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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

The Chemical Brothers We Are The Night : C+

Hello, it's not the 90s

To some extent, it must be frustrating to be a Chemical Brother. In the mid-'90s, you devised a pioneering new sound -- big-beat electronica that works just as well on the radio or in an arena as on the dance floor. But the sound is so popular, it becomes ubiquitous -- and by the end of the decade, it's already passe, a relic of the dot-com era. Now what do you do? \nTheir third album since the turn of the millennium "We Are The Night" shows the Chemicals still haven't solved this problem. And to make matters worse, they're up against incredibly stiff competition. For the last couple of years, electronica/dance has been on the rebound thanks to innovative, but accessible, work from groups like LCD Soundsystem, Goldfrapp, Gorillaz, The Knife, Battles and now "the new French touch" led by Justice. As a result, "We Are the Night" sounds like the work of a middle-aged act struggling to catch up with the kids -- a bit bland and musty with the occasional idea lifted from the younger set (for example, introductory track "No Path To Follow" borrows heavily from The Knife's "Silent Shout").\nWhile "We Are the Night" isn't all that memorable, it's generally well-crafted and has enjoyable highlights in title track "We Are The Night," as well as "All Rights Reversed" (featuring The Klaxons) and "Do It Again" (featuring Ali Love). Unfortunately, it also has "The Salmon Dance," a jokey collaboration with Fatlip that, like Dave Chappelle's "Kneehigh Park" sketch, is a hip-hop-influenced parody of "Sesame Street." Except this time without the funny. It might be the dumbest damned track I've heard this year -- challenged only by The Stooges' "Trollin'" and everything Fergie does.\nStill, as album purchases go, you could do a lot worse. Unfortunately for The Chemical Brothers, you could also do a lot better.

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