The Chemicals' best album... (Surrender - The Chemical Brothers)

Member Name: ronniec

Product:	Surrender - The Chemical Brothers
Date:	11/11/00 (17 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Hey Boy Hey Girl and 3/4 other excellent dance tracks.

Disadvantages: 2/3 weaker tracks spoil it.

To be honest, like a lot of people, I thought the Chemical Brothers would struggle to surpass Dig Your Own Hole which was (is) an excellent album. However I think it's fair to say that they've done it, and with some style.

This album has a consistently better track list and most fans will be able to play the entire CD through, skipping maybe only one or two tracks that are rejected on personal preference. DYOH, by comparison, is rather more patchy and at times becomes slightly repetitive. This album is much more varied and is all the better for it.

The highlight is probably Hey Boy Hey Girl, though I admit that's just a personal favourite. That song got my 50 year-old uncle into the Chemicals, so it can't be bad. Any time it comes on late in a club, the place is guaranteed to go wild. The opening build-up is probably one of the best I've ever heard - controlled chaos, building up to a crescendo. Superb.

Got Glint? is another pretty cool track, like something from an early 90s computer game. It's the most synthesised track on the album, which isn't saying much considering the whole album is, but it stands out as something slightly dated, almost deliberately. Let Forever Be, featuring the vocals of Noel Gallagher, is a decent enough song but not up to the same standard as the rets of the album. As has been suggested it was probably meant more to promote the album than anything, as it was released as a single with that video (you'll know it when you see it... the one with the dancing girl walking around New York and loads of mirrir effects. Quiet cool, shame about the song).

Then of course there are the opening two tracks, Under The Influence and Out Of Control, which could have been chart hits. The former is another with a fantastic opening sequence, while many consider the latter to be the album's high point. Personally I would disagree, as in bith cases the song becomes slightly repetitive after
the first couple of minutes, but that is not detracting from them.

For fans of the Chemicals, this is their must-have CD. For beginners looking to get their best work, this is also the one to own. From here, work backwards throughout their career, as this is most definitely their peak (so far).

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