The Chemical Brothers to release “Further” in June

It starts with what sounds like an alien Morse code transmission; Earth bound signals bouncing off the side of orbiting space debris. Snatches of voices found out in the ether cut through the machine fog, drifting across burbling analogue equipment lovingly kept working long after supposed sell-by date. By the time the click and thump of snare and bass drum arrive, the sounds are all-encompassing, swirling around you with dizzying, disorientating effect. Noises come untethered by constraints of volume, seemingly leaping from the speakers with a life of their own. For a band used to dealing in psychedelics, this time around The Chemical Brothers have really pushed the proverbial envelope.

The Chemical Brothers
are set to release their seventh studio album, Further, on June 8, 2010 on Freestyle Dust/ Astralwerks. This album is the band’s first to be released with corresponding films made specifically to match each of the 8 audio tracks. The films will be included on an iTunes LP and special edition DVD.

Nearly three years on from the release of their GRAMMY® Award winning and fifth consecutive UK Number 1 album We Are The Night, Further sees Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons explore the boundless possibilities of their sound. Taking a trip through four decades of electronic noise, Tom & Ed have taken the template set up with their occasional “Electronic Battle Weapon” releases and allowed them to mutate gloriously into an entire album. Voice samples and snatches of vocals are woven through tracks to create a record that ebbs and flows like one of the band’s legendary live sets. Here, West Coast power pop harmonies sit beside German Motorik rhythms while My Bloody Valentine-esque sonic manipulations plane across the top of early house basslines. Further is the culmination of nearly two decades of psychedelic exploration, an immersive collection that finds The Chemical Brothers at their least-restrained and most-melodic best.

As well as an eight-track album, Further is the band’s first proper partnership with long-time visuals collaborators Adam Smith and Marcus Lyall. Now a respected TV and film director, Adam – aka Flat Nose George – has been responsible for creating the visual backdrop for every Chemical Brothers gig since their live debut in 1994. Visuals for Further have been created to correspond with each track on the album and have been planned during the recording of the record.

The band will play four shows at London’s Roundhouse in May. These will be the first opportunities for fans to see the band play the album with Smith and Lyall’s new films in sequence and in their entirety. The band will also play select festivals in Europe including Sonar Festival in Barcelona before coming to the US for summer dates including gigs at the Hollywood Bowl on August 29 and Electric Zoo at Randall’s Island in New York City on September 4.