Review: The Chemical Brothers - No Geography

Tough at the top? Not really.

If you are Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons it is starting to look like second nature to suffer the (almost certainly) intolerable rounds of pre-album music industry-cum-officionado-cum-blogger nay-saying and anxiety that surrounds their latest release. Will it be make or break for them this time around? Are they still relevant? Do they have what it takes to keep pace with the new kids on the Electronic scene?

No, yes and absolutely...in that order.

Can we maybe start by saying that whilst no act is infallible and my previous homage to The Chemical Brothers serves as a way to (slightly) pick apart their back catalogue, the fact remains they are one of the reasons we HAVE Electronic music in the ascendancy to the levels of popularity that it has soared in the last two decades. This is both a review and pretty sizeable FUCK YOU to those who doubt the creativity and relevance of these two guys, who can still mix it with anyone and dazzle when they perform live. And that is coming from someone who has only ever seen their live performances from the comfort of my sofa. I intend to change that very, very soon though, and it's on the basis of listening to No Geography.

Rowlands and Simons will show you over the course of 10 tracks - and pay attention, any budding producer, writer or DJ - how to not only deliver some startlingly well produced tunes, but how mastering, ordering, pacing and beats all have their place within the process of said creation. I am sticking my neck out here but as a total work this is the best thing they've done since Dig Your Own Hole.

I won't try and retread some of the things that more experienced and adept reviewers have said, sufficed to say this album hits you right between the eyes from the get-go.

Eve Of Destruction stomps into view with equal parts freshness and familiarity, ably supported by the beautiful vocals of Aurora, who guest appears on a few other tracks too.

Bango is bouncy and manic evoking the immediate fun you'll have watching this play out in a live set, No Geography takes the well constructed beats, overlaid samples and soaring synths to make 'hands in the air' moment music for festival-goers.

Got To Keep On is just groovy as hell, Gravity Drops is like a mash-up of Shake, Break, Bounce and Star Guitar in a very good way, The Universe Sent Me has a slow-building, ethereal quality to the sound with huge bass and rolling, and neatly chattering samples.

We've Got To Try then changes pace and with the clever use of show tune-esque sample provides a breakbeat akin to first album territory. This one's a dirty bugger. Free Yourself is another thumper of a tune, and will be a dance-along favourite. MAH is really bassy and insistent with an ear-splitting synth and sample combo that pulls the listener in and reminds them of a rave they never (or might have) attended.

The album closes with the lovely Catch Me I'm Falling and whilst some claim this is out of place with the pace of the rest of the album, The Chemical Brothers' signature is the come-down track (a la Beth Orton's piece on DYOH), and it works really well.

Buy it, download it, listen to it, and wait impatiently for the day when you can hear all of it live.

It will be worth it.

10/10

Badger x