As the title [of the review] implies, this is Underworld's best album. It almost completely dumps the rock tinges of "Dubnobasswithmyheadman" and brings the dance facet of the music to the forefront. Gone are the funky basslines and stark pianos of "Mother Earth" - Gone are the jiggy, minimalistic and dark rhythms of "Dark & Long" and "Mmm... Skyscraper I Love You" - Gone is the utter strangeness of "Spoonman" - Gone are the relaxing guitars of "Tongue" and finally gone are pop sensibilities of "River of Bass". Basically, this is a completely new direction. Underworld have done this with every album... sorry to waste space, but let's look at them in retrospective:

Screen Gemz, 1979 - A rather ordinary (but still great) punk group, consisting of Karl, Rick and other unknowns. This is where it all began.

Freur, 1980 to 1985 - Anyone remember the classic "Doot-Doot" - yep, it was the 80's: era of New Wave, aka synth-pop, and Karl, Rick and a few others formed a group typical of the era. The thing that made them "famous" was a combination of "Doot-Doot" and their name, which was written as a hieroglyphic squiggle. It was a fun band, but they were kind of bad.

Underworld, (the first lot) 1986 to 1989 - Karl and Rick decided to have another go at the 80's scene, so created a new group, this time New Wave with an industrial/funk flavor. They were much better than Freur and quite a lot more successful. They had two albums, "Underneath the Radar" (my rating: 9/10) and "Change the Weather" (my rating: 7/10) Eventually they too died.

Lemon Interupt, 1992: This was "Underworld" part 2, essentially, but they obviously had a different name. You'd be surprised how different their music was back at this stage - it had a much heavier rock influence (see "The Hump" [note: "The Hump" is actually an early Underworld track, but it is very close to the Lemon Interupt material] and "Minneapolis") and was... well, "different". The closest album I can compare it to would be "Dubnobasswithmyheadman".

Now, reaching present-day Underworld, we can get on with the review.

Underworld is (or rather, was, due to Emerson's departure in 2000) Rick Smith (programmer, keyboardist, mixer), Darren Emerson (DJ, programmer, arranger) and Karl Hyde (vocalist, guitarist.) Each of them brings a special something into the mix, making the conglomerate that is Underworld. It's basically dance music, but it's much more than that. You won't hear this sort of stuff from generic artists such as Fragma and ATB. Check a "Ministry of Sound" disk - all the songs sound the same. Check an "Underworld" disk - the variety is mind-boggling. Now... let's get started.



1. Juanita/ Kiteless/ To Dream of Love:

part A) Juanita (9/10):

An unconventional drum beat at a conventional tempo begins the first portion of this monster of a track. Karl brings in some effect-laden vocals (this time they sound almost robotic, though do NOT think Daft Punk) and sings,
Your rails, your thin, your thin, paper wings
(note: those lyrics may not be right)
Like any techno song, layers get added. First we get some almost foreshadowing pianos, then Karl plays 3 simple notes on guitar, which echo into the mix, making the whole thing sound spectral. It certainly isn't your average dancefloor track.

part B) Kiteless (7/10):

Everything from Juanita drops to make way for a "Rez"-like tune (except more menacing and percussive) which loops and repeats in various ways throughout this section. Underworld have gone breakbeat here, and you can definitely picture a rave scene with this one. Eventually various elements from Juanita return, such as the guitar and the piano, but not much else really happens.

part C) To Dream of Love (10/10)

We enter a dark, clubbish beat, with effect-laden clapping sounds. A simple, repetitive bass loop is added, then later a warped guitarlike pattern. Going through various filters for a while, we are left thinking this might be another “Ministry of Sound” release, with little or no melody. Then suddenly you hear a piano loop edge its way into the music – it’s probably one of the most beautiful and ethereal tunes in electronica today. After a few moments, the beat drops, and all we can hear is that multi-layered piano, rising and falling through a long-winded scale of two notes. Karl joins in with a stark, melodic voice; there is a sound on the other side of the wall, burning singing on the other side of this glass… (lyrics may be wrong) The beat from before joins back in, synchronizing perfectly with the pianos, giving the song a not-quite-right rave sound. This goes on for a surprisingly short time, and then the beat drops for the second and last time. A digitally edited voice mutters various colors over the gorgeous pianos, then the song fades out.

2. Banstyle/ Sappys Curry

part A) Banstyle (10/10)

Over a quiet drum n bass beat, layers of synthetic strings set the atmosphere for this very vague but brilliant track. Various effects are dumped at random points; Orbital-like squeaks, mixing noises, low keyboards, even guitars. Karl enters the mix, melding perfectly with the track. The lyrics are almost inaudible as we go through a variety of strange sounds in the background, then they get a bit clearer as Karl’s voice is raised, though only slightly. It’s not like Moaner. The song drifts a long, giving visions of perhaps a city, a tunnel, a dark room at night… I’ll leave the visions to you I guess. Guitars strum and loops play quietly as we encounter the segue – meaning Sappys Curry is about the begin. Suddenly the strings hit a higher note, and the beat almost drops. The sound effects of Banstyle fade out slowly, and the strings are all that remain…

part B) Sappys Curry (10/10)

A percussive melody fades into the mix, the strings now subdued. A guitar can be heard playing softly behind the tune, though it doesn’t really take the spotlight until later. An echoing, medium-pace beat comes in for the rhythm, while Karl’s guitar is sampled and looped in the background, this time much more noticeable. Karl then tunefully mumbles over the track, singing:
I think I found the real stuff…
The track floats along in the same vein for a while, though it’s evident that something is going to happen, as layers are quietly added in the background. An odd, almost disturbing keyboard melody comes out of nowhere, and sounds almost like a psychotic saxophone solo in some jazz song. Somehow you know you’re about to reach the climax. The song calms down for a short time, with only the bass drum and the high hat, but then… the strings in the background suddenly increase in volume, a wavey keyboard loops plays, and yet more guitars are added. Suddenly we are launched into an assault of synth strata, all the layers changing and combining to form an impossible-to-describe zenith. Then, it fades out.

Ok, we’re done with the two “epics”, hope I wasn’t too distanced there.

3. Confusion the Waitress (9/10)

This is probably the closest you’ll get to Dark & Long, and it’s not particularly close. A dark synth loop, kick drum, and the occasional odd noise in the background make up the backing track, while 4 “morse code” organ notes are brought to the forefront. Karl talks in a flat voice over the mix, and strange, effect-laden quotes are played in the background (it sounds like one of them mentions Pink Floyd.) It continues like this for a while, but somehow doesn’t get boring. It’s especially great if you listen to it at night.

4. Rowla (10/10)

An unearthly and deep synth loop greets our ears as we enter the psychedelic journey that is Rowla. Spacey sounds drift around in the background, and a standard deep house beat slides into the track. The synth loop seems to change about 100 times in the 6 minute timeframe of the song, but still hits the same notes, if they are really notes at all (I can’t seem to sing them.) First, it gets loud and aggressive, almost like a raging electric guitar. Then it gets rather beat-orientated and jiggy. It swaps between those two “styles” while more sheets of percussion are added in the background. The beat drops every now and then, leaving us to get high to the pulsating and trippy loops that build and build and build. They finally get so loud the song has no “choice” but to drop into nothingness and fade away.

5. Pearls Girl (11/10!)
(This segment is taken from my �-2002” review)
Forget that Born Slippy ever happened, because DJ Pearl (aka Emerson) has a track that's twice as good. Kicking off with an ambient build-up, then some female vocal loops, it all drops off for a complex beat, layered with bass loops and Hyde's muffled vocals. We also get Smith's occasional guitar parts and several reprises of the ambient build-up, which, not surprisingly, finish the track.

6. Air Towel (7/10)
Somewhat like Rowla, but mellower, a synth loop kicks off this track. This one is much more irritating, especially since it loops non-stop for almost the entire track. In the vein of Rowla, a deep house beat is added, and psychedelic effects, making it almost like Rowla [vocal mix], but it’s quite different, so don’t worry. Karl comes in with soon-to-be exasperating vocals, slurring over the track in a very effect-heavy voice. Eventually some short, sharp bursts of synth appear, starting the ultimate build up. The strings are raised higher and higher, but nothing happens. Almost comparable to Lou Reed in terms of it having no climax, but this is of course nothing compared with Reed’s work.

7. Blueski (10/10)
Blueski almost serves as an interlude, or the calm before the storm – the storm in this case is Stagger, which I will “study” after this. The entire song is a series of different bluegrass guitar loops, which makes you wonder if this is actually an Underworld track. Personally, it reminds me of “Tongue” back on Dubnobasswithmyheadman, but it’s much less in the “nighttime” category. It’s probably the closest Underworld have ever been to a country song.

8. Stagger (too good to rate)
There is no doubt that this is probably one of the best album closers ever made. A quiet hi-hat fades in, and some filtered keyboards drift and pan slowly in the background, using the delay effect quite a few times. Karl’s soft and stark vocals echo into the track, adding to the nighttime feel, which Blueski before lacked. The keys go through various changes in melody, mood, and volume, adding variety and an almost improvised touch to the track. They become clearer and more high-pitched as Karl shouts/sings the chorus: The naming… of killerboy!
The song softens up for a while, with the hi-hat being the only rhythm once again. Karl almost shouts this verse, then the heavy, drum n bass beat comes back as though nothing happened. As the synths drift calmly, Karl says his last words, and a short funk guitar loop plays over a more minimal variation of the previous beat. Soon the percussion is all that’s left, and finally the song and the album end on a simple kick drum.


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Reading or Studying