Album #9: No Geography

[inchemwetrust]

I think the album is definitely in another Galaxy away from the other albums. Its worlds apart from EPD and much farther away than PTB!

[Ford]

Has that ever happened before - a band has used someone else's booklet art for their album cover?

[SouthernBrother]

Has that ever happened before - a band has used someone else's booklet art for their album cover?

Well... (Just kidding  )

[Ford]

Oh god, don't bring that up!

Technically, the Bayer is not from an album and the Chems just ripped it off - with No Geography they've actually used the original art and used it as the cover (I'm guessing under licence!)

[SouthernBrother]

I found a .pdf of the "Consequence" booklet, but all I could see about the Chems' cover for their forthcoming album was that Lew Long was the photographer.

Has that ever happened before

This is a very intresting topic to start in order to shed light upon the Chems' decision.
Take a look at these links:
http://www.vinylmeplease.com/magazine/ten-times-album-covers-covered-other-album-covers/
http://clancco.com/wp/2010/05/copyright-pop-art_fair-use_cease-desist/

[VMan]

I had the great idea of checking Spotify through a VPN in New Zealand. And guess what ? Got to keep on is out ! And here's the artwork of No Geography apparently. It does look like Kate Gibb's work

I love the cover art! Yeah, I too am unsure if it is the work of Kate Gibb. What an intriguing time though!

[wincent]

https://itunes.apple.com/nz/album/no-geography/1450389806

Track length and release date

So we've already heard 30% of the new album. Even if that 30% sounds good, I hope there will be a "Japanese" with bonus tracks.
Also, no Problem FX 

[nekoland]

This is in a facebook note: https://www.facebook.com/notes/the-chemical-brothers/the-chemical-brothers-release-new-single-got-to-keep-on-from-forthcoming-album-n/10156170141053358/

"At some point during the recording of No Geography, Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons pushed the reset button. It began with the construction of a studio within a studio - a tiny makeshift room that housed the kind of kit they'd previously used to record the bulk of their first two albums; equipment that had sat gathering (freestyle) dust in Tom's attic for the last twenty years. That experimental space offered a freedom and the chance to create music and tell their own story in a way they hadn't done for years.

Wherever possible, things were done differently. Randomness and jagged edges were encouraged and songs were built around vocal samples; voices were wound tightly into music that Tom and Ed found themselves following wherever it led them. Snatches of dialogue from the late '60s experimental Dial-A-Poem project were chosen that reflected the mood in the studio. Songs were road tested in front of audiences as part of the 2018 live set (which took in two shows at Alexandra Palace - the band's biggest UK headline shows to date) and honed in regular DJ sets the world over."

No Geography features the previously released tracks Free Yourself and MAH ("a short & bloody ride into our modern media psychosis" The Guardian) and the new single Got To Keep On. Several of the tracks on No Geography feature vocals by Norwegian singer/songwriter Aurora who wrote and recorded parts in the band's studio in close collaboration with the band. Japanese rapper Nene also features on Eve of Destruction.

[Csar]

Found a pic of the booklet page from an expired auction.

Also, no Problem FX 

That is just an effect they used, not to be mistaken for the Problem/ Question track.

[Ford]

It's not a Kate Gibb artwork. It was artwork that can be found in the 20 page booklet that came with Godley and Creme album Consequences. Looks like the Chems have used the image totally unaltered. A link below will show you the album booklet

https://www.discogs.com/Lol-Creme-Kevin-Godley-Consequences/release/871182

The cloud formation was also used on their front cover art



Fucking love this cover art, very in keeping with the brothers earlier work! Also love the fact it is taken from an album called Consequences which could be the whole subtext of No Geography

How in the goddamned hell did you know this?!

[wincent]

That is just an effect they used, not to be mistaken for the Problem/ Question track.

Thanks for correcting me 

[VMan]

Found a pic of the booklet page from an expired auction.

That is just an effect they used, not to be mistaken for the Problem/ Question track.

Awesome Csar! I love the art work, it combines the beauty and destruction  of
the Chems perfectly.

Plus, it's quite similar to the Surrender Art, 20 years ago this Spring/Summer!   

[Biff]

That press release on Facebook further explains why I thought the songs sounded like the album was made before Exit Planet Dust (in a good way of course). I bet the interviews will be interesting for us technical geeks.

[Shotglass75]

Any guesses how they are going to split up the tracks on the 2LP vs the 3LP? Any guesses on why they would split them up differently? They are both 180g gram. 3LP is White 2 LP is black.

https://store.thechemicalbrothers.com

[UnknownWeaponBattle]

Any guesses how they are going to split up the tracks on the 2LP vs the 3LP? Any guesses on why they would split them up differently? They are both 180g gram. 3LP is White 2 LP is black.

https://store.thechemicalbrothers.com

The Deluxe will have extra themes to download on the internet but why not put it on the vinyl? That is
that there will be more extra songs? And someone will pass them to me privately the instrumentals of those songs when someone has them?

[Shotglass75]

Yeah, I thought that too.  Why not put the instrumentals on Side F for the deluxe edition?  Seems strange, unless the sound quality is that much better on the 3 LP because they put only 2 tracks on each side.  Maybe the 2 LP set has 3 on each side and one on Side F.IDK?

[Csar]

Given that the record will be less than 50 minutes long, I assume those instrumentals will neatly fit on these three LPs. They're probably going the BITE route again and press some of them on vinyl and some will be availbale only digitially (remember the outrage when they didn't inlcude all the bonus tracks on the deluxe version of BITE?).
So what you get is a pullout poster, 4 intrumentals and a download code for bonus tracks (which certainly will include or maybe even consist of these four instrumentals).
What I do not get, though, is why customers of the deluxe version do not get access to a digital version either.

[Wolkenkrabber]

And someone will pass them to me privately the instrumentals of those songs when someone has them?

I just noticed those instrumentals too. I'm sure they'll leak once the album is out. But hey, well done for getting in early with your request!!

This is in a facebook note: https://www.facebook.com/notes/the-chemical-brothers/the-chemical-brothers-release-new-single-got-to-keep-on-from-forthcoming-album-n/10156170141053358/

"At some point during the recording of No Geography, Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons pushed the reset button. ......Japanese rapper Nene also features on Eve of Destruction.

I'm guessing the vocodered bits on EOD are from Nene then.

So we've already heard 30% of the new album. Even if that 30% sounds good, I hope there will be a "Japanese" with bonus tracks.

As mentioned earlier, I visisted Japanese iTunes yesterday: it just has ten tracks listed. I can't see the physical version listed on Japanese websites yet (can anyone else?).

I would suggest we have heard more like 45% of the album if you include the Printworks audio of Eve Of Destruction - which is about the same length as the track time on the album. In fact it's slightly longer but I suspect they looped the intro for EOD at Printworks. So that brings us up to 40% of the album, and we've heard a bit of "We've Got To Try" as well, on the Desert Island Disco mix. Hence 45%.

I love the cover art! Yeah, I too am unsure if it is the work of Kate Gibb. What an intriguing time though!

Well we know from other posts that it's not her. I did notice that she liked Ed Simons Insta of the artwork today though. I'm wondering if that's a genuine like or if it's her way of saying "I see what you did"...Well, I suppose its possible she was involved in the choosing of the image.

BTW has anyone pre-ordered the album digitially (you never know when they'll run out of MP3s, right? )? If so , how does the instant DL of the (shorter) album version of FY sound?

They're probably going the BITE route again and press some of them on vinyl and some will be availbale only digitially (remember the outrage when they didn't inlcude all the bonus tracks on the deluxe version of BITE?).
So what you get is a pullout poster, 4 intrumentals and a download code for bonus tracks (which certainly will include or maybe even consist of these four instrumentals).
What I do not get, though, is why customers of the deluxe version do not get access to a digital version either.

Csar you've confused me. There are three bonus instrumentals for the triple vinyl owners aren't there? You think they may be putting one or two of them on the vinyl? Or have I misunderstood you?

[Csar]

Csar you've confused me. There are three bonus instrumentals for the triple vinyl owners aren't there? You think they may be putting one or two of them on the vinyl? Or have I misunderstood you?

Universal says:
    MAH (instrumental)
    Catch Me I'm Falling (Instrumental)
    Eve Of Destruction (Instrumental)
    Free Yourself (Instrumental)

https://store.universal-music.de/p51-i0602577286957/the-chemical-brothers/no-geography-excl-3lp-/index.html#

No, you heard me right. I believe they might put either just some of them on the vinyls (like they did with BITE) or maybe all of them and then you'll be able to download them too (like with BITE).

[Stefan]

That artwork is a surprise! Totally not what I expected, but a nice throwback to Exit Planet Dust

The short runtime is probalby to make room for Exclusive Tracks on the  unannounced Special Version for Japan. 
Not really bothered by it, I love long tracks but Further clocks in at just over 50 minutes and it is the most perfect album Humanity has produced so far.