I'm still anxious for the album's release. I think, for better or for worse, there's so much more pop sensibility on this album, and I'm curious to see the wider, general reaction.

What? There was an Australian extra SupaAlbum with 5 B-Sides on it???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

That justifies the price then. Saw it for about 40 bucks somewhere.

Well, it's not like it's unavailable B-sides... it was sort of a mixture of the Out of Control and HBHG b-sides with an extended HBHG version. (incidentally, I think that's the only place to get the HBHG extended version on CD -- all the rest are vinyl)

im just FUCKIN IN HEAVEN

cant wait to hear every single song!!!!

thanks eddy and tommy for being together and create that sweet music!!!

i am 96% sure that 'we are the night' is the fastest chemical brothers song (142bpm), second being freak of the week. both these are tracks we see going a notch above the typical fast ones (140) like studio k, surface to air, and hoops/ebw6.

this has been useless observation #32718

@evermin

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you can get the extended version of HBHG on one of the promos.

I’ve deliberated long and hard on whether my review of this album is premature given that we still have some ways to go before its official release. It’s kind of unfair given that I’ve heard it so many times by now and have bonded with it. There’s a lot to say and a lot I’ve wanted to express in more than just posts here and there. I wanted to wait, it would have been the proper thing to do - but here is now, and here I am. The emotional response I get from the music comes easily, but the words do not. I’m seeing so many things in my mind’s eye when I hear this album, and I’m getting a lot of emotions from it. I’m getting so much out of this album.... As for the production values, technicalities and song dissections, I can’t do it at the moment. Maybe in bits and pieces here and there later on.

So anyway, here’s my flowery and rosy review. By the way, it’s positive because I really can’t think of one thing I don’t like about this album. It’s OK if y’all don’t agree because I’m not here to argue. It is what it is, and here are my thoughts.

The album begins with an ominous growl and the shuffle of feet as No Path To Follow takes you to the brink of a great, dark chasm – an endless pit you can’t see the bottom of. There is a slight feeling of trepidation as though you’re drawing nearer to the edge of this great black beyond, the gentle quiver of subtle reverberations bubble under the surface of a voice that beckons louder and louder the closer you get to not knowing exactly where it is you’re headed to.

You peer in, and then you are hurtled off the edge by a stuttering swan song of screeching synthesizers that follow suit closely behind, eventually falling alongside. This is what it must sound like when you’re falling off the edge of the world. Then there are the clicks and sputters of what sounds like a dying machine, and what sounds like raised voices in the distance coming to see what all the racket it. We Are The Night doesn’t really let you hit the ground, the whole song is lift off. It builds from the depths in which you’ve fallen. And the next thing you know you’re coming up hard – like you’re being catapulted back up from where you came and beyond, up through the rain of twinkling stars and satellites.

All Rights Reversed puts my feet on the ground and gets my bearings. Or at least tries, that’s what I hope for after the rush of We Are The Night. For me the song is confusion, uneasiness and questioning what is what, not knowing what the answers to the universe are even though it’s laid out before you. It fuckin’ rocks. These questions and realizations never cease, and eventually it’s like having an epiphany that some things simply are the way they are, and always will be. The great mystery of life revealed in half truths of only half knowing - yet it all makes sense. The layers of textures in both melody and voice that move across this previously un-chartered landscape are jagged yet there is some perpetual motion of smoothness – the way the song moves seems effortless and streamlined. These voices pan around you, taunting you. It never stops. And it’s time to accept and move on. There is something beautiful around the corner that wants the listener to join it.

This is where Saturate comes in. For me, the throbbing pulse reels me closer to the layers upon layers of staggering melodies that orbit around me. A beat and crash of drums break in and out as beeps and screeches peak to their lofty heights while moving from side to side and all around, lifting me up, easing me down, and then hoisting me back up again. The contrasts of sounds, the thick buzzes and swirl of bemused and fluttery high pitched synthetic palpitations create yet another soundscape – but not one of confusion or foreboding. This song is a celebration, but there is a yearning quality about it when the song swells to its peaks.

The menacing, teasing part of the journey is up next as Do It Again begins its assault on the senses. This isn’t what anyone typically expects from a Chemical Brothers song, and that’s fine with me. There’s a heavy bass that’s so thick it makes my brain feel like it’s swimming in syrup. This is the part of the trip that teeters on the edge of going all wrong; it is almost deliciously sinister punishment for having felt so good only moments before. This song has a face that grimaces at the listener out of the corner of his eye. The funk electric seems to lurk around every place imaginable like a white rabbit that’s joined the listener on this odd journey into over indulgent, wild abandon. Kinda makes you wonder if you’ve pushed the envelope too far with the indulgences. The peak is coming on strong and hard. It’s a body mover, but that pulsating bass threatens to move mountains.

Das Spiegal is the much needed breath of fresh air after Do It Again knocked the wind out of you. It’s joyful and bouncy, sort of in the same cheerful summery vibe as Spring - a carefree kaleidoscopic day whose melodies swirl around your memory bank. It can be a rosy sunrise, or a golden sunset, or it can be the stars twinkling off in the distant night sky. It’s a good day summed up in one song. It’s a really beautiful track, light hearted little moans of pleasure and giggly goodness dotted throughout. It’s a reassuring spirit lifter that lets me, as a listener, know the hard part of the peak is over and everything is going to be all right after the having the near brain shattering freak out of Do It Again.

Onward with the journey. Congratulations, you’ve arrived to the point of the evening where a good intentioned philosophical discussion of life’s upstreams dissolves into banter and fun facts about… salmon. And you try to tie that into how that affects your life out on the dance floor. Amazing! You know you’ve all been there, at one time or another. Maybe you weren’t thinking about Salmon Dance, but you know you’ve had those types of conversations. It’s talkin’ cod shit at 4am, takin’ it to a whole new level, you know how you do it again. And salmon know what it means to be the night. After all, they pay attention to the moon. Jeez!

Back to wild abandon, as a deep voice and shimmery, bleeping flickers of sound beckon you back out into the wide open spaces of Burst Generator. This song is an epic journey, pure Chemical style and for me it’s the highest peak in the We Are The Night landscape. The pinnacle. It sounds like lift off, like a burning fuselage that blasts away and streaks across the night sky. It builds, then cascades in a shower of stars, and then hurls me off again into the cosmos and whatever galactic mysteries lie beyond. It’s hard for me to put this one into words, but I know joy when I hear it and this song is pure unadulterated joy that makes me feel if only for a moment, that all is right with the universe and somehow, I’ve found my place in it. In many ways this reminds me of The Private Psychedelic Reel, but a fresh take on the classic journey that the Chemical Brothers are so good at taking the listener on.

The song tapers down then delves into a brain sucking vortex as it glides into A Modern Midnight Conversation. There is a funkiness to this tune, and a gentle, simple command that tells you to listen to your heart, don’t run away. In a way, to me it’s a sort of sister song to Star Guitar in the sense it is telling you that you should feel what ( I ) feel and you should take what ( I ) take. The panning and the layers of subtleties in this song are nearly overwhelming with their depth, and a contrast against the funky backdrop. But it all works. At the climax (and I’ve said this before) there are these crystalline sounds that seem like beams of light shattering through stain glass in a cathedral. I still think of that when I hear this song. And the way the vocals are handled near the end, as they are swept up like air being blown through the trees. It’s gorgeous!

The night is nearing a close with Battle Scars. It ties you back to the beginning of the album with the refrain There’s No Path To Follow leading you into the song. But by now, after the journey you’ve been on, you’re older and wiser for having gained the experience and now you can look back, reflect and kind of take stock in what you’ve been through… as you follow Old Man Time into the setting sun…. Gone are the days of The Test and its ideals of a world where you have no regrets. Battle Scars is the personal revelations that teeter on the edge of regret without crossing that line. There is something about this song that sums up so much of what I’ve felt over the past years. To me this song is the crossroads of the album, tying everything together, the journey so far. And those twinkly keys keeping up with the starlit theme of what’s been heard so far. The night isn’t so young anymore, but this is where we are…

The swimmy and oscillating Harpoons remind the listener that what comes up, must come down. This is the sunrise track signaling the end of the night, the one that plays in your head on those early mornings when the rest of the world is asleep and you’re left to contemplate everything that happened the night before. I don’t know if it’s the placement of the track on this album, or it’s the ambient texture – it’s hard to explain – but this is a lovely song that feels intimate.

Harpoons is a gentle, sleepy segue that tapers into the final good bye that is The Pills Won’t Help You Now. I’m not sure where to begin with this one. To me, honestly, it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard. After writing this long winded review, I really don’t think I have it in me to break it down and start dissecting the lyrics. I will say this, though. The lyrics do something to me. There’s a hint of melancholy yet life affirming quality to them that I connect with completely. It reminds me of missing out on something brilliant, and a good friend calls the next day to check up on you, to tell you about the wonderful night they had. A night you didn’t want to end, but you know, all good things have to come to an end. What I find interesting about this song is that it follows you into the next morning as the sun is coming up through the haze of the waning night sky. And this song has those twinkling sounds like so many others on the album, those sparkles of starlight keeping up with the Night theme – but now they are losing their brilliance as the morning comes. But there is knowing that somewhere on the other side of the universe, those stars are hanging brightly in the night sky. Gorgeous…

So that’s it, for now. Just some opinions and thoughts on what I’m seeing and hearing. I welcomed We Are The Night with open arms the same way I would a friend I haven’t seen in a long time. In case you haven’t already guessed, I love this album, a lot. I think this album is the beginning of a new phase in this beautiful friendship I have with the music.. It has touched me on many different levels and it’s really hard to put it all down. I’m still trying to get my head around a lot of thoughts I have about the songs that appear on We Are The Night. Even after all these listens, I still don’t think I can find the right words. But you know, it’s really just babble if I’m sayin’ it. ;)

Holy moly that's a helluva review... nice one...

@prochem -- the UK cd promo or one of the CDr's?

http://www.discogs.com/release/4008

http://www.discogs.com/release/39829

http://www.discogs.com/release/136571

http://www.discogs.com/release/158807

-this is all of them

WHIRLY'S REVIEW!

Ok i'm eating dinner behind my computer today :D

Starting to read now!

Whirls...fuck man.

Its like - u reallu discribe what i feel when i listen to this songs. Ive been waiting for youre review because i know the connection u have with this album and i know youre reviews are always beautifull. Altho u use very difficult words and i really couldnt understand some of it :lol:

Oh whirls i cant wait to listen to this album togheter with you in Cali !!!

((((((((((((WHIRLY))))))))))))

@whirly

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yes! nice review, very detail oriented but none the less, awesome!

whirly... wow... just wow.... i gotta go to work but i'll read the rest as soon as i get home....wow.....

I know it's a bit... wordy, hahaha ::blush:: I'm a cheeseball like that.

Major Cali geekfest coming soon. Got your text Jeanie and I hope you were enjoying Studio K. :)

@prochem...

Yes, as I said, vinyl only. The australian release is the only place to get it on CD instead of vinyl.

i'm gonna roll a reefer later, light up, play the album, and read whirly's review under the influence - it's too early in the day. way to go woman!

Aaaah Yes , i was listening to Studio K yesterday in the tram and i had to think of u guys! I was a bit tipsy ( I only had 3 drinks but after a long emotional day they knock me out pretty hard )and i listened to Studio K , Otter Rock and Surrender , songs i havent listened to in aaaaaages. I must have looked psycho cause i was in the tram but i was so into those tunes!

The more I listen to Das Speigel, the more think about how far the chemical brothers have come since song to the siren. I mean, this track is so flavorful, bright and vibrant. It makes me feel good.

Yeah great review.It brightened up (another) wet summers night in Dublin.The more I hear of the new album the more I like.And Das Spiegel is class.

even Salmon Dance has grown on me.