Surrender

CHEMICAL WEEK #3 - Surrender

In 1997, The Chemical Brothers released "Dig Your Own Hole," a landmark album of the Big Beat genre that masterfully merged elements from genres such as rock and psychedelic, which converged in the creation of an inventive, intoxicating, and abrasive approach to techno. It received widespread acclaim from both critics and fans alike, with singles such as "Block Rockin' Beats" even snatching a few Grammy awards. The duo became the reference when it came to electronic music as a whole, and many awaited their next move.

It was now their task to overcome the madness of their sophomore project. However, instead of following the trend of fast-paced breakbeats "Dig Your Own Hole" set, they leaned towards a house influence, with elements of pop and psychedelic music, akin to some Beatles records. And overall, I'd say it was a successful attempt.

Surrender is a very fun listen. All songs have this really colorful, cheerful vibe to them, almost as if I were in a theme park. The features are great too and are some of the highlights of the tracklist. The dreamlike vocals from Hope Sandoval in "Asleep from Day" and the energetic performance from frequent collaborator Noel Gallagher in "Let Forever Be" fit the instrumentals perfectly, and as such, are my particular standouts.

As for the instrumental tracks, they are (mostly) nothing short of amazing. Some of my favorite examples have got to be "The Sunshine Underground," a gorgeous song with a brilliant build-up and drop, and, of course, "Hey Boy Hey Girl," an absolute classic of their discography, and rightfully so. It is an earworm of a single, with bubbly clicks, muffled guitar riffs, and electrifying 303s that I can't get enough of.

Another thing this album has going for it are the iconic music videos, particularly "Let Forever Be" and "Hey Boy Hey Girl," the former utilizing cutting-edge camera technology to make a really fun, mind-boggling video of a woman having nightmares in different scenarios, and the latter being based around a girl hallucinating skeletons during a party, which perfectly fits the goofy yet entrancing nature of the track.

The only gripe I have with it is the pacing of the first few songs, which are nothing to write home about in terms of innovation and sound. But other than that, this is a fantastic release! I cannot imagine anyone listening to it and feeling sad. It is genuinely some of the most heartfelt material the duo has ever released. I recommend it!