Hey guys,

I'm really excited about Further, for a long time i have been crying out for a "concept album" from the brothers, and even though they are totally an "album band" they have never really made an album in which EVERYTHING is interconnected. the albums work perfectly as a whole piece, and in the right order and all that, but i feel further is different.

One thing i will say for myself before i get into this is that i'm an overactive thinker. I overanalyse every fucking thing i read, hear, talk about, whatever. even in standard social situations, talking to friends, i always over analyse what is happening, the tone in which a friend will say something to me, i can waste minutes thinking about what they just said, and all the possible hidden meanings which they could have been thinking or portraying without meaning to, and it's often a real pain in the arse. it often makes conversing actually quite awkward, and leaves me feeling stupid.

so as a result of my overanalytical ways, i have been thinking on "Further" and reading everything you guys have been saying in regards to "Escape Velocity" and joining stupid non existant dots in my mind. it's fun. but probably completely off.

here goes:

I think Further will be one thing. not in the way WATN is one thing. it will be a long piece which spans eight "parts" sure, the brothers' will have named each part as an individual "song" but for whatever reason i forsee elements coming and going, only to return in part 4 of the album.

think of it as writing an 80 minute piece of music, and just chopping it up into 8 10 minute chapters. this is exciting. when you guys are talking about hearing elements from "After Sunglasses" and things like that in the start of "Escape Velocity" I get more excited, sure the brothers' tend to mix between tracks on albums, but i just feel like they want to give us one whole piece this time.

another reason i feel this way, is the press release neglects to mention the tracklisting... is it even important? The bio for further gives us all the information we need... it's called Further, its divided into 8 parts, and it's synced with visuals.

ther prospect of one massive 70 min chemical "song" is thrilling to me, not just because it's new, but it tells me the guys are still SO excited about making music. 7 albums in and only NOW are they trying something different to the standard album model. whats next?!

Tom hinted that his psychtronic mix (which has been on repeat for the last month for me) is a "nod" towards what we might expect on "further". the psychtronic mix follows all the afformentioned ideals. it's a long flowing single piece. sure it's a mix of different songs. but you have to listen to it ALL. as a Mars Volta fan, i can appreciate this, and these kind of ideas in music get me well excited.

lately i have also been listening to Bill Holt and his experimental record "Dreamies". this also follows the same principals. if you don't know about it, the story goes: bill was an american man in his late 20's, working a 9 - 5 job, supporting a family in the 70's. one day, Bill quit his job, bought a moog synth, an acoustic guitar and an 8 track tape recorder, and spent a year writing and recording a 2 part psychedelic 50 minute album called Dreamies.

it's amazing.

again, something you have to sit and listen to all the way through. recently it has been re-issued and divided into 12 parts, the record was never a "success", but it's big in collectors circles, and is kinda slowly building momentum year by year.

The Brothers' are into this kind of thing. infact, they begin to play "Dreamies" at the end of their interview on "the breezeblock" that was back in '99. I get the feeling Tom and Ed have wanted to do something like "further" for a long while. and finally, they feel it's the right climate.

in all my years listening to the chemical brothers, i've always seen their potential to do something like this. not that i have been unhappy with previous releases, but i know that something a little more extreme would be amazing. I hope this is it.

don't get me wrong, i will be over the moon no matter what we get. and i'm sorry for all the ridiculous spectulation, like i say, i find it fun, plus i have an odd brain.

but i thought you guys might be interested in why i currently have butterflies in my stomach, and probably will do for a few months now. I'm just SO excited to hear/see this thing.




on a side note, i have been thinking about the visual element.

i have never been more amazed or pleased by something visual than the first time i saw the live visuals for "Saturate" in 07 in Melbourne. to think that Adam was sitting in with Tom and Ed when they wrote just a single synth line... to have been a part of that process, to see where that idea came from, what the brothers' talked about when coming up with the sound, what machine they used to create it... and then based on all of that... make a visual representation of it... and then do the same for the next synth line, and then the next kick drum, and then the next vocal sample.

this is not the way the visuals have worked in the past.

and if in the past it has worked so well just based on hearing the song, imagine just how amazingly deep and perfect the visuals on the new Album/DVD will be... hand in hand the two will go. this is such an exciting prospect! every last detail. the visual element was concieved just moments after the audio element. this is almost as close as one can get to replicating the audio into video.

shit son.

i'm so excited. don't think me crazy. and obviously, i'm aware of just how well off the mark i could be, and probably am. but this is what i have been toying with over the last week or so.


peace.

good post sirbadgelot.

I share your thinking in that, this album, will be the biggest thing they do. And with hearing Escape Velocity earlier today, if it's any indication of what we will be getting on the new album/dvd/whatever, I'm almost certain we're really in for something deep and special. It's a great time to be a Chemical Brother fan.

And your post was a fun read, sir_badge. It doesn't matter if you're on or off the mark as we'll find out eventually - it's the spirit in which you present your ideas on how the album will be. These ideas you're throwing out are based on what's been written about the album of the site and on Escape Velocity and if anything else, it's impressive what a vivid thought pattern you have!

Whenever there's a new album on the horizon, you know - there's always talk about what whether they'll return to their 1997 ways, will there be guest vocalists, wouldn't it be cool if they collaborated with <insert name here>. But I have to say in all my time here on the forum there's never been such a detailed and well thought out topic that tackles the 'concept album' theory - until now. A concept album is heavy, and it's a musically prestigious endeavor that requires (imo) a considerable amount of bravery. The fact there are going to be accompanying films understandably feeds this concept album theory you presented.

It'll be fascinating to see and hear how it all pans out. It's going to be so hard to be patient!!

I share your excitement, too. I know you haven't heard Escape Velocity yet, but I can say that if the rest of the album is anywhere near as good, we're in for a remarkable journey. I can't wait to be carried on that cosmic carrier wave!

aww thanks whirly!

i just needed to vent everything i've been thinking to you guys. it was all building up. i'm glad you enjoyed reading it!

Good post! I have been thinking similar thoughts. I think it is safe to say that we know at least 2 tracks that are going to be on Further, and they are, in a very non-specific sense, exactly what I hoped I would be hearing on the new album, and beyond! I really didn't know what to expect, but what I have heard sounds so... so COOL!
Those vintage-y psychedelic sounds in the psychetronic mix, it seems, have been a great influence on the sounds in Escape Velocity! Especially at the end. But then there is 'After Sunglasses' too, and I'm not sure to what to liken that, other than incredible, and it seems that it has taken modified elements of 'Problem/Question' that may be heard on youtube (not the live one). Anyone else get a feeling for that? And then, there are 6 others! SIX!
In conclusion, I completely agree that Further will exceed all expectations--that it will be 'more extreme', as you said, than anything we've heard from the brothers post-big beat (so as not to attempt to compare apples to oranges.)

Respect to my fellow Chemical Brothers dorks!

I loved reading your ideas, Badge. I think there's a lot that makes sense, and I'm definitely getting a lot of the same feelings about the upcoming album!!

Nice post, real deep. I dub thee DR_SIRBADGELOT

yes yes yes, sir badge. i like the theoretical aspects of chemical brothers music. your thoughts go exactly along with mine. in the past i wrote this several times. i was always thinking, that this time the new album will be more noisy, more electronica, more harder if you want. the time is right as you mentioned. the niches become mainstream, when you look what other artists (like boys noize aka german motorik sound maker) release at the time. this works well in the electronic music buisness nowadays (like the indiemusic genre in 00 years). the release policy of the brothers till WATN was releasing a 3-5 min single (which is not that controverse; DIA, salmon dance or galvanize for example). this time the begin with a track that goes along with the reel or sunshine underground. but the chems will not release a 100% "underground" when i think of remember to fall in love (=something for the masses but works for the "hardcore" people as well at the right place on further...maybe after a mindblowing breakdown full of synths).

that means: i really love the new way they do it this time. this keeps the freshness alive and makes them the no1 heroes of "legends of electronic music" (daft punk, prodigy, underworld)

SirBadgelot - I think you're bang on here. I just read your post, meanwhile my mind's also been screaming this would be a concept album since i heard escape velocity. the two vocal samples (beginning and end) suggest a space time voyage with psychedelic soundscapes n complete experiences. the lack of vocal collabs almost seals it.
I personally have not been completely blown away for the first time by a Chems release for a new record - escape velocity is neat, but i think it'll be brilliant when set in that "8 part" journey on the album.

Three things:
1.) This is a very good post. You really got me excited for the idea of a "Chemical Album Suite"!
2.) Thanks for introducing me to "Dreamies". I just listened to some clips on Amazon and I was very impressed.
3.) Nice to see a fellow Mars Volta fan on here! Strange how they've never really done anything like you described... unless you count the way Frances The Mute segued so well...

Interesting idea, but I thought Further is to be a collection of stellar dance tracks. They said that it was inspired by the Electronic Battle Weapons, which are rough, long, and straight to the floor; what we've got so far is an eleven-minute beast with a with a dirty, screeching line and wobbly, deep bass. It certainly seems to fit the bill.