I think this is a phenomenal compilation! There are 7 tracks listed on the back cover. Two of them are multi-media tracks containing the official videos for 'Star Guitar' and 'The Test'. Both of these videos are amazing. 'The Test' is a visual depiction of a young girl at a rave tripping on acid. It starts with her swimming in beside a whale and then diving into the whale's open mouth. Once inside, she's surrounded by neon jellyfish that strobe along with the beat. It continues to other scenes like her moving her hand through the air and watching it turn to smoke. The clip loses its momentum about half way through, but the imagery is nonetheless amazing. I genuinely like this video and I'm very happy with it. The other video, 'Star Guitar' is more interesting. If you've ever worked in electronic music you'll understand the intricacies of how this video was made. Music is generally a collection of simple motifs combined to make a larger piece of music. Electronic music is a more extreme example of this in that a digital motif is played or programmed once and then copied to repeat at different times over the course of the song. Additional motifs or sound effects are then added to complete an entire composition. In the same way these musical elements are combined to create a song, the 'Star Guitar' video uses visual elements to represent the various sounds you hear in the song as it progresses. Using train ride as the scale the song is travelling along, various items, people, landscapes, buildings and objects seen through the window represent individual drum beats or synth lines. It's simply fascinating! You have to watch it to get the full impact.
This is also a great release because it contains all of the elements I love to see in a single. There's mixes, b-sides and even a live track. The first track is a mix of 'Star Guitar' and it's a great track. More mainstream than The Chemical Brothers usually create, but the cross over appeal to dance clubs at the time would've made this a very successful mix. There's also a mix of 'Come With Us'. However, this is a low key mix and isn't nearly as good as the original track. It's not that it's bad, but it lacks the energy, build and excitement of the album version.
The b-sides are 'H.I.A.' and 'Electronic Battle Weapon 6'. Now if you know anything about The Chemical Brothers and their Electronic Battle Weapon series, you'd know that most of these songs are actually extended or remixed versions of other songs. 'Electronic Battle Weapon 6' is actually a remix of the "Come With Us" track 'Hoops'. I like 'Hoops' and so I dig this version. 'H.I.A.' is also a great track and sounds a lot like the music they were doing on the full album. This was an interesting period for the Chems and it's one I personally enjoy quite a bit. They were still pushing the envelope of electronic music composition and this track was no exception.
The last track to kinda discuss is the live track. It's a medley of sorts they were playing on tour during this time. They combined New Order's 'Temptation' with 'Star Guitar' and the result is stunning. I think they were also supporting New Order on a tour and working on remixing one of their tracks around this time so the inclusion of 'Temptation' in their set may be a nod to that collaboration.
All of the elements of a great single are present and I'm absolutely thrilled by the contents of this awesome release! My final words: AN ECSTATIC DANCE ORIENTED MULTI-MEDIA RELEASE BY ONE OF THE BEST ELECTRONIC ARTISTS OF OUR TIME!
THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS - AMERICANEP
01. Star Guitar (Trisco La Funk Dub)
02. H.I.A.
03. Come With Us (H Foundation Remix)
04. Electronic Battle Weapon 6
05. Temptation/Star Guitar (Live From Brixton Academy)
06. Star Guitar (Video)
07. The Test (Video)
No comments:
Post a Comment