The Chemical Brothers - 'Singles 93 - 03' (Virgin)
4/5
By: Joshua K
Has it really been ten years since 'Chemical Beats' hit, calling post-Madchester culture to arms along with The Prodigy's 'No Good (Start the Dance)'? Has it really been almost as long since The Chemical Brothers kick-started the latest round of dance-rock crossover it's cool to like, by playing musical Trotsky to Noel Gallagher's devout Lennon-McCartney-isms, in 'Setting Sun'? Amazingly, yes.
And while we're giving credit where due: let's not forget which '90s white breads were the first to effectively drop homeboy samples and hip-hop beats into rave, in tracks like 'Block Rockin' Beats' (hint: not Fatboy Slim). Paving the way for 21st century garage-pop like Oxide & Neutrino in the process.
Admittedly, some of The Chems' past hits, as collected on this career-so-far retrospective, don't sound quite as killer now as they once did (take a step forward, 'Hey Boy Hey Girl' and 'The Test'). And where's Beth Orton??? (OK, OK, her tracks weren't released as 12"s...). But the legacy of 'Singles 93-03' is nigh-on faultless, from blast-from-the-past opener 'Song To The Siren' to trippy high-point 'The Private Psychedelic Reel' to the storming, Bernard Sumner-fronted 'Out Of Control'.
Furthermore, the two new tracks that close the disc find Tom Rowland and Ed Simmons still genre-jumping, still collaborating with top guest stars, and still at the peak of their powers. Rapper K-OS brings the noise to electro joint 'Get Yourself High', while The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne swoops in for a melodic, Pulp-esque journey down 'The Golden Path'; great songs in their own right, and great harbingers for the next decade.
Impeccable. And for those about to drop, we salute you.
Artists in this article: The Chemical Brothers
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