We Are the Night

Today's Music of the Day is We Are the Night, by the Chemical Brothers. I believe this is their most recent release, though I'm not completely sure; this album came to me by way of the public library.

This album has a much more industrial, danceable sound than the indie music I generally seek out. There is a steady thump here; the drums and bass seem to be at the forefront of the sound as much as any elements of the music. Vocals show up, on occasion, but there's not much poetry to them; they seem to be as much a sonic element as a method for communication. Mostly, the album is electronic, and fairly basic in its sound, for all of its various effects and noises.

Still, this album has its moments, and it doesn't lack for directness or enthusiasm. "Saturate" sounds a little too much like Four Tet to the Xtreme, but its energy is hard to deny. Some of the other songs, like "Do it Again", though, give the impression that falsetto and squeaks are supposed to replace actual depth. This album is much like a friend who is full of energy all the time; a little goes a long way, and what is inspiring in small doses becomes cloying and tiring over an extended period. Only the last two songs, "Harpoons" and "The Pills Won't Help You Now" have a more relaxed mood, and it's largely too little, too late.

While this album isn't actively terrible, it's something of a disappointment after Surrender, and I can't really say it's enjoyable. I will admit to my own bias, but that doesn't make We Are the Night any more complex or enjoyable.

In Other News:
Knowing that I have my monthly eMusic quota available, and not having downloaded it yet, makes me crazy. I'm eager to get my hands on that new music.

Who wants to go to Gallery Night in Valley Junction tomorrow? Anyone? Fine!

Surrender

Today's Music of the Day is Surrender, from The Chemical Brothers. Sorry if anyone here expected Cheap Trick!

Surrender is a pretty neat album. It's mostly electronic, some of it danceable, some of it not. I feel like the album as a whole is a solid work, though I care for some tracks more than others. I think that occasionally, the songs settle for being bright and loud and fast and sparkly rather than building emotion or musical progression. Still, some of the darker, driving tracks are really good, maybe not Explosions in the Sky or Four Tet - good, but more than tolerable nonetheless. At the risk of generalizing, I haven't really been into the other Chemical Brothers releases very much - this is probably my favorite album of theirs. I guess I've listened to so much music that isn't vocally/lyrically driven - Four Tet and Mogwai come to mind - that something like this seems unambitious if not too simplistic and straightforward for me. Still, if I went to a party, and people were dancing to this music, I would be hard-pressed not to join in. "Let Forever Be" is a song I'll always have memories of.

In other news:
Henry Rollins was freakin' awesome. Also a little scary, though; I could easily see myself being him in twenty years if I'm not careful. It's a frightening thing, to see your possible future on stage ranting in front of you.
Jason need sleep.
I might get a new laptop this weekend, I'm certainly going to try.
I'm listening to The New Pornographers' Electric Version today, loving it. Why you don't listen to this band more often is beyond me.