[4/5]
With techno a half-decade past its expiration date, the Chemical Brothers should theoretically be staler than Monica Lewinsky jokes. But damn if We Are The Night doesn't find the '90s acid-house survivors sounding every bit as banging as the Klaxons (who happen to guest on a track). The glitter-spackled title track leaves no doubt that even though the Chemmies' original fans have traded pacifiers and glowsticks for minivans and the suburbs, Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands have lost none of their enthusiasm for block-rocking beats. What really impresses on We Are The Night, though, is the duo remain committed to pushing electronica in ambitious new directions. "All Rights Reversed" drags swamp-thing prog out of the tar pits and into the chill-out tent; "Do It Again" injects glitch-hop with a lethal dose of funk; and "A Modern Midnight Conversation" imagines post-punk as an exotic export of the Middle East. Whether the world still cares about the Chemical Brothers is debatable, but based on the late-career wonder that is We Are The Night, there's no question it should. (ASTRALWERKS) Mike Usinger
 Official Website: http://www.astralwerks.com
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