit of cooling off, though, I have decided it is better than Push the Button, which has higher highs but more lows.)

TS: Loyalty-brand cigarettes vs. Haterade

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Saturday, 15 January 2005 19:41 (twenty years ago)

I just don't understand why people would champion the Chems so much, as I said.

It's hardly haterade. there's an entire universe below them that, increasingly, suffers as a result of their presence. not their fault but not a reason to praise them blindly either.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 15 January 2005 19:44 (twenty years ago)

Well, sometimes I don't understand why people would champion the Fall or A Certain Ratio or Killing Joke so much, either, but I ain't going to give them any shit for it. (Well, not any legitimate shit. Some mild ribbing, maybe.)

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Sunday, 16 January 2005 06:07 (twenty years ago)

Come With Us was so much better than this record...damn.

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Sunday, 16 January 2005 16:44 (twenty years ago)

"Anyone else finding it really hard to sit through a whole album when you know that nothing's going to be as good as what you've heard so far?"

SO so OTM.I had a lot of trouble mustering up the interest to keep replaying my review copy.

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Sunday, 16 January 2005 17:06 (twenty years ago)

i think 'The Big Jump' is my favourite - much preferable to 'Where The Surface Has No Age'

― Stevem On X (blueski), Sunday, 16 January 2005 21:14 (twenty years ago)

I heard a couple of Chemical Brothers new tracks on the radio on Friday. They were absolutely useless - clunky slow-to-mid tempo dated production - going through the motions and plodding nothingness.

When there are far superior options in 2005 such as Alex Smoke, Vitalic, Mental Overdrive, Apparat, Johan Skugge - why bother with The Chemical Brothers when they fail to deliver the goods !

The Chemical Brothers were at their peak in 1997, check the calendar year that was 8 years ago !

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Sunday, 16 January 2005 21:29 (twenty years ago)

It was flipping through an interview in... mixmag maybe?... Anyway it was weird to see them playing down Come With Us as an unfocused, overly psych-influenced misstep (whereas I thought they got the balance right re the amount of psych-stuff on that album, bar "The Test"), and then saying they were honestly crushed when "The Golden Path" wasn't a hit.... WTF?

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 16 January 2005 21:57 (twenty years ago)

Wow, I must have been completely blind in a cave with earmuffs not to know of Alex Smoke and Johan Skugge! Sorry to be stuck eight years ago, but this is what happens when you don't specialize.

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Monday, 17 January 2005 02:03 (twenty years ago)

they all have such funny names

― Igor Vodkpe (blueski), Monday, 17 January 2005 10:23 (twenty years ago)

"Sorry to be stuck eight years ago, but this is what happens when you don't specialize."

This seems like an unfair dichotomy to me Nate. The choice is not between the Chemical Bros and "specialisation" (by which I suspect you mean "hopeless obscurantism"). I mean, you listen to a hell of a lot of music, so if you're choosing not to investigate dance music beyond The Chemical Bros then that's a choice and not a practical necessity. It's a bit like dismissing crunk on the grounds that it's for hip hop specialists.

Of course DJ Martian's "[x] band is crap, please all listen to [insert Scandinavian art-metal band here] instead, k thanx" rants are difficult to take literally, and I might not run to his defence so quickly if I hadn't heard some Alex Smoke today and found out that he is in fact rather excellent.

That shouldn't change the fact that you're allowed to like the new Chemical Bros album; but I suspect that DJ Martian is really responding to the overwhelmingly disproportionate level of importance apportioned by the media to albums by increasingly off-their-game "big dance acts".

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 17 January 2005 16:18 (twenty years ago)

Alex Smoke is following in the direction of: Richard Davis - Safety album.

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Monday, 17 January 2005 16:57 (twenty years ago)

So the Chemical Brothers are apparently really uncool (even to my generally forgiving mind), but there are always at least a couple amazing tracks on each of their records - a fact which I seem to forget in the time between releases. "Hold Tight London" and "Surface to Air" are beautiful and expertly arranged. If I didn't know that "Hold Tight London" involved them, I'd probably be running around telling everyone about it and saying how innovative it is. I'm surprised and impressed again. All that said, their albums - all of them - also have really awful tracks. I gave up on this one prematurely after hearing the Q-Tip track.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 18 January 2005 07:52 (twenty years ago)

i like the synths on 'hold tight london' but it's all a bit Kosheen...

― Stevem On X (blueski), Tuesday, 18 January 2005 09:52 (twenty years ago)

haha lock thread - nuff said stevem!

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Tuesday, 18 January 2005 10:01 (twenty years ago)

'the big jump' vs 'i'm so crazy' ?

― Stevem On X (blueski), Tuesday, 18 January 2005 10:06 (twenty years ago)

"I'm So Crazy" kills everything ever Steve. I don't care how good the other track is.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 18 January 2005 13:16 (twenty years ago)

they're not massively uncool, but Battleweapon 7 is better than anything on this record! is it that hard to include something like that on an actual album?

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 18 January 2005 18:51 (twenty years ago)

Ha, re: DJ Martian's post: I was getting into my defensive "sorry for not being instantly aware of some obscure act that I don't think has even been mentioned on ILM more than twice" mode. (aka "default mode".)

And I agree wholeheartedly with the off-their-game dance act hype remark -- it's just that I'm savin' my lamentations for when the next Moby album comes out.

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Tuesday, 18 January 2005 19:04 (twenty years ago)

God, "Hold Tight London" is so pretty!!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 20 January 2005 21:54 (twenty years ago)

xpost

Apparat's only really had that one Bpitch Control 12" that's been straight up danceable though hasn't he?

― itchy crabs, Thursday, 20 January 2005 22:04 (twenty years ago)

Yeah the album on Shitkatapult is very IDM, but he seems to be moving in a more dancey direction. That schaffel track on the Ellen Allien mix is the bomb.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 20 January 2005 23:12 (twenty years ago)

Come With Us is fucking boring though. This is not.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 27 January 2005 09:35 (twenty years ago)

does not compute.

anyone heard the 'Flip The Switch' remix edition?

― Stevem On X (blueski), Thursday, 27 January 2005 10:54 (twenty years ago)

haven't heard any songs from this, but the cover is excellent

― m0stly clean (m0stly clean), Thursday, 27 January 2005 21:00 (twenty years ago)

It's a decent album (right now). The first few songs are clubtastic. The only drawback I can tell right now, is that it loses momentum towards the end.

― buck van smack (Buck Van Smack), Saturday, 29 January 2005 08:24 (twenty years ago)

two months pass...

I just got this, and I am largely with Nate.

also: The Magic Numbers track is fab.

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 18:27 (twenty years ago)

four months pass...

This is the only Chemical Brothers album that i don't like.
sad.......

― Christopher Costello (CGC), Saturday, 30 July 2005 16:13 (twenty years ago)

heard "Galvanize" today and wow is it bad. they seem tired yet full of energy. i wish i couldn't understand the lyrics too.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Sunday, 31 July 2005 04:56 (twenty years ago)

The DFA and Mathew Dear remixes are nice, and the video for "Believe" is just incredible, but the album as a whole...meh.

― Telephonething (Telephonething), Sunday, 31 July 2005 05:09 (twenty years ago)

The WHAT and WHAT remixes? Damn, I need to pay attention to this stuff.

On another note, I heard a DJ cut from Galvanize into a Q-tip sample tonight. How obvious is that shit?

― mike h. (mike h.), Sunday, 31 July 2005 06:57 (twenty years ago)

Mathew Jonson. Argh. My head is not screwed on today. Oh well, at least I got half his name right.

But yeah, the DFA remix of "The Boxer" is fabulous. YSI in a minute.

― Telephonething (Telephonething), Sunday, 31 July 2005 18:32 (twenty years ago)

http://s46.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2OMCGTAELMBIO2RPJ6JLC6MMQ7

― Telephonething (Telephonething), Sunday, 31 July 2005 18:35 (twenty years ago)

thx!

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Sunday, 31 July 2005 21:30 (twenty years ago)

three years pass...

i missed/ignored this at the time. all i've heard is "surface to air", three days ago, and i'm listening to it on repeat. the reason for that, simply, is that i'm kind of pissed off/delighted that everything i was trying to do with music in 2001 was finally done properly/better/beautifully. several fucking years later, with substantially better production. fucking gaaah.

seriously: structurally, melodically, everything ... this track is what we were aiming for. if i'd written this, i'd die happy. i e-mailed it to the other guy i made music with and he just said "fuck".

It is SCIENTIFICALLY IMPOSSIBLE to make a track with chugging motorik Kraftwerk synths, New Order bass and wob-wob-wobbing electro breakdown and for it to be anything less than marvellous

dude. i can e-mail you two years' worth of demos that prove you wrong.

― grimly fiendish, Monday, 4 August 2008 20:47 (seventeen years ago)

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