Released earlier this year, the Chemical Brothers’ seventh effort, Further, can start to sound like a concert album after a few plays. Unlike many of the Brothers’ earlier releases, the album captures the raw intensity and structureless flow of a live set, filled with unexpected drops, blips, and volume shifts. Many of the tracks are long; the first single, “Escape Velocity,” clocks in at a hefty 12 minutes. The result is an enveloping wash of psychedelic sounds and eclectic rhythms that is relentlessly typical of the Chemical Brothers, but also unusually unstructured.
The album is heavy on the synth, and it has a surprisingly modern sound coming from a pair of old-timers like Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, who have been dominating the electronic music scene since the early 90s. On Further they play with glitchy analogue melodies and heavy bass lines, often layered under catchy vocal samples. The result is as pleasing as one could hope; tracks like “Another World” and “Swoon” stand out as classic jams for a late summer chill session on the deck. With choruses like “Remember to fall in love/There’s nothing else” sticking in your head, you almost feel nostalgic.
What the Chemical Brothers are trying to evoke is not clear—perhaps a younger, simpler time—but there is no doubt that Further is pure and unadulterated Chemical Brothers, just in a new incarnation.