Push The Button! The Shiny Red Candylike Button!

It seems like The Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim are linked together. The Chemical Brothers have been out longer (I think) but both artists are on the same record label in America and lately, whenever Fatboy Slim has had an album, it meant that one from The Chemical Brothers wasn't too far behind. This is the case as a few months after the release of Fatboy Slim's Palookaville comes Push The Button by The Chemical Brothers.

A lot of artists are going back to their roots as of late. U2 did. Fatboy Slim did (sort of) on Palookaville and now The Chemical Brothers do on Push The Button. Any longtime fan will hear the various elements we've come to know and love on Chemical Brothers records. There are not one, but two, songs with hip-hop flavor mixed in: "Galvanize" featuring the triumphant return of Q-Tip and "Left Right" a politically charged song with rapper Anwar Superstar. There is the song that simply makes you move in "Shake Break Bounce" and dreamy vocals courtesy of The Magic Numbers on "Close Your Eyes." The album even ends with another long beautiful trip to wonderland in "Surface to Air." This album is harder and more focused than Come With Us but dreamier in feel than Dig Your Own Hole. It's amazing that after more than 10 years The Chemical Brothers can continue to impress with their music, even as they look back on their own work instead of moving forward. Few acts can say that they make as consistently enjoyable music as they do. I hope that they can continue to do so on the next go round (if there is one).