8/10

It is hard to believe that this is the first new album from The Chemical Brothers in five years. As stalwarts of the electronic music scene, we always imagine that they are constantly at work, raising the bar for whatever new trends and fads have tried to expel. But what this new output has that a lot of their more recent material didn't, is a return to the underground nightclub direction they started with, as 'Born In The Echoes' becomes less about experimental soundscapes and more about getting your feet moving.

The Chemical Brothers have always been envelope-pushers but this new album seems to take that irreverent perspective and combine it with their ultimate goal of making people lose their minds on the dancefloor. The result is one of the most enjoyable electronic albums we have heard so far this year. With a strong techno current running throughout the record, the rhythm and pace of this new material seems far more in tune with what is popular in the clubs and has proven that The Brothers are no forgotten relics of the scene.

While the guest vocalists, of which include Cate Le Bon, St Vincent, Beck, Q-Tip and others, try to make their places heard, it is the producers at the helm that still manage to steal the show on every track. Forward-thinking and progressive, 'Born In The Echoes' could well be their greatest work since 'Surrender'.