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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
We Are The Night
EMAILPRINTby The Chemical Brothers

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 23 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 71 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Astralwerks
Release Date: 17 July 2007
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Electronic
Summary
The sixth album from the veteran electronica act includes guest appearances by Willy Mason, The Klaxons, Fatlip and Midlake.
Also By This Artist: Brotherhood Come With Us Push The Button
Also On The Web: Criticulture Official Artist Site Wikipedia
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Observer Music Monthly
Probably the most exquisitely integrated single listening experience the Chemical Brothers have yet come up with.
Read Full Review >The Guardian
With their reputations at stake, the Chems have conjured their most brilliant work since 1999's "Surrender."
Read Full Review >Billboard
When this sixth CD opens with a cataclysm of "Transformers" noises, it signals a record that's a little more unapologetically electronic than their previous ones.
Read Full Review >Uncut
The Brothers prove they can still poleaxe a dancefloor with a well-aimed barrage of strobe-ing electro-house.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
We Are the Night is not a return to past glories, but a brave, occasionally faltering but massively enjoyable lunge in new directions, the sound of two frighteningly smart musicians emerging with confidence from a period of uncertainty.
Read Full Review >BBC collective
Rather than play catch-up, the Chems are accentuating the difference, digging deeper into melody instead of piling on the noise.
Read Full Review >Urb
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. [Sep/Oct 2007, p.128]
Blender
Anyone expecting Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons to torch their formula--multiple vocalists drop by and trip the light fantastic--will be disappointed; but their best record since the '90s proves they don’t have to.
Read Full Review >Under The Radar
It's tailor-made for prime audience cavorting. After all these years, these guys still know how to get a room moving. [Summer 2007, p.87]
The Onion (A.V. Club)
We Are The Night is the most listless album they've made—and maybe not coincidentally, it's also one of the lightest.
Read Full Review >musicOMH.com
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.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
We Are the Night is no departure, although it does reveal Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons showing some build-to-suit character instead of angling for the straitjacket-tight and over-serious dance music of their past ten years.
Read Full Review >NOW Magazine
It's quickly evident on We Are The Night that the Chemical Brothers are making a serious go at being contemporary.... They pull it off relatively well for the most part.
Read Full Review >Drowned In Sound
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.
Read Full Review >New Musical Express
'All Rights Reversed', the Chems' collaboration with Klaxons, saves 'We Are The Night' 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.
Read Full Review >Spin
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.
Read Full Review >Dot Music
We Are The Night feels bloated and ornate amongst the elegant functionalism of post-millennial club music.
Read Full Review >Prefix Magazine
On We Are the Night, Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons pull out all their tricks, delivering an album of euphoric psychedelic electronica, quirky guest appearances, and danceable grooves.
Read Full Review >Amazon.com
For every catchy electro-dance, there's a tune that leaves you scratching your head.
Read Full Review >Slant Magazine
We Are The Night, like most high school reunions, fails to kick-start anything other than nostalgia.
Read Full Review >Sputnikmusic
The end result is a record that runs quite average, there are some quality songs that can be picked from it ("We Are the Night," "Do it Again," "All Rights Reserved") but by itself it will lose many listeners.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
On We Are the Night, the Chemical Brothers have switched from integrators to imitators.
Read Full Review >Stylus Magazine
We Are the Night 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.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 6.1 (out of 10) based on 71 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Paul F. gave it an8:
All Rights Reserved is untouchable. The fact that this song exists makes this album an 8... The rest of the album serves as a good listen, but leaves you yearning for a new album as soon as its done. Push the Button is still in the car case. We are the Night is back in the CD jacket. But, man... All Rights Reserved... Genius.
Randall H. gave it an8:
There are some pretty chilled out gems on this album. Certainly not disappointed. Still doesn't top Exit Planet Dust, Dig Your Own Hole, or Surrender.
Cyber gave it a1:
First time i heard "we are the night" i thought it was a joke. "No, it cannot be the Chem. Bros.... no, no... where's the real album?". Then I realized that, finally, those glorious days of "Exit Planet Dust", "Dig your own hole" or "surrender" where gone... forever... I want my money back!
Nathan H. gave it a5:
Hello Boys and Girls...*skip*...
DSD gave it a10:
Lots of rithm
Neil L. gave it a10:
I'll admit, the first time I heard this album I was underwhelmed. Granted, a lot had being going on in my personal life that may have affected its first few listens -- or maybe this is just one of those CD's that grows. This is the only Chemical Brothers album, besides 'Come with Us', which has taken time for me to get in to. And, suprise suprise, it has become one of my favorite albums ever and super fast... these boys, Tom and Ed, have NEVER dissapointed me. It may take a while to fully grasp the CD but once you do (for those of you that have been fans ALL these years) you will see this as another chapter in their legendary careers and as a new passage in your own life. That's how it makes me feel... and it will make me feel more alive in this world for the next several years than any artist could possibly muster. Take that for what you will.
Ramona S. gave it a0:
Three words: Salmon Dance. Now, wait...If you think I'm stupid, you should hear the song.
