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CRITIC REVIEWS
80
Rather than following contemporary trends, the Chems have rooted themselves in what they do best: making chunky, off-kilter dance music with infectious hooks – end of. The result is their strongest album since 1999’s ‘Surrender’.
80
‘Born In The Echoes’ is a bold reinvention of the Chemical Brothers’ sound, pushing the late-period renaissance that 'Further' heralded to somewhere dark and twisted.
80
The Chemical Brothers continue to buck any notions of a creative burn-out with their strongest release in a decade.
80
Born in the Echoes is an excellent mash of familiar and vanguard, the very same formula that lifts all the duo's best albums above expectations.
80
They may have cake to spare, but in 20 years, it will be interesting to see if present-day EDM superstars manage to have the staying power of The Chemical Brothers.
78
Part of a fast-moving culture always looking for the next high, the Chemical Brothers remain steadfast—eyeing the past and future while living in the here and now.
75
Born in the Echoes is the work of a few seasoned dance gurus in full flight. The Brothers utilize all the weapons in their arsenal, from infectious pop joints and hypnotic ravers to the A-list cameo appearances, but there’s extra oomph behind these 11 tracks.
70
Born In The Echoes does not reveal anything startlingly new about The Chemical Brothers, but it is more than them simply ticking over, and clearly they have an eye on the future.
70
The Chemical Brothers have succeeded in tapping into the values of early electronic music and bringing them to life in contemporary culture, something that their peers have struggled with endlessly, and they deserve the most credit for that.
70
Born in the Echoes is electrifying, tightly constructed big beat the way they've always done it: with pop-like song structures, marquee guest vocalists and scarcely a hint of dubstep, trap or, really, any developments in the past 15 years of dance music. Even the Brothers' logo has stayed the same.
70
Born In The Echoes continues their fusing of psychedelic head music with the dancefloor, and while it doesn’t break new ground, it’s a timely smack on the nose to the pretenders to their throne.
60
Born in the Echoes isn’t the sound of stagnation, nor the grim realisation of irrelevance, and there are numerous flourishes that can only come from a knowing skill set, but in the end, it’s only just good enough.
60
The latest from the U.K. duo hits harder and lower than their last album, 2010's Further, with guest-vocal turns from artists as varied as Q-Tip and St. Vincent over tracks that could've torched an outdoor rave in 1995.
60
Born in the Echoes sounds like an old couple that’s been together forever, gotten comfortable, and settled into a routine.
60
On the whole ... Born In The Echoes is a lacklustre affair. Die-hard fans will — and probably should — give it a few listens, but it seems unlikely that anyone's going to have this album on repeat for the summer.
60
Born in the Echoes is frontloaded with star power, and so it comes as a slowly dawning relief that that album isn't the Chems' Random Access Memories, but rather an attempt to strip away the detritus of the now and play to their own strengths.
40
The dance duo extend the decade-long dilution of their canon with their new record, which is as technically accomplished as ever, but creatively exhausted.
The Brothers put more features in their music with the likes of Q-Tip, St. Vincent, Beck, and more. All of them perform so well.
They do what they are best known for doing: making unique electronic dance music with catchy hooks. They show no sign of grinding their creativity to a halt, making their best album since Push The Button.
Favorite: Under Neon Lights
Least Favorite: I’ll See You There
Sometimes I Feel So Deserted - 5/5 ❤
Go [ft. Q-Tip] - 5/5 ❤
Under Neon Lights [ft. St. Vincent] - 3/5
EML Ritual [ft. Ali Love] - 5/5 ❤
I’ll See You There - 5/5 ❤
Just Bang - 3/5
Reflexion - 3/5
Taste Of Honey - 4/5
Born In The Echoes [ft. Cate Le Bon] - 3/5
Radiate - 4/5
Wide Open [ft. Beck] - 5/5 ❤
This album just feels right. Is an overhaul good listen, that I come back to once in a while.
This is my first time ever listening to a chemical brothers album and I gotta say, this is pretty solid. It’s nothing amazing, but it’s good for what it is.
FAVORITE TRACKS: The first five songs
LEAST FAVORITE: Taste of honey
The Brothers put more features in their music with the likes of Q-Tip, St. Vincent, Beck, and more. All of them perform so well.
They do what they are best known for doing: making unique electronic dance music with catchy hooks. They show no sign of grinding their creativity to a halt, making their best album since Push The Button.
Favorite: Under Neon Lights
Least Favorite: I’ll See You There
Contributions By
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Track List
| 1 | Sometimes I Feel So Deserted 5:11 feat. Daniel Pearce | |
| 2 | Go 4:20 feat. Q-Tip | |
| 3 | Under Neon Lights 4:26 feat. St. Vincent | |
| 4 | EML Ritual 5:20 feat. Ali Love | |
| 5 | I'll See You There 4:20 | |
| 6 | Just Bang 5:21 | |
| 7 | Reflexion 6:29 | |
| 8 | Taste of Honey 2:59 | |
| 9 | Born in the Echoes 3:26 feat. Cate Le Bon | |
| 10 | Radiate 4:39 | |
| 11 | Wide Open 5:54 feat. Beck |
Total Length: 52 minutes
Year End Lists
| #6 | / | Mixmag |
| #26 | / | Clash |
| #26 | / | Q Magazine |
Added on: April 23, 2015