The electronic music icons that are Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands – otherwise known as The Chemical Brothers return with their eighth studio album Born in the Echoes after a five-year hiatus.
Despite being together for the best part of over twenty years, Simons and Rowlands show no signs of slowing down on this release.
As soon as you hear the baseline from the first track Sometimes I feel so Deserted pumping out of your speakers, you just know you are going to be taken on a whirlwind of emotions on this crazy 52-minute adventure.
The second single released from the album Go sees them reunite with rapper Ali Love from A Tribe Called Quest, who appeared on their 2005 tune Galvanise.
While it doesn’t quite hit the heights of that track, it still carries those synths that have been a trademark of their career.
EML Ritual has a real dark 90’s minimal Techno feel to it while I’ll see you there contains a sound clash for the ages, in one word twisted, in three words- pure Chemical Brothers.
That the duo doesn’t really belong in one electronic basket is a credit to them. They push the boundaries that very few can, and manage to stay relevant in today’s EDM marketplace, which is vastly different to when they started out.
To pick a highlight from this album is hard to do, but it has to go to the seventh track on the album, the instrumental track Reflexion where it’s twists and turns, leaves you dazed and confused in places, but like other minimal masterpieces from their back catalogue such as Swoon, Electric Battle Weapon and Star Guitar puts the listener in a very happy place at the end of them.
Some critics have pointed out that the Chemical Brothers haven’t been as dynamic as their earlier releases- that may be true, but this effort sees them produce their best effort since 2005’s Push the Button album.
7.5/10
The Jay Files 