Reviews of new releases from Slick Rick and The Chemical Brothers. The Chemical Brothers Surrender (Astralwerks) Of related interest: Fatboy Slim, Crystal Method, Kraftwerk The Chemical Brothers Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th Ave., 224-8499 9 pm Monday, July 12 $20 Try this: Listen to the new Chemical Brothers release on an iMac. Every click becomes part of the sweeping electronic scenery. Not like you can add too much to the universe of beautiful noise so carefully constructed by these Manchester lads, but you can try. There are a lot of pluses to this techno duo (one of them is not their resuscitation of yellow-tinted glasses); the highest on a long list is their ability to cover so much ground. Always able to isolate the essence of their influences, the Brothers synthesize again on Surrender. The beginning bleeps of the opening "Music: Response" pongs you with an upbeat electronic maze of merry chirps and vocoder drones. You're then shot to the high-tension "Under the Influence" and from there catapulted into the most comfortable track on the record, "Out of Control," featuring New Order vocalist Bernard Sumner. Layering drum machines with guitar and synth, "Out of Control" dreamily reaches back to Mancunian music of an earlier era. Noel Gallagher guest stars again on this disc, getting in a few more words than he did on the single "Setting Sun." "Let Forever Be" features Gallagher repeatedly bellowing "How does it feel like..." and is pure guilty-pleasure pop. The Chemical Brothers once again prove their finest skills: perfecting whatever genre strikes their fancy and crafting records that have the diverse allure of the best mix-tape whether or not your computer's in control. Caryn B. Brooks   Slick Rick The Art of Storytelling (Def Jam) Of related interest: Doug E. Fresh, OutKast, Shallah Raekwon The black Clark Gable returns. Slick Rick--the Ruler--is just one example of the rap game's empowerment of disenfranchised brothers. Unlike fellow killer Brit Louise Woodward, Rick was forsaken by his homeland when he fell afoul of the law and served a bid behind bars, removing one of the great '80s MCs from the game at the height of his fame. His imprisonment left a void that everyone from Snoop to Nas attempted to fill. After his parole, Slick Rick spent some time soaking up fresh, free air before returning to the microphone. He lit up Jermaine Dupri's "Fresh" and the remix of OutKast's "Da Art of Storytellin' Pt. 1," leaving heads salivating for a full-length joint. The Art of Storytelling is all of that and a bowl of grits. Rick's melodious flow enchants the ear right along with the production of DJ Clark Kent, Jazze Pha, TrackMasters and Dame Grease. Flossy as ever, Rick spits raps about the ice on his wrist, the lure of the punani and life in general. He flexes his lyrical prowess on the low-end, bouncy, boastful "Street Talkin'," and his versatility shines through on the dancehall-flavored "Impress The Kid" and the jazzy "I Own America Part 2." Slick's reunion with Doug E. Fresh on "We Turn It On" is an appropritate closer for the album, a strong reminder of the days when The Ruler was truly running shit. H.V. Claytor Jr. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Willamette Week | originally published July 7, 1999