Consisting of probably one of my favorite album covers of all time, The Chemical Brothers 1999 release Surrender, had myself and the end of the millennium do just that. It was the third release for the electronic duo and after their breakthrough success with 1996's Dig Your Own Hole, The Chemical Brothers had to stay on top and keep that genre afloat. It is not easy to get people to listen to electronica techno, whatever you would like to call it, yet Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons aka the Chemical Brothers know how to keep a person's attention. Surrender, a record of sonic proportions featured guest appearances by Noel Gallagher, Missy Elliot and Timbaland, and New Order's Bernard Sumner and Primal Screams Bobby Gillespie. Helping bridge the gap between the underground metropolitan scene and Europe's highly charged and popular rave/discotheque scene, The Chemical Brother's knew how to please everyone. They also knew how to utilize the MTV audience before they totally fell out of attention with music all together. They linked up with avaunt gard filmmaker Michel Gondry to cut the video for the duet with Gallagher on "Let Forever Be." The video was as groundbreaking as it was frightening, it told the story of a young woman's nightmare's becoming a reality. The genre the Chemical Brother's help pioneer may not sell a hundreds of thousands of records, yet the imagination and the work that goes into a record of theirs, especially one like Surrender cannot go overlooked. Due to the work of The Chemical Brothers, the genre is coming back in a big way with bands like Justice, Simian Mobile Disco and Spank Rock. These artists to name a few have taken what Rowlands and Simons and ushered in a new era. Surrender is one of the pivotal albums of the late 90's and should not be missed. It will have you head bobbing and dancing in no time.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Underated Classic-Chemical Brothers "Surrender"
Consisting of probably one of my favorite album covers of all time, The Chemical Brothers 1999 release Surrender, had myself and the end of the millennium do just that. It was the third release for the electronic duo and after their breakthrough success with 1996's Dig Your Own Hole, The Chemical Brothers had to stay on top and keep that genre afloat. It is not easy to get people to listen to electronica techno, whatever you would like to call it, yet Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons aka the Chemical Brothers know how to keep a person's attention. Surrender, a record of sonic proportions featured guest appearances by Noel Gallagher, Missy Elliot and Timbaland, and New Order's Bernard Sumner and Primal Screams Bobby Gillespie. Helping bridge the gap between the underground metropolitan scene and Europe's highly charged and popular rave/discotheque scene, The Chemical Brother's knew how to please everyone. They also knew how to utilize the MTV audience before they totally fell out of attention with music all together. They linked up with avaunt gard filmmaker Michel Gondry to cut the video for the duet with Gallagher on "Let Forever Be." The video was as groundbreaking as it was frightening, it told the story of a young woman's nightmare's becoming a reality. The genre the Chemical Brother's help pioneer may not sell a hundreds of thousands of records, yet the imagination and the work that goes into a record of theirs, especially one like Surrender cannot go overlooked. Due to the work of The Chemical Brothers, the genre is coming back in a big way with bands like Justice, Simian Mobile Disco and Spank Rock. These artists to name a few have taken what Rowlands and Simons and ushered in a new era. Surrender is one of the pivotal albums of the late 90's and should not be missed. It will have you head bobbing and dancing in no time.
