The Chemical Brothers - Brotherhood

Genre electronica Publisher Virgin

The Chemical Brothers could be largely responsible for breaking the electronic scene into the mainstream. Their hard beats and high profile collaborations appealed to a number of sub genres, while still remaining catchy enough to include in hip films and Gen-Y licensing deals. Their latest, Brotherhood, is a collection of their most memorable hits to date. What’s more interesting is that they released a compilation of their decade marking “best of” a mere five years ago. Have the lads been so busy that a completely new collection was warranted?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. The CD released here in the states has only a few variations than that of their previous Singles 1993-2003. It is basically the same, save for a handful of material. The newly added tracks are largely taken from Push the Button and We Are the Night full lengths. To their credit, these inclusions do put a more glimmering light on the 00s and showcase some progression in their music inclinations.

If you are new to the Chemical Brothers, or like their music but never picked anything up, this is a worthwhile purchase. ‘Hey Boy Hey Girl,” “Out of Control,” and “Block Rockin’ Beats“ are infectious multi-layered masterpieces of classic Chemical Brothers fare. The new track "Midnight Madness" and the Spank Rock collaboration, "Keep My Composure” are both very solid.

Aside from the few new singles offered, loyal fans will be more attracted to the bonus edition of this release. The bonus CD consists of 10 "Electronic Battle Weapon" tracks, a series of dance floor test pressings from various recordings. These provide a welcomed diversion from the polished radio friendly singles. Averaging 7 plus minutes, these are more dance track worthy and deliver lengthened instrumental work. I am not sure these showcase their true potential live, but it certainly gives fans something to gnaw on until they return with a completely new release and do the live circuit again.