Expand Further and Never Look Back

SteveK on The Chemical Brothers’ Further–

The Chemical Brothers: Further

This one isn’t quite as in-your-face as previous efforts by the veteran Big Beat Electronic virtuosos.  There are trippier qualities to the music here; mellower vibes are incorporated into the 8-song continuous mix CD, along with almost classic 1960’s style Psych Rock elements.

The promo release and second track on ‘Further’, “Escape Velocity” is an epic 12 minute dancer, incorporating lots of signature Chemical Brothers sounds and techniques, along with a sample of what sounds like some classic Styx riffs.

Best on this album though is “Dissolve”, which applies the sound and feel of the Chemical Brothers music and grafts it to a skein of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd sounding Acid Rock. But the whole album is enjoyable, and with multiple formats and exclusive tracks now popping up online, there’s actually a lot of good supplemental music out there to add to the short tracklisting.

‘Further’ is a trippy, danceable all-out electronic freak-out, eminently enjoyable and essential Chemical Brothers listening.  While I could have done without being shut out from exclusive tracks available only to iTunes subscribers, I can’t really fault what I listened to.

The Chemical Brothers: Further

Parlophone

Steve’s Rating: 8/10

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