The Chemical Brothers
We Are the Night
(Virgin)
Their colossal music can usually be described as uplifting, transcendental, and psychedelic - but rarely does the word 'sexy' appear in a sentence next to 'Chemical Brothers'. This is a band famed for their ability to make the listener feel as if they are roller-blading through solar systems as opposed to merely shimmying seductively around a dance floor.
We Are the Night, the sixth studio album from Ed Simons and Tom Rowland, is the closest the Brothers have come to addressing this issue. Separating it from previous triumphs such as 1999's Surrender and 2005's Push the Button is a new twist to the Chemical equation, with stripped-down electro making its presence felt.
Do it Again is a strident, insanely catchy slab of robo-groove, while A Modern Midnight Conversation neatly combines 1980s Harold Faltermeyer bass lines with Chromeo-style electronic riffs. It's their most direct assault on the hips to date.
