The Chemical Brothers had a pretty straightforward approach to making albums blending dance floor fillers with expansive melodic psychedelic tracks and well-known collaborations wherever possible. This formula only came unstuck recently with a number of lacklustre and mediocre albums which placed 7th album Further as watershed moment in The Chemical Brothers career.
They’ve gone back to the drawing board and dispensed with the swarm of guest vocalists which often clouded more recent works. Free from the burden of creating tunes to suit collaborators their undoubted talent is let loose to full effect. This rediscovered independence has allowed them to create a more patient album of substance, concentrating on building slowly to memorable crescendos which are all wrapped up nicely in melodic psychedelic vibes.
The high points here are the techno styled ‘Horse Power’, hazy meandering and summery ‘Swoon’ and the choppy and fun ‘Dissolve’. Further is a record set to simmer rather than boil but like good food it takes time and effort – they have well and truly blown away the cobwebs and started again.