What better way to jumpstart our sluggish, holiday-heavy souls and rein in the year than a new Chemical Brothers CD? Sure, there is a danger that the programmed pop of "Brothers" Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons might actually pull us back into the past decade, but don't worry. The Brothers are so confident in laying down the big beats and incessant hooks that we're pretty much forced to sit up - or better yet, stand up - and listen.
There is definitely a wake-up-and-do-something theme to "Push the Button," as even the album title would imply. Given certain political situations, one can only hope they are not referring to buttons of the WMD variety. There is no such mock tone here, and the album proves to be proactive and positive throughout.
The opening track, appropriately titled "Galvanize," is a rigorous motivation anthem. Q-tip is featured as the guest rapper on this track, calling out to us over a catchy arabesque hook: "Don't hold back...The time has come to galvanize."
"Believe" follows in much the same vein. Solid, heavy house beats accompany the urgent vocals of Bloc Party's Kele Okereke, who repeats: "I needed to believe in something/I need you to believe in something."
The Brothers aim to inspire, and inspire they do. Even more urgent is the militaristic "Left Right," a righteous protest rap that attacks Bush, Saddam, Bin Laden and Castro, calling out to various countries of the world - "All my soldiers march with me...All my people march with me" - to stand up for peace. Anwar Superstar, brother of Mos Def, shines on this track.
As with all Chemical Brothers CDs, the harder tunes are balanced with a few trance-like, psychedelic tracks, complete with ethereal female vocals. On "Push the Button" there is "Come Inside," a Crystal Method-like track that sounds very familiar and drones on for a bit too long. More impressive is "Hold Tight London," which features Anna-Lynne Williams of Trespassers William. Her floating voice, a good accompaniment to the tribal beats, produces a layered soundscape.
It seems that the Brothers are taking their own advice; they're pushing buttons, and many of them. This is their fifth studio album, but despite their programming expertise, there's not much evidence of evolution. They still stick to their roots in hip-hop, and tinker with blips and beeps and big beats. Despite this, it is amazing to think of the distance they have traveled since their first meeting in a medieval history course at Manchester University. It was there that they bonded over a love for Kraftwerk, one of the pioneers of early electronic pop music.
Since then, they have infiltrated and taken over the ever-growing UK underground club culture, and are now fast becoming a household name. Their initial success came at a time when electronica was considered new and innovative - makes you feel old, doesn't it?
The disc may follow a formula, but the Brothers do it so well that it's difficult to complain. "Marvo Ging" is classical Chemical Brothers, complete with exploding beats and all those funky whizzing sound effects. But if it all sounds too familiar, take time to listen to two of the more outstanding tracks - "Close Your Eyes," a delicate pop number with dreamy lyrics and acoustic guitar, and "Shake Break Bounce," an irresistibly contagious dance number.
It is great to see the Brothers reinvigorating a scene that has been steadily dwindling, with the exception of recent releases from Prodigy and Fatboy Slim.
If you need a few tracks to get you up on a Monday morning, pull a few from "Push the Button." The Chemical Brothers have always believed in the power of changing moods through their music, so just let yourself be 'galvanized.' You might find yourself strangely motivated to wake up for class or complete that annoying problem set.
