Chemical Brothers
Push the Button
(Astralwerks Records)
With the return of electronic-based, new-wave music comes The Chemical Brothers' latest album Push the Button. Tom Rowlands and Ed Simmons created an album with heavy focus on a variety of elements including hip-hop, '80s new-wave and electronica.
Push the Button excels in its musical direction allowing techno and new-wave fans to anticipate other albums of the similar genre coming out this year by artists Moby and New Order.
The first track, \Galvanize,"" fools listeners into thinking the album will be a flop. This hip-hop song is the worst of the album and the only real bad song it offers. While the background music is interesting, Q-Tips' weak voice does a poor job of blending with the music.
Hip-hop for The Chemical Brothers works later on in ""Shake Break Bounce"" and ""Left Right,"" which features Anwar Superstar, because the vocal tracks, drum and bass, and electronic elements mesh nicely together.
The bulk of the album focuses on bringing heavy drum and bass, synthesizers and electronic noises to the forefront. The songs are dance-worthy and will fit perfectly into the club atmosphere or even a fashion runway.
The Chemical Brothers are masters at mixing and ""The Boxer,"" featuring Tim Burgess of The Charlatans, ""Believe,"" featuring Kele Okereke, and ""Hold Tight London,"" with Anna Lynne-Williams, showcase The Chemical Brothers' talent when creating danceable music. They are successful because they bring so many seemingly different elements together and make them work.
The final track, ""Surface to Air,"" is the perfect end to a solid album. It starts off slowly with a single instrument but continues to build up electronic layers until it reaches the main melody. This track incorporates almost every sound, element and instrument heard throughout the album, culminating in a thoughtful reflection of the album as a whole, which remains incredibly fluid and artistic.
About two-thirds into the song, it turns into a drastically different melody and beat, but soon traces of the original melody haunt the ear and are brought into the forefront again, slowly rising into the climax of the song.
Finally, the song explodes into the main melody and ends abruptly. This last track is the most insightful and the best song on the album.
As a whole the album is immensely artistic, eclectic and diverse, yet The Chemical Brothers stay true to the techno sounds they are known for while they incorporate new-wave and hip-hop into the mix.
