| New Chemical Brothers album released Released the other day (January 28), the long-awaited studio album by the British electronic duo Chemical Brothers amazes from the very first bars. The title track of the album Come With Us (Gala/Virgin) begins with such nervous strings, as if this is not the extreme disco paradise of five years ago from the Chemical Brothers, but a piece by some minimalist composer. Then the situation improves towards the more familiar Chemical Brothers style, which is called big beat. Actually, this was the name of a completely different style about half a century ago, but in the 90s the name was recruited for the needs of the current moment. What to do: there are many styles - few words. The second song of the album - the already well-known It Began In Afrika, a composition recorded almost by accident, a kind of “test of the pen” or test of equipment - everyone who heard it liked it so much that it was decided to release it as a single. This is probably a sign that the “brothers,” despite their sky-high skill in creating big beats (Come With Us is the band’s fourth studio album), have not lost almost their punk enthusiasm and healthy spontaneity. The success of the second single, released in January Star Guitar, was more predictable. The album is very smooth both in mood and material. And here’s what’s strange: throughout the entire disc, it’s as if nothing happens to the music. There are the usual drum fills, “floating” keys, elastic bass patterns - but no “dense frenzy”. At the same time, the atmosphere of the album either thickens to a nervous and anxious one, or thins out to a joyfully peaceful one without any visible effort. Indeed, I would like to quote the band Leningrad, which was fashionable last year, omitting the profanity: “This is how, without showing off, simple guys from London make awesome music.” Not only instrumental music, it should be noted - now the Chemical Brothers write, in addition to “compositions with words,” almost pop songs. Such as the final album The Test, which was sung by Richard Ashcroft, the former vocalist of the famous Britpop group The Verve. Alexander BELYAEV |
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