Pop Quiz: Chemical Brothers

Pop Quiz: Chemical Brothers

Aidin Vaziri | So what if the Chemical Brothers didn't exactly succeed in taking over the world with their laptops, as predicted by clueless pop music critics like myself sometime in 1997? Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons made some fantastic techno records along the way, and they're funny to look at to boot. But failure is not an option. After grabbing a Grammy Award nomination for "Get Yourself High," the British duo is back with its fifth studio album, "Push the Button," with help from friends like Q-Tip, Tim Burgess of the Charlatans U.K. and Kele Okereke of Bloc Party. The sneaky Brits may topple the global infrastructure yet. We spoke with Rowlands by phone from London.



Tom Rowlands of the Chemical Brothers
Q: On the new record, there are lyrics like "The party's over here" and "You can't run, you can't hide." What exactly are you trying to say?
A: It's a party record but, without being explicit, it strangely connects to how we feel at the moment. The things that happen in the world do effect how you feel every day, and to make a record that ignores that would feel strange.
Q: But where exactly is the party?
A: It's just saying there's still a place for fun and escapism, but it's not like making a record in 1995, which felt like a very different way of living.
Q: You got all that out of those words?
A: For us, words are not the only way of communicating emotion.
Q: I support what you are saying, even though I have no idea what it is.