Chemical Brothers - We Are The Night Album Review

The Chemical Brothers
We Are The Night
Album Review

The Chemical Brothers are as inextricably linked to the 90s as bucket hats, Noel Gallagher's eyebrow and ridiculous affluence, and on the evidence of We Are The Night, they haven't moved on much.'All Rights Reversed' is decidedly dodgy from the rather suspect pun title downwards, even a turn from Klaxons unable to lift it above third-rate emo-dance, whereas the presence of the ubiquitous 'Do It Again' only serves to remind us just how irritating it is, in all its sub-Timbaland glory.

That's not to say the album fails on all counts, 'The Pills Won't Help You Now' is a triumphantly sweet piece of downbeat pop, featuring vocals from Tim Smith of Midlake. Also, 'A Modern Midnight Conversation' is a brilliantly disorientating drone, complete with woozy synths and buzzing sitars.

These moments though, are havens in a desert of half-baked Big Beat and undeveloped ideas. 'Battle Scars' wastes the raw vocal talent of Willy Mason with a dull dirge, elsewhere 'The Salmon Dance' is probably intended to be ironic, but just sounds like an excruciating novelty song.

When an act with so many epochal tracks behind them produces something as underwhelming as We Are The Night, it's a real shame, especially when they make such poor use of stellar guest stars.

Ben Davis

1.5/5