I kinda feel a bit bad for making a new thread, but what the heck - call me big headed, but I've been here a long time (albeit on sabbatical!). I'm sure the mods can merge it if they want (congrats whirly, btw - you're the only one I've spotted so far!)
Right, so onto my opinions of Further. I'd had no exposure to the album prior to my first listen, apart from hearing some of Escape Velocity once on Pete Tong's show, and hearing Swoon once (radio edit I think). I haven't been to any live shows since Olympia, and none of the album was played then. I decided that my first experience of the album should be the DVD (hence why I'm 6 days late, needed to ensure that I wouldn't be disturbed!), so my first memories of the album would be visual as well as the sounds. I'm glad I chose this path, it was a unique experience
I'll detail it track-by-track, along with some final comments - as seems to be the norm when I've done this for the previous albums!
Snow - this track is weird, I'm not in love with it at the moment. The intro is very long, and it's not so much teasing, as waiting for something to happen. There's potential here though, I need a few more listens to really appreciate it, there's stuff going on that I couldn't quite catch on the first listen. The visuals are nice, and work pretty well with the song, but it's not the best set on the album
Escape Velocity - the only thing I could remember about this song before, was it had a techno vibe, and was quite upbeat! Still, it doesn't disappoint, and it's a great showcase for Tom & Ed's skill, as well as the Veggies for delivering a perfect set of visuals for the track. At nearly 12 minutes, it's clearly the centre-piece of the album, and deserves this position as it is a pretty awesome track. "Instantly accessible", it's this album's 'Believe' or 'Saturate'
Another World - I'd read on a friend's Facebook that this were her favourite song of the year (she's not even a major Chems fan, as far as I know), so expectations were high. I was surprised at the slower tempo, but it's a really nice track. The vocals take ages to come in, but it works with the tension in the track perfectly. I love the sound around where the vocals first kick in, and I wish it had been deployed a bit more. The track gets a little all over the place after, doesn't really have a verse-chorus thing going on, it's all new phrases. Needs more listens to capture all of it and appreciate it, but it's looking like a winner. The visuals are pretty good, I love the way the waves become the girl's body, but some of the visuals later on are a bit average. Nice how they sync with the sounds though
Dissolve - This track sounds more conventional in an unconventional way. I can't really describe it better, it's got a lot of accessible sounds, coupled with enough experimental to need a few more listens to get it completely. The visuals are top notch, I loved them, although I'm not sure they fit with the track as well as some of the others. Very good though, this track is quite symbolic of the whole album
Horse Power - Again, I'd read good things on Facebook, so expectations were high. Of course, having heard it, we all love it (surely?). It's Tom & Ed doing their thing, and doing it perfectly. The only minor gripe I've got, is like Another World, the track lacks the verse-chorus thing a bit, lots of different phrases as the track goes by. Only minor though, as the track itself is immense. Another "instant gratification" track, it's the one I'm most looking forward to when I next see them live. Visually, they work perfectly with the track, although it looks a bit weird! It's clearly made for live use, and I simply can't wait for it!
Swoon - Having heard it once before, I already had an idea of what to expect. I really like it, it's like Dissolve in that it's unconventionally conventional. Some lush sounds (vaguely reminds me of Harpoons, for some reason), nice vocals, and the visuals are incredible! Best on the album without doubt
K+D+B - I'd love to know what the title is all about!? I wasn't expecting it after the short break - I thought it'd be a chilled out one, or some synths, rather than a beat. Still, the track is very good, I need to listen again to take in all the aspects and really get the message. I loved the visuals, perfect for the track, the way they grow and constantly sync with the track is spot on
Wonders Of The Deep - Finally the mysterious intro track from the Push The Button tour makes it to CD!!! Ok, it's been reworked a lot, and they've ditched the original visuals (aww, they rocked), but great to hear it again. The bass is amazing, I still remember it tearing through me at Brixton 5 years ago, literally forcing goosebumps down my arms and neck. The only gripe I've got with this track is that the vocals are a bit buried, but it just means I'll have to listen harder next time! But I love this track, I don't think it's the best closing Chems track, in fact I'd probably have to peg it into 4th behind TPPR, Surface To Air, and The Pills Won't Help You Now, but it's ... different from the others. I think the album could have done with an additional track to close it, as the track is great, but doesn't close the album as well as the others do. It's a bit hard to describe without being critical - I love the track, just feel that it didn't close it that well. I expect I'll change my opinion in time! I didn't like the visuals for this track really, they were ok at the start as the track built, but the swimmer had been used, and it didn't seem to fit what was going on in the track. Nice to see a full circle for the album though, when she emerged from the water at the end. A nice touch
So yeah, my review of Further. It's come across quite scathing, I don't really intend it this way. Although I'm not in love with the album yet, it's gonna take quite a few listens. In my mind, this is without doubt their least commercial album, and isn't an easy listen. I remember interviews with Tom & Ed when We Are The Night came out, and they said that had a load of dark experimental stuff that didn't make that album - I see that it ended up on Further. I quite like that they've gone down this road, broken the trend (hey, we'll all Chems fans because they don this) of becoming more 'band-like' in sound, with guest vocalists and more 'song-based' tracks. It's like they've taken inspiration from Aphex Twin and Warp Records for this album, rather than electro bands like the Klaxons. A bit of a shock to my system!
Overall, I'm not sold on Further yet. Their sound was 'maturing' over the albums, and Further has changed tack and delivered a very experimental slice. Maybe this is a shot across the bows of dance music - sounds have been stagnating over the last 10 years, and maybe this album is exactly the shake-up that electronic music requires. I don't suppose that average Joe will like this album at all, but that makes this album a little more special. The best dance music has been 'underground', and the Chems have just re-affirmed their position as musical geniuses of the underground electronic music world. The Chemical Brothers may have taken a bit of an avart-garde direction with this album, but I'd trust them over anyone to make it work.
MultiQuote
