For That Beautiful Feeling by The Chemical Brothers

Context is everything with some genres of music. I can imagine really enjoying this in a nightclub with lasers and dry ice and thumping bass, but on a rainy Tuesday morning it all falls a bit flat.

This is a new addition to the 2026 edition of the book and I found out today that it displaced Modern Kosmology by Jane Weaver, a recent favourite of mine. This was an odd decision, whilst it’s a nicely mixed sequence of upbeat acid house dance tunes, it doesn’t add anything new compared to the Chemical Brothers work during the 90s.

I could also compare this to the 2023 release Optical Delusion by Orbital who are of a similar vintage as 90s ravers. Where Orbital collaborated with Sleaford Mods on the genuinely banging track Dirty Rat, the Chemical Bros are working with … Beck. Hmmm.

I would have given this three stars, but it’s not an essential listen for me. I suspect that the only chemicals this lot are now taking are statins and sanatogen.