Album: Chemical Brothers, Further (Parlophone)

On their largely instrumental seventh album, unlike their arena-techno peers (Jaxx, Armada), the CBs shun the celebrity hook-up and go DIY.

They've allowed themselves the space to explore ideas at length: "Escape Velocity" clocks in at just under 12 minutes. The expansiveness doesn't always pay off: "Snow" sounds like a fax machine having a nervous breakdown. But the single "Swoon", a sumptuous piece of dream house, glides stratospherically. It's a heady and often brilliant ride.