The Chemical Brothers
Further
(EMI)
There’s only one thing sadder than a washed up, old rocker on stage and that’s a washed up old dance DJ with an acid hangover from the ‘90s and a permanent glow-stick tan line. The words “Dad, why are you going to Ibiza again?” should never be uttered. Yet, there are these old geezers that, for many years, defied the stereotype, effortlessly gliding between centuries and fan bases with their formulaic version of electronic dance music.
When others were trying to figure out exactly what electronic music was supposed to be, the Chemical Brothers had a lock on the genre. Their formula was simple: create dance floor anthems, collaborate with the biggest names possible and mix it up with a couple of tracks that took the listener deep into a state of psychedelic ecstasy. It was a tried and true method that served the duo well for three unforgettable albums – Exit Planet Dust, Dig Your Own Hole and Surrender. By the mid naughties, however, their formula had run its race and 2005's Push the Button and 2007's We Are the Night were unmitigated disasters – repetitive (in a bad way), lacking cohesion and missing that ‘wow’ factor – further perpetuating the notion that dance music is definitely a young man’s game.
But guess what. The Chemical Brothers are back. They’re in their 40s and they’ve created a new album that brazenly sticks their collective middle finger up at the haters and embarks on a defiantly new and daring path. Call it a re-birth, call it a mid-life crisis, call it what you will. After releasing Push the Button they had to do something different and what they have done is grab the listener by the throat, slapped them in the face and screamed at the top of their lungs “WE’RE BACK AND YOU BETTER LISTEN UP”.
Further is a musical opus, created to be consumed as a whole, rather than eight individual tracks aimed squarely at chart dominance. You’ll find no big name guests here, yet about half the album features vocals. At times they are androgynous. They are always anonymous.
The album opens with 'Snow'; a drum-less offering that meanders through glitch-ridden, guitar fuelled harmonics and feedback. A repetitive female vocal is ever-present – “your love keeps lifting me / lifting me higher” – gradually building with the ever present, highly stylised guitar. But, just as you think the track is set to crescendo, you arrive at track two, 'Escape Velocity'. It is a seamless transition that is emblematic of the album throughout. At nearly twelve minutes long, 'Escape Velocity' is epic in scale. Fuelled by heavy synthesisers, it ebbs and flows with the force of a giant sea, entrancing the listener into a state of euphoric bliss. Rest assured, this track will complete every festival set the Chemical Brothers play in the next twelve months. And so it should. This is new ground for the group and they have hit the mark spectacularly.
Unfortunately, the rest of the album lacks the same dynamism that hallmarks the opening two songs. That’s not to say the rest of the album is bad - the vibe of the first two tracks remains throughout - but it plateaus and fails to reach the same dizzying heights. 'Dissolve' tries hard, beginning with the sonically interesting layering of harpsichord and cello, before dissolving (yes) into a clichéd pop mess. Seriously, this song would not be out of place in the opening credits of Entourage. Speaking of clichéd, 'Horse Power' sounds like every techno track that come out of Detroit in the mid ‘90s and crosses into the farcical when a sample of a horse neighing is interspersed amidst the heavy drum blips that characterise the song. Sorry Chemical Brothers, but you are really showing your age here. The dudes that used to love this sort of music are now investment bankers, they deal in commodities, not cocaine. They’ve moved on, now it’s your turn.
Further garners a redemptive moment with its final track, 'Wonders of the Deep' – a harmonious saunter through acoustic guitar, vintage synths and an unobtrusive vocal. The track exudes musical warmth that provides a fitting finale, picking up where 'Snow' and 'Escape Velocity' left off.
Further traverses new ground for the Chemical Brothers and defies the current trends in electronic dance music – currently being spruiked by the likes of Crookers and the Bloody Beetroots – by exploring a sound and style that is not dependent on big name vocal collaborations or tracks sculpted to set musical festival stages alight. There is a more laid-back, mature feel to their music. Which at times misses the mark, but also on occasion, breaks new ground magnificently. It demonstrates the Chemical Brothers are going through a period of musical evolution, a period which might just set them up for the next ten years. Can you DJ with arthritis?
Luke McKinnon