The Chemical Brothers - Come With Us

Virgin: 2002

The fourth album from Misters Rowlands and Simons is regarded as something of a well-received flop – enjoyed when released, but leaving little lasting impression upon The Chemical Brothers' wider catalogue. Frankly, they had to try something different, lest they remain thought of as vanguards of a rapidly cratering big-beat scene. Surrender had already started the transition, but that album had enough familiar sonic markers making it more of a companion piece to Dig Your Own Hole than anything drastically different.

So reinvention was necessary, but where could they go? The same place everyone goes eventually: house or techno. In this case, they went with the latter, or about as techno as The Chemical Brothers could reasonably get away with. Something closer to their underground party roots, where the rhythms are repetitive and relentless, no space for big anthemic choruses with rock radio guest stars.

Testing those waters was a test-pressing for the track It Began In Afrika, a tune that I practically knew how it'd go before hearing it once. “Oh, I bet they'll use that vocal sample that says the title, which I first heard in an Ice MC track, then do some tribal drumming along with their usual psychedelic loops of fury. I is so smart!” Having hacked the puzzle (or whatever), I wasn't too enthused about the new Chemical Brothers and let Come With Us pass me by.

Something drew me back to it though, a lingering sense of curiosity of what the album's full length might entail. That initial positive buzz had to be worth something, and latter reactions seem to confirm this is a 'deeper' record compared to their other efforts. Seeing as how it's so dirt cheap on the used market, springing for a copy wouldn't hurt. I've never been led astray by a Chemical Brothers album anyway (even if one in particular was overplayed to the grave).

And the titular opener sets us off in good fashion, a smashing tension builder with a climax of cascading synth sweeps that I'm sure sequenced amazingly with 1.21 gigawatts of laser technology. Not as immediately ear-wormy as their other album openers, but then this is supposedly a 'deeper' album. It Began In Afrika-ka-ka-ka-ka comes next, and it's exactly as I predicted. It's pretty dope too, so fool on me for initially so haphazardly dismissing it because I guessed the ending. Star Guitar was the other big tune off here, a loopy Balearic outing that kind of reminds me of The Field (or is that foretold?). Only two guest vocalists appear, the obligatory Beth Orton featuring The State We're In, and Richard Ashcroft of The Verve on the obligatory psychedelic closer The Test.

The remaining mostly amount to uptempo breaks and techno tracks, the limp acid-fart of My Elastic Eye the only dud among them. Hardly adventurous stuff, but I'm sure it felt nice for these brothers to get back to some basic party jams. It's definitely one of the smoothest Chemical Brothers albums I've heard.

The Chemical Brothers - Brothers Gonna Work It Out

Virgin: 1998

The Chemical Brothers became known as producers elite so swiftly into their careers, their humble DJing roots were almost entirely forgotten by Dig Your Own Hole. For sure the heady-heads remembered the dodgy 'Dust Brothers' era, but as the '90s came closer to closure, the millions of new fans Ed and Ted had gained remained in the dark of their past influences. Sensing a chance to perhaps educate all these fresh faces attending their concerts, Misters Simons and Rowlands released this DJ mix between albums, a massive mash-up of the tunes that were rinsed out 'back in the day' with a bunch of b-sides and remixes of their current big beat hitters.

I'm not sure if it entirely worked. Oh, the set is great, with plenty of wonderful moments highlighting all that made folks fall sway to the Chem'Bros' charms. I just don't think many of them knew exactly what they were getting. “Is this their new album or not?” they'd ask me in that little music shop I worked at. And I'd reply, “Eh, not really. It's a DJ mix.” After a moment's blank stare, I'd add, “It's not a new album.” Said customer of straw would then move on, leaving Brothers Gonna Work It Out collecting dust, brother. At least, that's how it went down in my backwater corner of Canadaland. I'm sure it sold gangbusters in Great Britain, as most Chemical Brothers merch did.

If there's anything that hampered this CD's general success, it was the fact there are only five indexed tracks. Eagle eye'd spotters may notice twenty-three listed tunes on the back, making this one of those mixes, where bits and pieces are spliced into hefty portions for maximum punch. Like, that mash of Freestyle's robo-vocals Don't Stop The Rock and Metro L.A.'s acid stomp To A Nation Rockin'... I can't hear one without the other anymore! Sure, it'd be handy to skip to specific spots on this CD, but that'd ruin its proper flow, now wouldn't it?

Other highlights? How about The Micronauts' utterly mental, over-driven remix of Block Rockin' Beats, practically right out the gate? It's almost too much awesome too soon, and one of the reasons I really can't ever go back to the original version, so tame in comparison. That, along with The Jazz being featured here, it's small wonder The 'Nauts had so much momentum going for them at the time. Fusing them with some juicy acid care of Sidewinder doesn't hurt either. Elsewhere, '70s funk and psychedelic soul get their looks in, while acid techno and big Meat Beat lock horns.

Yes, there's plenty of bedlam on Brothers Gonna Work It Out, but it also feels like they end the party too soon, the final stretch getting on that Private Psychedelic Reel vibe without playing the actual tune (which would be redundant coming off Dig Your Own Hole anyway). I suppose it works for a nice comedown, but this was a party I could have enjoyed 'till dawn's early light.

The Chemical Brothers - Elektrobank

Astralwerks: 1997

Nope, still haven't gotten Dig Your Own Hole. It's just not high on my priority list. In fact, it doesn't even register on such a mythical list. Like, if I find it super-duper ridiculous cheap, maybe I'd consider it just for the sake of “90s 'electronica' completionist” sake. No, the $0.52 at Amazon is still too expensive (d'at $3.49 shipping, tho'!). It'd have to be pennies, or given away by someone offloading their old CD collection in a beat-up cardboard box. Yes, I remain that jaded towards Block Rockin' Beats and Setting Sun. You cannot understand my annoyance, frustration, irritation, exasperation, and vexation hearing those songs ad nauseam though '96-'97, so desperate the rock world was in getting The Chemical Brothers over as the next Oasis or something. It ruined whatever hype I had in hearing Dig Your Own Hole when it first came out, and soured every playthrough with dreaded anticipation of hearing those tunes one... more... fucking... time.

“But wait,” say you, “even if you dislike the two big singles, there's other dope tunes on that album.” I agree. In fact, I distinctly recall having my head forcibly twisted about upon hearing Elektrobank during my initial listen way back when. Those propulsive guitar riffs, furious looping beats, random explosions recalling WipEout's frenetic action, and an instantly ear-wormy sample wherein Keith Murray ponders who might be making manufactured, trippy alpha-beta seti-zappa funkiness. Throw in one of the most badass codas to a big-beat tune I've ever heard, where everything slows right the fuck down and gets cranked beyond the eleven, and you've a classic Chem' Bros. cut that I was almost willing to get Dig Your Own Hole for alone. Almost.

Fortunately, a single option for Elektrobank exists, and for whatever stupid reason, it only occurred to me this year that I should get it. And now I do have it, and can enjoy all that psychedelic funkin' to my heart's content. There's even other cool tunes on this single, so let's dig into these too!

Not Another Drugstore is the official b-side, which you might know from the opener of Brothers Gonna' Work It Out, The Chemical Brothers' DJ mix from the same period. It's got a boozy-woozy arp for a l-o-o-o-ng lead-in before diving into some funky big-beat action and raps from Justin Warfield. Don't Stop The Rock, a surprising techno banger from Dig Your Own Hole, gets an extended Electronic Battle Weapon Version here. And if you liked the Block Rockin' Beats b-side Morning Lemon, you can hear a drab prototype of it with These Beats Are Made For Breakin'.

Then there's the Dust Brothers Remix of Elektrobank. Yes, the same Dust Brothers that The Chemical Brothers initially cribbed their handle from, and were threatened to be sued over if they didn't change their name. It's a funkier outing, heavier on showing off samples than the original, but really, you want to hear it just for the daft scenario of it all. No shame.

The Chemical Brothers - Surrender

Astralwerks: 1999

The Chemical Brothers were kings of the big beat castle, a deserved title considering they practically built the damn thing themselves. A string of classic singles, two seminal albums, and a live show then unparalleled in electronic music, it'd take much to dethrone them. As the 20th Century neared its end, however, many would-be usurpers were storming the gates, ready to nab the crowns off Simons and Rowlands. The Crystal Method came with the pitchforks; Fatboy Slim with the battering ram; Junkie XL with the wire-fu crew; The Wiseguys with a donkey. The Chemical Brothers were seasoned veterans though, and ain't no way they’d go quietly into the night. They had their own counter-attack in the works, y'see, a third album ready to hit shelves with just as much aplomb as Exit Planet Dust and Dig Your Own Hole. Surely it would be another big beat masterpiece, proving once and for all they could never be knocked off their peak, their summit, their- No, wait, that's not right. They instead abandoned big beat altogether, releasing an LP of house and techno grooves. So that's why they named the album Surrender.

Really, The Chemie Bros had nothing to prove, deciding the time was right showing off other genres they could tackle. Making things easier in getting playlisted by all the very important progressive house DJs probably didn't hurt their decision either. Surrender thus comes with very simple caveats for all potential listeners: if you like their block rockin' beats and only their block rockin' beats, you won't dig this album. If you're a Chemical fan for life though - through the fun times and the 'artistic' ones – then you already have Surrender in your collection, don't you.

The more interesting question, then, is whether it was love at first listen, or it took some warming up to. I can't deny Surrender wasn't what I was expecting, especially with such a lacklustre lead single in Hey Boy, Hey Girl, at least compared to previous leads. I was also stupid burnt-out on The Chemical Brothers anyway, all the hype that went into Dig Your Own Hole necessitating a brief break from their sound. I think it was hearing the sub-whoofer demolishing Under The Influence on the WipEout 3 soundtrack that got me curious again. Video games can do that.

And there’s still vintage Chemical Brothers on here. Opener Music: Response has them big, beefy beats hitting, but this time coupled with some psychedelic electro. Let Forever Be once again teams up with Noel Gallagher as they forever chase The Beatles, while Asleep From Day, Dream On and the titular cut fear no starry-eyed sunrise at Glastonbury. On the other hand, Out Of Control sounds tailor made for the action movie crowd, The Sunshine Underground a massive festival climax, and Got Glint? a deep house club on acid (those claps!). All this is enough that I can vibe with Surrender on its own merits, a worthy capper to their trilogy of ‘90s albums.

The Chemical Brothers - Exit Planet Dust

Virgin Music Canada: 1995

Astute readers probably noticed a missing Dig Your Own Hole as I went through the 'D's. This wasn't on account of disliking The Chemical Brothers or anything - heck, I was down with their sound when they were still known as The Dust Brothers (amazing the acts one can find on early '90s 'ambient' compilations). Unfortunately for Dig, I was already sick of hearing its lead singles before the album proper hit the shelves, and even though I can find it for less than a dollar online, I'm still not inclined to snag a copy. If I can go a whole year without hearing Block Rocking Beats again, maybe then I'll finally give the album another chance.

Exit Planet Dust, however, I can play forever and not get tired of it ...most of the time. The final few tracks are a bit fillerish for my taste, but considering how hard and awesome this album hits you from the start, a drop in momentum is to be expected.

Still, the idea of big beats influenced by hip-hop breaks had already been explored by acts like Meat Beat Manifesto and Renegade Soundwave. The ChemBros, however, threw a new twist into the mix by adding liberal amounts of funk-rock and starry-eyed psychedelia, suggesting Summer Of Love vibes and knowing winks to music festivals in wide-open fields.

Leave Home's the opener, and right out the gate one can see why Simons and Rowlands became darlings of rock publications trying to get a handle on that 'electronica' music. Blending thrashy acid lines, funky guitar licks, and a cacophony of breakbeats and effects, it's a strong start to the album. In Dust We Trust goes one better, with a snarling hook that coils around your head as only an acid-drenched serpent could. Ah, help, I’m getting buried in hyperbole!

Those weaned on latter era Brothers Of The Chemical will undoubtedly be surprised by how rough and raw Exit Planet Dust sounds, far less attention paid to songcraft and simply laying out the beats as though catching the duo at a live gig. The whole middle section of the album plays out like such a set, especially so of the 'Beats Trilogy' following Song To The Siren. Fuck Up Beats in particular is a filthy beast of a track, and a shame it's so short. As if anticipating a necessary breather after the bedlam, Chico's Groove and One Too Many Mornings provides proper downtime.

Those two cuts could have been the perfect way to end the album on, but that would run quite short of runtime. So, we get glimpses of where The Chevy Bohemians would take their career at the end: Life Is Sweet pairs them up with an indie Brit-warbler, and Alive Alone sees the first of many Beth Orton collaborations. I guess if those are the sort of songs you prefer these Brothers to work out, that's your prerogative. Myself, I'm gonna go back to those fucked up big beats! UHH!