CD REVIEW: The Chemical Brothers "Further"

The Chemical Brothers are back in a big way with one of their most intriguing albums to date. Unlike many of their other albums, this disc does not contain a single radio friendly track, and that's an excellent thing. Comparisons can be drawn to some of the music contained in the band's albums "Exit Planet Dust" and "Surrender" and it all has a very summer night rave feel. The album intentionally flows from song to song just like a Chemical Brothers DJ set, making for a very powerful record. "Escape Velocity" and "Swoon" are both highlights of the set. Another change in the formula was the lack of big named vocal guests on the album. They opted to keep with the DJ vibe and utilize sparsely placed samples to keep the album from getting monotonous or overbearing. The Chemical Brothers always set out to amaze listeners and surprise with each beat and sample. This effort is no different and just showcases another facet of this super talented and immensely creative duo.