Dig Your Own Hole

Rolling Stone (4/11/02, p.107) - Ranked #32 in Rolling Stone's "50 Coolest Records". Rolling Stone (5/13/99, p.80) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's." Rolling Stone (4/3/97, pp.63-64) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...You can dance to it until your limbs turn to tapioca or just sit, listen and have your mind blown inside out....it burns the whole rock vs. techno argument into a fine white ash....Put it on, turn it up and let yourself be moved." Spin - "'Block Rockin' Beats' sets off the sonic free-for-all, dropping bombs as bass lines detonate on impact. The title track's treated guitar riffs do demolition-derby figure-eights, sirens wail, disco whistles blow, and a drum break plows into what sounds like a sheet of aluminum being whacked by a monkey wrench." Spin (9/99, p.123) - Ranked #10 in Spin Magazine's "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s." Spin (1/98, p.86) - Ranked #10 on Spin's list of the "Top 20 Albums Of The Year." Spin (5/97, p.109) - 8 (out of 10) - "...Their digitally dense breakbeat workouts offer a funk-at-your-own-risk proposition....All the Brothers want, God forbid, is to create a better place for just one night by cramming together all their favorite records. No more, no less..." Entertainment Weekly (4/18/97, pp.64-65) - "...DIG YOUR OWN HOLE may epitomize sound as substance, a dubious distinction at worst. But those sounds (like recycled voice snippets) become alluring hooks in and of themselves, bringing the record as close to pop as techno has come so far..." - Rating: A Q (10/01, p.63) - Ranked #29 in Q's "Best 50 Albums of Q's Lifetime" Q (12/99, p.92) - Included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s." Q (6/00, p.72) - Ranked #42 in Q's "100 Greatest British Albums" Q (1/98, p.111) - Included in Q Magazine's "50 Best Albums of 1997." Q (5/97, pp.116-117) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...it is DIG YOUR OWN HOLE'S joyful revival of seemingly unfashionable sounds from yesterdisco--a teeth-sucking hi-hat on `It Doesn't Matter,' a bass that's positively Level 42 on the title track, tons of outmoded hip hop punctuation of the `Yes yes, y'all' variety...--that makes it such a rare treat..." Alternative Press (5/00, p.120) - Included in AP's "10 Essential Dance Albums That Rock" - "...Mixing block-rocking beats, acidic synth lines and high-profile guest stars, they convinced many people to call them the best 'rock' band around..." Option (5-6/97, pp.96-97) - "...a techno masterpiece....A nearly continuous mix blending funk, disco and hard trance, the disc never goes flat or runs short on sonic ideas....This kicks atomic booty." Melody Maker (12/20-27/97, pp.66-67) - Ranked #22 on Melody Maker's list of 1997's "Albums Of The Year." Village Voice (2/24/98) - Ranked #12 in the Village Voice's 1997 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll. Village Voice (4/8/97, pp.65-69) - "...the duo's fondness for distortion, feedback, and rocklike noises makes air-guitar players feel right at home....While the Chemical Brothers successfully present themselves in a live context like a band, the duo mostly represents the next chapter in electronic music's increasing domination of global youth culture..." Village Voice (4/15/97, p.62) - "Their secret isn't technowizardry, formal daring, or Lord help us eclecticism. As with so many pop wunderkinds, it's spirit--generous, jubilant, unfazed by industrial doom, in love with energy and sound. Noel Gallagher only wishes he had their heart..." - Rating: A- NME (Magazine) (12/20-27/97, pp.78-79) - Ranked #12 in NME's 1997 Critics' Poll.