The Chemical Brothers "Asleep From Day"

Before the age of the internet, when everything gets spoiled well ahead of when it's released, there was a time when you could see the packaging of an album for the first time -- in person -- and see something unexpected -- like a guest appearance, remix, or alternate takes. Sometimes, those were the most exciting parts of buying the album.

When The Chemical Brothers' Surrender was released, the eye-popping revelation was a guest appearance by Hope Sandoval, the shy, reclusive lead singer of Mazzy Star.

The first time I listened to the album, which was before noon the day it came out, I listened to the opening track numerous times before working my way to the mystery song with the mysterious singer, and it blew my entire mind.

The Chemical Brothers had a well-established reputation for chest-pounding, hard-hitting club (READ: rave) jams, but they dialed back their normal production style to allow one of the finest voices you'll ever hear shine on what amounts to an ultra-chill song.

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