Push the Button

The Chemical Brothers

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 25, 2005)
• Original Release Date: January 25, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Astralwerks
• ASIN: B0006V6TK8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #63,969 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
If it wasn't for the revolutionary artwork, it would be easy to suspect that the Chemical Brothers were parodying their roles as electronic musicians with that album title. After all, people have accused the genre of sounding redundant for years. But while contemporaries like the Prodigy and Fatboy Slim fall by the wayside, on their fifth studio album Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons sound positively reinvigorated, as the dreamy textures of 2002's Come With Us give way to a set of sharper, more focused songs, from the politically charged "Left Right" to the wide-screen "Close Your Eyes." It's epic stuff, particularly when A Tribe Called Quest rapper Q-Tip magically appears to give lead-off track "Galvanize" a vintage hip-hop kick. But because this is as much about the future as the past, the British duo also recruits Kele Okereke of underground punk-funk stars Bloc Party and the London vocal group The Magic Numbers to help push things forward. --Aidin Vaziri

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Chems best works!, January 26, 2005

By	Devin DiMattia "dimattiafilms.com" (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have always had a split relationship with the Chemical Brothers. I have all of their albums, but on most of those albums, there's always a couple songs I skip to get to the good stuff. Well, let me be the first to say that "Push the Button" is entirely unskippable. There's nothing on here I wouldn't want to miss. I really wish they'd waited until after this album came out to release their greatest hits compilation seeing as how a few of these babies should be included.

Opening track "Galvanize" sets the mood with a pounding rhythm backed by rapper Q-Tip and a bizarre Middle Eastern string sample. "The Boxer" features the Brothers' hooking up with Tim Burgess for the first time since "Life is Sweet" and the song is, indeed, very sweet. "Believe" is a throbbing seven-minute stunner that belongs on each and every dance floor. "Hold Tight London" brings the Middle Eastern sound back as "Come Inside" brings the heavy beats, making it my favorite track on the album.

I'd talk all about the rest of the album, but you really just need to hear it for yourself. Bottom line is if you're interested in hearing a new sound for 2005, "Push the Button" is a great way to start.

Also, for anyone concerned, "Surface to Air" sounds a lot like The Strokes' "The Modern Age," but I doubt it's sampled in it. It's probably just a coincidence.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Chemical Brothers are here to stay, February 1, 2005

By	Alan Pounds "Minnesota Hip-Hop Fiend" (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

One of the first things you will notice about this record, with the big beat boom subsiding, is that they've covered some of this ground before. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. The mixes held within are tightly constructed, and are backed with the extremely high standard of production and engineering that the Brothers are known for. They haven't forgot how to embrace the listener with their unique brand of stylistic tranquillity. Although, some of this ground has been covered before, much of the album is very original.

The first half is filled with collaborative efforts. Q-Tip is featured on the album opener "Galvanize". "The Boxer" features Tim Burgess of the Charlatans UK. "Believe" features Britpop Kele Okereke of Bloc Party. The first half is heavy on a solid mixture of break beats, acid house, fusion and trip hop. Guest rapper Anwar Superstar is featured on "Left Right", proving that you can still slam George W. Bush even if you're in the UK. There is a definite mood shift latter on in the album. Tracks like "Close Your Eyes," "Marvo Ging," and "Surface to Air," which are mostly instrumentals, rank among the best tracks on the album.

"Push The Button" has some definite lasting power, proving once again that the Chemical Brothers are musical pioneers. Although there isn't much that compares to the underrated heart-stopping production of "Come With Us", there is plenty here to keep listeners coming back for years to come.

36 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars WARNING CD IS COPY CONTROLLED ***BOYCOTT & DON'T BUY, February 18, 2006

By	PostcardPigs "PostcardPigs" (CONNECTICUT THE NUTMEG STATE) - See all my reviews

THIS CD COMES WITH THAT NEW COPY CONTROLLED TECHNOLOGY WHICH DOES NOT ALLOW ME TO PLAY THE CD IN MY WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER. HENCH YOU CAN NOT LISTEN TO ANYTHING BUT THIS CD IN ONE SITTING USING SOME PLAYER THAT COMES WITH THE CD. IF YOU WANT TO MIX THESE SONGS IN WITH YOUR OTHER MUSIC FORGET IT. DO NOT BUY ANY CDS THAT SUPPORT THIS TECHNOLOGY.