Review: Chase & Status – No More Idols

Chase & Status - No More Idols (2011) [Mercury] // Grade: B

In my own interpretation, the deed of Chase & Status` second album refers to the general position of electronic music at large. An environment where premier artists once held clout within each rising scene, only now to be pushed apart by the ever-growing need for something fresher and limit-pushing.

Sure, we can pick the net for this rising fickleness, but it`s an observation that needs to be highlighted as the popularity of electronic music skyrockets.

Now, the deed may even hark on Chase & Status` own position within the community - I think a sentence when the duo were held in highest respect in Drum & Bass circles, but have since fallen out of the scene`s good graces after toying with the dubstep formula. Mind you, this is a bold statement - but it seems to call true when the group`s name is brought up to the most diehard DnB-ers. Regardless of the duo`s underlying intentions within the designation of the album, the release stands as a design to a more listener-friendly brand of bass music.

Tightly peppered with booming choruses, anxiety-ridden builds, and a superfluity of star-studded vocal contributions (from Plan B, Tempa T, Tinie Tempah, Dizzee Rascal, Clare Maguire, and even Cee-Lo Green), No More Idols is Chase & Status` definitive answers to those wondering where they`ve been. In all seriousness, this is an aggressive party album - a mix of "rave rock" with a drum & bass backbone. It`s total of hype tracks, properly aligned with guitar riffs and bass wobbles - making it a surprisingly accessible listen for still the biggest hater of electronic music.

Aside from my own laziness, it took me a piece to have this album a proper listen - but when I did, I realised that multiple rewinds were often requisite to fully cover the spirit of this one. It kicks off with the jungly "No Problem", a tag that perfectly prepares you for what`s in stock with the remainder of the tracklisting. "Let You Go" and "Blind Faith" are constructed with C&S`s standard production formula, best described as `epic` for want of a better term.

In my opinion, the heart of this album lies between the reach of cover 6 to track 9 - a compendium of the more impressive tunes on the album. This line-up is spearheaded by "Hypest Hype" which is properly accompanied by the undying anger of Tempa T bars. Next up is "Hitz", a hip-hop/grime infusion showcasing Tinie Tempah`s witty lyricism. This one is quickly followed by the standout "Heavy", a cross where Dizzee Rascal battles basslines and haters with the statement that he is quite `heavy`. This load is rounded off by the ominous "Brixton Briefcase" which features hip-pop heavyweight Cee-Lo Green - not gonna lie, this track blew me out upon listening. Initially, I questioned the cameo, but C&S seamlessly surround Green`s croon with a beefy, dubstep flex to make an impressive anthem.

The ease of the album paces itself well, bringing the pace down a bit with the radio-friendly "Flashing Lights", the somewhat 80′s synth-pop infusion with White Lies on "Embrace", and the ever-so-fitting final track entitled "End Credits" featuring Plan B. If you chance to hear to ANY UK Radio programming, you have certainly heard at least one of these jams - which even further encourages the listenability of this album, as a whole.

Ultimately, C&S are next in the footsteps of Prodigy, who are idols in their own right, and on side the ever-popular Australian outfit, Pendulum. They are providing the masses with a voice that integrates the hostility of the `rockstar mentality` with the enigmatic energy of the drum & bass spectrum, as good as several other electronic stems - and to be completely honest, these dudes are doing it right.

- McG