| We Are the Night | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2 July 2007 (2007-07-02) | |||
| Recorded | 2006 | |||
| Genre | Electronica | |||
| Length | 59:51 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer | The Chemical Brothers | |||
| The Chemical Brothers chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover art | ||||
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| Singles from We Are the Night | ||||
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We Are the Night is the sixthstudio album by Englishelectronic music duothe Chemical Brothers, released on 2 July 2007 by Freestyle Dust andVirgin in the UK, and 17 July byAstralwerks in the US.[1]
The record entered theUK Albums Chart at number 1, becoming the band's fifth consecutive album to top the chart, and debuted at number 65 on theBillboard 200. It was certified gold by theBritish Phonographic Industry.
The album won aGrammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album at the50th Grammy Awards.[2]
In June 2006, it was announced on their official website that the Chemical Brothers were working on material for a new album, then-codenamed "Chemical 6". Ed Simons of the duo was also quoted as saying that they would hope to "put a battle weapon out for the summer",[3] a reference to theirElectronic Battle Weapon series onwhite label.
"Electronic Battle Weapon 8" and "Electronic Battle Weapon 9" debuted onPete Tong'sBBC Radio 1 show on 8 December 2006.[citation needed] The two tracks were later released as a double A-sidedvinyl record prior to the Chemical Brothers' New Year's Eve appearance atTurnmills inLondon. A version of "Electronic Battle Weapon 8" is featured on theWe Are the Night album under the title "Saturate". At the same Turnmills appearance, the duo debuted a track at midnight to welcome the new year. This track was eventually released as "Burst Generator", found on the album.
The Chemical Brothers officially announcedWe Are the Night at theirMySpace page on 21 March 2007.[citation needed] It suffered a delay in release due to an issue during production of the artwork.[citation needed] An online "old-skool" Chemical Brothers computer game byEMI was subsequently released as an apology.[4]
The album cover art was inspired by "Lonely Metropolitan" byHerbert Bayer. Reissues of the album omit the influenced artwork from the cover.[5]
Used throughout the album is the classic technique ofsampling the Chemical Brothers used on other albums. For example, the song "We Are the Night" uses a direct sample from "The Sunshine Underground" fromSurrender. The album also includes a sample of a reading ofOde to D.A. Levy byBill Bissett.[6]
"Saturate" was released in 2006 as "Electronic Battle Weapon 8" exclusively for DJs to use in clubs. "Do It Again" was released on 18 June 2007.[7] It reached number 12 on theUK Singles Chart.[8] "The Salmon Dance" was released on 10 September 2007 and reached number 27 in the UK.[8][9] "Battle Scars" was released as a download in remix form in late 2007. Subtitled "Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation". It is also a double A-side with the "Heavily Smoked by the Glimmers" remix of "The Salmon Dance".
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 67/100[10] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| Alternative Press | [12] |
| The A.V. Club | B−[13] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [14] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[15] |
| The Guardian | [16] |
| Pitchfork | 3.8/10[17] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[18] |
| Uncut | [19] |
| Under the Radar | 7/10[20] |
The album has a score of 67 out of 100 onMetacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]URB gave the album four stars out of five and said, "If we're to accuse Chemical Brothers of anything, it's trying to set a lofty new bar in the style they themselves created, and that no one else seems to be working anymore."[10]BBC Collective also gave the album four stars out of five and said, "Rather than play catch-up, the Chems are accentuating the difference, digging deeper into melody instead of piling on the noise."[21]Billboard gave it a favourable review and said that when the album "opens with a cataclysm of "Transformers" noises, it signals a record that's a little more unapologetically electronic than their previous ones."[22]Spin gave it a score of seven out of ten and stated that "Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons continue to smear psychedelic synth cheese and stereophonic airplane noises over chewy grooves that veer closer and closer to straight disco."[23]
Other reviews are pretty average, mixed or negative:NME gave it a score of six out of ten and stated that the song "All Rights Reversed" saved the album "from sounding like it's still stuck in the mid-'90s and with Willy Mason and Midlake cropping up, Tom and Ed have again found just enough cool mates to save them from a general feeling of naffness."[24]Yahoo! Music UK gave the album six stars out of ten and said it "feels bloated and ornate amongst the elegant functionalism of post-millennial club music."[25]Drowned in Sound also gave it a score of six out of ten and said, "While there are moments that have the summer days – and daze – of '99 flooding back, too much of this sixth long-player proper sounds disjointed and manhandled."[26]musicOMH gave it three stars out of five and stated: "While you may know what you're getting with a Chemical Brothers album, they remain damn good at what they do.... You get the impression that their next album may have to be a bit more adventurous if they're to survive."[27]Now also gave it three stars out of five and said that it was "quickly evident... that the Chemical Brothers are making a serious go at being contemporary.... They pull it off relatively well for the most part."[28]Prefix Magazine gave it an average review and said that "Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons pull out all their tricks, delivering an album of euphoric psychedelic electronica, quirky guest appearances, and danceable grooves."[29]
Slant Magazine gave it a score of two-and-a-half stars out of five and said that the album, "like most high school reunions, fails to kick-start anything other than nostalgia."[30]Stylus Magazine, however, gave it a D and said that the album "isn’t awful, but you can hear the rigidity of its formula, like the motorik title tune that burps up its eponymy every few seconds along a signless, moody highway."[31]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "No Path to Follow" (featuringWilly Mason) |
| 1:04 |
| 2. | "We Are the Night" |
| 6:33 |
| 3. | "All Rights Reversed" (featuringKlaxons andLightspeed Champion) |
| 4:42 |
| 4. | "Saturate" |
| 4:49 |
| 5. | "Do It Again" (featuringAli Love) |
| 5:33 |
| 6. | "Das Spiegel" |
| 5:51 |
| 7. | "The Salmon Dance" (featuringFatlip) |
| 3:40 |
| 8. | "Burst Generator" |
| 6:51 |
| 9. | "A Modern Midnight Conversation" |
| 5:56 |
| 10. | "Battle Scars" (featuring Willy Mason) |
| 5:50 |
| 11. | "Harpoons" |
| 2:25 |
| 12. | "The Pills Won't Help You Now" (featuringTim Smith ofMidlake) |
| 6:35 |
| Total length: | 59:51 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Seal" (featuringJuana Molina) |
| 4:40 |
| 14. | "No Need" |
| 5:14 |
| Total length: | 69:45 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Seal" (featuring Juana Molina) |
| 4:40 |
| 14. | "The Rock Drill" |
| 5:09 |
| Total length: | 69:40 | ||
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA)[52] | Gold | 7,500^ |
| Russia (NFPF)[53] | Gold | 10,000* |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[54] | Gold | 100,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
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| Studio albums | |
| Extended plays | |
| Compilation albums | |
| Soundtracks | |
| Live albums | |
| Films | |
| Remixes | |
| Related articles | |
