1001 Albums Summary

Well-produced album, brought down by dated sounds and mediocre lyrics. If this had come out in 1997 or even 2007 I'd probably have a bit more of a favourable opinion, but given the very recent release date of 2017 I was expecting something a bit fresher. The lyrical content is overly cynical and sounds like a middle-aged man whining about how much kids these days suck. The songwriting is very good though, with tracks like tonite and how do you sleep? being able to keep me interested in the progression while the repetitive base elements don't change at all. The length is also an issue, by the time I got to the last few tracks I felt like not much new was being added by including more.

The first half of this album is fantastic. As someone who's never listened to the Chemical Brothers before, the first six tracks make it clear why they're so legendary. Awesome big beat tracks that flow into each other with classic acid synths and samples coming and going to keep it constantly refreshing. One of my favourite albums of all time is Daft Punk's Alive 2007, and this sounds like the precursor to that album. Then there's the second half... this half is honestly mediocre. The heavy dance beats give way to five mellowed out and honestly boring tracks. I have no desire to relisten to any of these tracks, and when I revisit this album I won't bother with them. First half: 5/5 Second half: 2/5 Total: 4/5

You can tell it must have been very influential given it came out in 1989, but it's a pretty boring listen nowadays