Come With Us

There Is No Such Thing as Too Perfect
by: tom reiter

The last time Tom and Ed put out an album, it initially opened to somewhat less than desirable reviews. But once it was given a chance (and some more listening time), Surrender was grasped by fans as one of the duo's best to date. With the Chemical Brothers' long history of successful albums, Come With Us has a lot to live up to.

Come With Us starts off on a bad note, however. The Limited Edition version offers nothing appealing enough to make it worth the extra money. The disc is wrapped in a tri-fold cardboard sleeve rather than the usual plastic. No special liner notes...no special tracks.

But, as they say (excuse the cliché) never judge a book by its cover. With three of its 10 tracks already popular in clubs, Come With Us is living up to its predecessors. "Galaxy Bounce" was featured on the soundtrack for Tomb Raider. The first real single, "It Began In Afrika" released in Sept. of 2001, quickly rose to the top of the club charts. It's heavy four-on-the-floor beat coupled with congos, tiger roars, and the menacing "It began in Afrika ka ka ka" make one hell of a house track. Its follow-up and current single, "Star Guitar," is currently at No. 2. It also makes use of the four-four beat, but contrasts the emotions of "It Began In Afrika". "Star Guitar" is a trippy blend of tranced-out synths, guitars, and the refrain "You should feel what I feel, you should take what I take."

But alas, this is NOT a house album, it is an electronic album by all means. As Chemcial Brothers demonstrated on Surrender, they are capable of covering several genres on one album quite well, and so it is on Come With Us. The opening track, "Come With Us," is earily reminiscent of their hit "Block Rockin' Beats," brassy highs blanket fatter beats and breaks this time around. On "Hoops", the Bro's throw down some retro-analog break beats under some groovebox-styled loops.

The Chemical Brothers aren't all about the past, though. Tracks like "My Elastic Eye" and "Denmark" give Come With Us some freshness to it.

When all is said and done, and track 10, "The Test" finishes, you will be in that comfortable state knowing you just listened to yet another solid Chemical Brothers album. 20-Feb-2002 12:15 AM