Underworld are one of the most innovate and talented musicians in the electronic music field. They mix techno, trance, jazz, rock...it's just a wildly unique sound. When you hear Underworld, you instantly recognize them. One of the best things about them is that they are equally enjoyable sitting in a couch with your eyes closed as they are on a dance floor.

Second Toughest in the Infants is one of their greatest works. All of their albums are wonderful, but this one is truly excellent, only surpassed by the genre-defining "dubnobasswithmyheadman".

And you get the best right up front: the opening track "Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream of Love" is one of the greatest and most beautiful electronic dance songs I have ever heard. This 14 minute mini-journey segues into "Banstyle/Sappy's Curry", with a snappy, jazzy opening that slowly morphs into one of the smoothest grooves you're likely to find anywhere. "Confusion the Waitress" is a rhythmic, pulsing piece that's overlain by Karl's image-filled stream-of-consciousness vocals. "Rowla" and "Pearl's Girl" are great, pounding dancefloor storms. Air Towel brings the energy back down and gently puts a grin on your face. Blueski is the one track that isn't up to the others, but it's still an interesting, if quirky, addition to the album. The ending track, "Stagger", is another of Karl's wonderful vocal playgrounds, this one with a darker tint as guitars, drums, and synths ebb and flow under his words.

To summarize, this is a brilliant collection of songs. Anyone who is a fan of intelligent, thought-provoking and beautiful electronic music will deeply enjoy this album.

Recommended: Yes