No Geography

by The Chemical Brothers

Overview

On a brisk set with some familiar callbacks to their big beat heyday, the Chemical Brothers offer a decent late-era installment with their ninth album, No Geography. Not as exploratory or insular as their other 2010s output, No Geography is a steady, no-frills mix that focuses more on clever samples than guest vocals and festival-sized body-rocking. Standing out atop the pack, the singles are the best moments on the album. Persistent throbber "Got to Keep On" rides a glittery disco-funk sample (Peter Brown's 1977 gem "Dance With Me") while "We've Got to Try" goes the soul route by swiping the uplifting vocals from the Hallelujah Chorus' "I've Got to Find a Way" and grinding them into a buzzy, robust anthem that recalls the duo's late-'90s best. In a similar vein, "Free Yourself" is all digital dread, taking snippets of Diane di Prima's utopian poetry and twisting them into a robotic instruction manual for liberation through the dancefloor. However, "MAH" ends up being the riotous highlight of No Geography (utilizing a hilariously crotchety El Coco sample from 1977), the closest the Chems come to that "classic" old-school sound. In addition to the singles, Norwegian singer Aurora plays an important role in the album's sound, bringing much-needed emotion to a trio of songs with her ethereal vocals and songwriting. Japanese rapper Nene also guests, dropping a scene-stealing and all-too-brief verse on "Eve of Destruction." While not a low in the Chemical Brothers' catalog by any means, No Geography is also not their strongest or most memorable work to date. It's best not to call it a comeback, just another ample addition to their decades-long discography. ~ Neil Z. Yeung

Product Details

Release Date:	04/12/2019
Label:	Astralwerks / Virgin Emi
UPC:	0602577286858

Tracks

1. Eve of Destruction
2. Bango
3. No Geography
4. Got to Keep On
5. Gravity Drops
6. The Universe Sent Me
7. We've Got to Try
8. Free Yourself
9. Mah
10. Catch Me I'm Falling

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Chemical Brothers   Primary Artist
Rob Harris   Bass,Guitar
Stephanie Dosen   Vocals (Background)
Tom Herbert   Bass
Vula Malinga   Vocals
Hal Ritson   Vocals,Keyboards,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Marianne Haynes   Violin
Ciaran McCabe   Violin
Aurora Aksnes   Vocals
Ryan Chambers   Vocals (Background)
NENE   Vocals
Kayleigh Graham   Vocals
Eshan Gopal   Vocals
Miriam Stockley   Vocals
Mark Ralph   Bass,Guitar
Celestine Walcott-Gordon   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Richard Adlam   Drums,Vocals,Percussion

Technical Credits

Peter Brown   Composer
Tom Rowlands   Mixing,Composer,Engineer
Stephanie Dosen   Composer
Steve "Dub" Jones   Mixing,Engineer
W. Michael Lewis   Composer
Laurin Rinder   Composer
Richard Pegue   Composer
Diane di Prima   Composer
Hal Ritson   Engineer
Peter H. Brown   Composer
Robert S. Rans   Composer
Leroy Jackson Jr.   Composer
Aurora Aksnes   Composer
NENE   Composer
Simon Raymonde   Composer
Mike Hanks   Composer
The Chemical Brothers   Producer
James Calloway   Composer
Ed Simons   Composer
Robert Rans   Composer
Rod McKuen   Composer
Mike Marsh   Mastering
Richard Adlam   Engineer,Programming