Ok, here goes the reason I was off the boards the last 3 days. This may be long, and just babbling to most here, but I had to put my thoughts down.

I toked up on Friday again (n I've toked a few time this week after months, so this stuff hit me BIG), and suddenly I felt there was something lacking in the album. I couldn't really put my finger on it, as I love the tracks, I've played the album some 400 times since I got it (no It's not a case of overplayed - I can do that with any Chems, it's never really overplayed), and I identify with the ever changing Chems, I have no problems with them trying out completely non Chems sounding songs - but something was definitely lacking and had been bothering me since middle of last week now.

Well, so I decided to revisit some old Chems, starting with PTB, since that's where they left us last. I smoked up some heavy shit and just lay back there in my bed hearing it HIT me so hard again (yes, I love PTB almost as much as all the other Chems), and contrary to what I was expecting, which was getting bored of PTB midway and switching back to the new album, I sat through the whole album, beautifully amazed at it's genius and ended up hearing some other old albums as well as PTB again a few more times over the weekend. The drums on PTB are fucking hard, and so much layered - I don't know where the notion of PTB lacking the trademark infinite layers of sound came from, but I think I've cracked what's lacking here, for me. It's not the wide spectrum of stuff the Chems are continously experimenting with, or the lack of genius material, it's just simply the fucking quality of the cd we've been spinning. That's all, simple yet the fact hit me very hard. The first thoughts were scary - I hoped I've not screwed up this album for myself by hearing this crappy quality - yes most folks won't agree with me, but the 192 kbps quality we've got kills the album's depth and real hooks - the trademark Chems "real" psychdelia - the millions of layers and sounds that seem to come for u from all kindsa weird directions and places, the way they produce, on cd.

One thing that was worrying me throughout was the lack of hard hitting drums on this album, but then thinking back earlier I didn't really remember any mindblowing breaky drums on PTB also, but when I finally got around to hearing it again I discovered that the drums and the millions of layers of sound have always been the real magic that hooks me into the Chems, including PTB - I was really pscychdelically twisted and I could again hear a million different drums and layers and layers of sounds and other stuff on PTB - which I can hear on this new album also but because of the fucked up compression at work have been subdued too mcuh and hence does not leave the effect these songs really will have off a proper mix off a cd.

Don't get me wrong - this album is no way weak, I was just about to get into that mindset that the album is slipping off, from being so effective and massive, as I initially felt it was, but this timely experimentation and trying to find the answer has helped - I am fucking sure it's just the bloody quality which is preventing this album from becoming a sureshot psychedelic masterpiece - I need all the layers they've put in and the way they were intended to sound, to come crystal clear and as disjointed or jointed as planned and put into the original mix by the Chems - not some shady ripping software compressing the stuff and cutting out the depth or highs of the frequencies that have gone in. Also the panning is so ineffective on this bad quality mix. All the trademarks of the Chems sound have definitely suffered in this rip.

Apologies for the long rant, but I've decided to stop playing this album (unless I'm really craving for something) often, and wait for it to be out on cd. For those who're waiting - trust me hang on, and it'll be really worth it. I'm sure what I need, so meanwhile, I'm gonna spend this month in between revisting all the older chems which I've not been doing in a while and then taking the album like it was intended to be, again.

Pfftt.

I hear ya and understand... But I'm going to enjoy what I have for the time being. If I want to listen, I'm not going to deny myself that pleasure because I can't see any reason for that. I sort of look at the quality as a difference between cassettes and cd. If it's this good to my ears now, then when the time comes to have the real deal then I'm probably going to combust.

I've been itching to give a solid song by song review (it's coming, I promise. ;) )

of We Are The Night but I'm waiting for that moment when I can hear everything the way it was meant to be heard.

That said, revisiting the back catalogue has been a wonderful, perspective gaining experience. It's incredible to hear the spark of brilliance in Exit Planet Dust and put it up next to We Are The Night and see how the Chemical Brothers have evolved.

I don't know whether my rambling makes sense but I did get a bit scared as I had this weird feeling that the album was lacking something to have the holding power of any other Chems album over me.

And then I tried to think why so many folks didn't like PTB, I think the album just fucking rocks - it did hit me that I'd never heard any mp3s of that album and heard it straight off cd, and tho it took a while to grow completely, once it did it's another masterpiece.

I'm also not making any resolution not to hear it again, but I was spinning just this again and again, and I'm gonna hear it only when I crave now like I said, and wait to do it again with the real cd. Am gonna meanwhile revisit the rest of the discog once again - I've been hearing too many mp3s lately, even the live sets and other artistes.

Whirly - try this - toke up on some good weed, hear this album, hear PTB completely and voila - it may hit u that the songs we've been hearing are not even 30% of the magic the real cd would offer - basically because of the extensive production that goes into ANY Chems, and mp3s definitely fuck em up. The Chems are TOO huge a duo of producers to be heard fairly on mp3s. That too the first time. I'm not saying we're not enjoying and loving this album already, but on cd it's gonna have those famous REALLY DEEP hooks because of all the psychedelia that comes in their production - the crazy pannings - the multiple layers flying in an out - all those are majorly cut off in this - the mix is not even 30-40% of a any typical Chems studio mix.

Like all those sounds on Burst Generator - I'm sure once we hear those coming in at the right intended frequencies the way they went into the final mix - they'r gonna really blow - not that they dont know - ah nevermind - i think u get what I mean.

Anybody wants to add anything to this take it to the main WATN thread : http://www.thechemic...193#post-148480

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