The culmination of nearly two decades of psychedelic exploration, Further is a record that ebbs and flows like the band's legendary live shows, an immersive collection that finds The Chemical Brothers at their most unrestr... more »ained and melodic best. Here, West Coast power pop harmonies sit beside German Motorik rhythms while My Bloody Valentine-esque sonic manipulations plane across the top of early house basslines. Step futher into the future with The Chemical Brothers. (CD/DVD version also available containing a full-on 51 minute audio/visual experience with cutting edge visuals tailored to the eight epic tracks.)« less
The culmination of nearly two decades of psychedelic exploration, Further is a record that ebbs and flows like the band's legendary live shows, an immersive collection that finds The Chemical Brothers at their most unrestrained and melodic best. Here, West Coast power pop harmonies sit beside German Motorik rhythms while My Bloody Valentine-esque sonic manipulations plane across the top of early house basslines. Step futher into the future with The Chemical Brothers. (CD/DVD version also available containing a full-on 51 minute audio/visual experience with cutting edge visuals tailored to the eight epic tracks.)
"My relationship with The Chemical Brothers has been one comparable only with my favorite soccer team: happy when they win, sore when they lose, and utterly frustrated when the moves are so obviously wrong that I swore to give it up altogether several times. Their previous two records have been a collection of big names and non cohesive songs that did not flow naturally and were rather chopped, almost forced to sound good to entice buyers instead of stimulating followers. Further shatters the curse and by taking a step back the Bros. move forward, ahead of the stagnant phase they seemed unable to surpass.
The first thing that one notices is the minimal use of voice and vocal samples. The few times Tom Rowlands or singer Stephanie Dosen participate is to enhance rather than lead, which helps to structuring sequence and avoid disrupting the mood of the record.
Escape velocity, the first taste we heard of Further, is over ten minutes long, pays homage to The Who with synthesizers that give cue to an ecstatic celebration impossible to miss and not once resorts to supporting vocals to soar. That they managed to pull off such a welcome flashback to their glory days is a remarkable fact.
Horse power is probably the track that most captures the spirit of their music: built on two simple words it gallops its way to an explosive chorus that would make any club goer cream with pleasure. Fist single Swoon capitalizes on the memento and pushes the record to a mellower conclusion. By the time the last notes of Wonders of the deep vanish one is left with the impression that we have just experienced one of their live shows, such is the force of their sound and the immersive flow they deliver.
The digital release offers two more tracks, Don't think and Porquoui, and the CD/DVD pack shows their first proper partnership with long time visual collaborators Adam Smith and Marcus Lyall, who created a short film for each one of the eight tracks.
Further is a well-rounded electronica record. It belongs in the dance floor and not in the playlist of some pop station. The Chemical Brothers maturity does not sound dated; it is renewed, energetic. By shedding off the entrapment of an aged formula they have succeeded in creating their best album of this decade."
Electrifying!
Nse Ette | Lagos, Nigeria | 06/22/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For album number seven, UK Electronic/Dance duo The Chemical Brothers (Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands) do away with guest vocalists and decide to go it alone. "Further" features just Tom Rowlands on whatever scant vocals there are, and Stephanie Dosen who appears on "Snow" singing the repetitive mantra "Your love keeps lifting me higher" against an insistent whine.
Comprising just eight tracks, the album is sequenced like a live throbbing experience. "Escape velocity" is a euphoric piece that builds and builds to a dizzying climax with synths tripping all over the place, followed by the dreamy "Another world" with melancholic falsetto vocals.
"Dissolve" is psychedelic Pop with a groovy feel, while the aggressive "Horse power" makes clever use of horse neighs with galloping beats and the title repeated in a vocodered voice as though in a trance. "Swoon" features bursts of noise like shards of glass flying about and forming a pretty picture sounding like My Bloody Valentine set to an electro beat, "K+D+B" features feathery vocals and electric sitar/bagpipe sounds, while the Coldplay-style Rocker "Wonders of the deep" shimmers and bubbles much like the Aurora Borealis.
I'd be surprised if there are any hit singles as the whole album really needs to be heard together. A beautiful wall of electronic melody."
CD/DVD Review Special Edition
Fieval Years | San Antonio, TX USA | 06/23/2010
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Very quick take on the CD/DVD combo of the Chemical Brothers "Further." I tend to for the most part think the Chemical Brothers are interesting electronic artists and always have something to offer. Hence, I had to buy the CD/DVD. Bluntly put the DVD aspect does not justify the price. Not only are the visuals not on par with any of their standard music videos but, they are not even fun to watch in a "so bad it's good" kind of way. A summary of the DVD is the girl on the cover dives into the ocean, then there are a bunch of dots dancing around for a long time, then the girls shadow is walking with dots and a generic psychedelic backdrop. Then a horse is made of paper machete, some green slime pulsates and the girl comes out of the water. Again, the DVD would be okay if it was free but, even then you are better off hearing the album and letting your imagination take hold. If you must have the dvd I would recommend watching it after you have had time to hear the album multiple times. Otherwise you will be associating these songs with dots, faces, water, and paper matche horses. Again, I just posted a review because I was looking to read one before buying this and there was not one out there. I'm the kind of person that would always wonder what was on the dvd. Wish I was left wondering it would have been more interesting. Also, on the music note this does not seem to be one of their better releases. There are not many tracks with the breezyness of "One Too Many Mornings" or the offbeat "Salmon Song." Other reviews will dig deeper into the audio, I don't wanna go there after just hearing the album for one day. Sometimes things grow on you just at surface level there are no real stand outs."
Great Record, Dodgy DVD
iamdmann | New York, NY | 06/24/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Other reviewers will weigh in on the album. It's like Lemon Jelly on (more?) LSD. I want to focus on the DVD. The visuals are interesting, and the "making of" was great to watch. The problem is with the sound encoding. Despite dolby digital 5.1 and dts audio being printed on the packaging materials, the DVD only contains one audio track, stereo. Not a huge problem, but I wouldn't have purchased the DVD if I had known that. iTunes has the same stuff in the "Further" pass, which I bought first. I ordered the physical product for 5.1/dts on the DVD."
Is this supposed to be a re-invention?
Ricardo Ochoa | San Berdoo, CA | 08/06/2010
(2 out of 5 stars)
"After the rather lackluster collaborations in We are the Night, it seems CB have decided to take an alternate course for this record. This new course, however, leaves alot to be desired. Progression certainly is not since there isnt much room they havent tapped into within the world of big beat, therefore, what is their intent here? Attempts at white noise and ambient soundscapes are truly dull. This music has been done over by countless bands in the 90s that possess a sharper grasp for the subtleties and details required to make these sounds work. Im glad to see CB attempt to break away from the sound they pioneered but it would have been much more digestable if they would have had a clear understanding of what they were truly trying to say. Obviously, this music is not for their rabid fanbase but if its a cathartic statement of purpose, they could have used an alias or released it as some film score or soundtrack and not as a CB release. As such, very disappointing."
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1
