Simian – Chemistry Is What We Are

I just came across the former band Simian, a psychedelic, experimental band out of England. They had two main releases before separating, their debut, Chemistry is What We Are, and We Are Your Friends. After taking a listen to both albums, I can say confidently that the debut is my favorite of the two, and I would highly recommend it to everyone. It has a drifty vibe, and many of the songs start off experimental and transform into neat beats. We Are Your Friends has a different more poppy sound, and while there are a few tracks that sound good, such as LA Breeze, the album is not nearly as accomplished as Chemistry is What We Are.

James Ford and Jas Shaw played around with electronic music while rooming together at Manchester University, and after two fellow students at the University, Simon Lord and Alex MacNaughten, discovered the guys, they formed Simian. I do not completely understand why the band broke up, but it sounds like they struggled remaining signed, and Ford and Shaw’s passion for electronic party music swayed them to start their own group, Simian Mobile Disco. According to their biography, “they’d finish a gig and then run off to play electro records to small, sweaty rooms full of people who often seemed to be having lots more fun than the audiences at their gigs.”

A few fun facts: Simian’s record label decided to launch a competition for bedroom acts to remix the Simian track ‘Never Be Alone’. A then unknown French production duo called Justice entered and, famously, didn’t win {video below}. Another fun fact, Brian Eno {U2} produced their album, and also was hired by Microsoft to compose the 4 second start up sound for Windows 95. He told XFM that he received $35,000 for those 4 seconds of bliss heard around the world. Click HERE to hear the sound.

Chemistry is What We Are (2001):

Simian – Drop & Roll (listen past annoying intro; the second part of the song makes the first part forgivable)

Simian – Doba

We Are Your Friends (2002):

Simian – LA Breeze

Simian – Helpless

Amazon|iTunes| Site

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zo1-XlazvY[/youtube]

One thought on “Simian – Chemistry Is What We Are

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