@chemicalfan - I was around "back then" and i have no idea what your going on about - doesnt sound anythin like "Pioneer Skies". That's a much better tune with loads more happening. Explain yourself.

I can't speak for chemicalfan (he will have to refresh my memory but as far as I remember he was a fan of the Pioneer Skies) - so yeah, he has some 'splainin' to do. :P

It's kind of funny (not funny haha, but funny as in curious) that the Pioneer Skies/Harpoons connection was brought up because I was thinking along the same lines when I first heard Harpoons.

I'm not saying the tracks are anything alike, but the short & sweet lengths of each tune are parrallel. They they are placed 2nd to last on Come With Us and We Are The Night.

I personally favor Harpoons over Pioneer Skies. Harpoons is swimmy, and I like the way it's a drifting, ebbing and flowing sort of seque between Battle Scars and The Pills Won't Help You Now. It has an underwatery type vibe that sort of reminds me of The Test. It's something to get lost in... I like Harpoons because it is a very ambient track, and quite different than their other tunes. Being the length that it is doesn't bother me because I think it fits well nestled inbetween Battle Scars and We Are The Night.

Pioneer Skies on the other hand (and in my opinion) is nothing more than a tease of what great epic it could have been. Too short for having so much going on. A missed opportunity of boundless, blissed out potential. When I first heard it, pissed me right the hell off, hahaha. I personally felt the Chems slighted me but that was just me being stupid. :P

I is melty mmm

das spiegel right now :)

Whirly: How you described Pioneer Skies is exactly right, and it's a feeling I (and others) have about Harpoons as well. Not as strong, but there is definately a feeling that Harpoons could have been made into a bit of an epic, just like Pioneer Skies could have been.

And you're right, I love Pioneer Skies, one of my fave tracks from Come With Us (at the moment!)

Sorry but i just dont see it - there is next to nothing happening in Harpoons. I get that its a little chill thing to link battle scars and pills but i dont agree that its similar to pioneer skies. That track, although short, is quite a grand piece and i feel like i have been on a little journey. I think to have made it into a big epic ala sunshine underground would have been too predictable.

Harpoons is sexy, I kept wanting it to go on longer! but not epic, that could get cheesy. Maybe a giant stormer though..

Harpoons is defo better than Salmon Dance.Though funnily enough if you take the silly vocal out of it, it aint really a bad tune.Am I the only one who thinks that TPWHYN is a masterpiece??Like most others Burst Generator,Saturate and Das Spiegel are my other favs.

No - you're not the only one who thinks that - took me two listens to think that

I'm in agreement about The Pills Won't Help You Now!!

The album's still not on shelves here yet (this weekend) but I just received 25 promo copies (cd) of the album + 25 promo copies of the single (cd) + 3 original UK vinyls of the single (with only the Audion remix - that's sad - they should have put the huntemann mix on the 12" - the one I sourced from the US has Clip Kiss on it too,tho still Audion mix)!!!!!

HELL FOOOKIN YEAH!!!

FINALLY I HAVE THE CD OF THE ALBUM I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR FOR EONS!!! Am taking the rest of the day off from work and running home!! HELL FUCKIN YEAH!! BIG WEEKEND - 4 new Chems Vinyls and the album finally on cd - BIG BIG WEEKEND AHEAD!!

I can't stop jumping - am running home to blast it! First I blast All Rights Reversed in my car on the way - and this time that big bass won't jar finally!! :)

Chemical Rambo.

the bass did still jar a bit in my car even on cd - i found that's the way the album's produced.

the cd rocks, thank god for finally saving me from the godawful mp3s.

have mixed feelings about the album for now, but i think i'm gonna like it a lot with some time. the first half of the album is continous totally mindblowing material.

this is a good album on first two listens (on cd quality - and I could hear new sounds already, thot not many yet, compared to the mp3s.

does anyone else think this is the chems most ermm, minimal production yet? By their standards? Even PTB had a wide spectrum of sounds after the monster sound experience that was Come With Us, forget the total loony real old days. They've gone more "streamlined" on this one, resisting most of the times those crazy funky/ fucked up chemical sounds/ drums which were "very" common till very recently. barring a few songs, most of the album rocks, but they've definitely made a "VERY" different album this time 'round.

I'm looking forward to more many intensive listens and live bootlegs with these songs fucked good the chemical way.

come with us is their most minimal sound experience.. you're weird... :)

this one's got a lot of layers!

also, with the exception of Saturate+Das, I find the first half the weaker.

I know what you mean revenge, this is the first album that happened in this order;

1.FUCKING HUGE!!!111

2.mmm good album.

3.I dont really like the flow of the album + needs more dance bangers.

4.WHERE IS MY HARD AND ELECTRONIC?!!

5.I stopped listening it.

I'm starting to love it again but with the feeling that something is missing and I dont know what.

Come With Us is NOT minimal!

:/

Minimal shminimal? WATN? Minimal? It's so minimal that I received an empty copy... Hopefully my promo one will have some tracks on it. Otherwise i'm gonna download the whole stuff to hear more sounds in the mp3's!

We need a word filter to change "minimal" to "PENIS".

or: not even the hardest penis is as hard as life!

Never had such mixed feeling about any previous Chemical Brothers album before. One hell of a mixed bag of everything, that's what it is. You get some weakest (simplest?) tracks they've ever made alongside some of the best tracks to come out from the chemical camp (I, personally, consider A Modern Midnight Conversation one of their best tracks EVER, never had so many emotions running through me, even from TPPR).

Choice of singles and formats have never been more strange. You have absolutely amazing single material (Battle Scars, All Rights Reversed, The Pills Won't Help You Know) that's both radio-friendly and musically rewarding, yet so far they're releasing the weakest (IMHO) tracks (saving the best for last, perhaps?). Also, this album feels really disjointed. Both transition and mood-wise. There are some transitions, but you don't get that 'one track flows so nicely into another one' kind of thing anymore. Can't help but think of it as a mere collection of tracks. One great transition is from Battle Stars into Harpoons (beautiful... beautiful intermezzo) and into TPWHYN. They really succeed at changing the mood of the album in a very smooth and elegant way. Another one is from Burst Generator into AMMC. And that's it. Other tracks are on their own.

The fact that Chems are changing and their music is becoming softer with every album and moving more and more in pop direction is absolutely fine with me (I do like quality pop too, not just mad acid breakbest circa Exit Planet Dust and merciless big beat circa Dig Your Own Hole). So I'm not complaining about it not being anything like DYOH :)

^ SPOT ON!