Reviews (page 3 of 8)
Not awful. But not something I will listen to ever again.
It's well put together and provocative. I liked the South Asian/ hindustani sounds a lot, wished it leaned into that even more as the electronica and trip hop inspired vocal elements dated it badly. Mostly interesting, sometimes moving, occasionally cringe. And I hope there's meaning behind the album cover because it's horrendous
What an odd album, I am all for experimental jazz, but this was an odd mix that frankly was not that pleasant to listen to. It strayed too far from the norm and was just bad. it was up there with Untitled (Black Is). Music can carry a message but after a certain point its lost and loses all musicality that would entice me to listen
Enjoyed this, new music for me, new genre. A couple of hits, some misses but overall enjoyed it.
Artiste inconnu. Absolument pas de Jazz dans cet album, qui est un vrai générateur d'ennui profond ... Pas désagréable en musique de fond, mais aucun intérêt par ailleurs, sauf peut être l'instrumental "Tides" qui le sauve de la note minimale. =>2/5
Not threatening but not really out there either
I didn’t know this. But it’s dreamy, a bit weird, smart, interesting. 3.5?
Wow. That first track had me believing this was not gonna be worth the time. My mind was quickly changed thereafter. Lots of cool stuff goin on in this one.
Very… interesting..
(20/100)
Raro
no direction, just underwhelming
Nice. An unexpected mix of traditional and new (at the time) sounds. thoroughly enjoyed this one.
I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would! Extra star for 'The Conference' alone!
Yes!
Interesting album. Not quite for me but very different and I never would have picked this one up on my own.
Not bad. Other reviewers are really too harsh. As always, I'll take this any day over another folk acoustic indie bullshit.
Would've been a beautiful album if they didn't record the vocals
I want more of that weird stuff.
À réécouter 3,8/5
“Indian lo-fi electronic jazz-fusion concept album based on the theme of the proliferation of nuclear weapons in our society” is the simplest way I can describe this album, even though it sounds like the title of a dissertation. Some cool elements in here, and it was more easy listening music than anything, so it wasn’t an unpleasant listen like most electronic albums are. This isn’t anything I’d come back to, but it was interesting and an OK listen. 3/5
I think I really like fusion.
3- Stars (7/15)
Fantastic album!
7/10 Best songs: Homelands, Immigrant A musician I've heard of but never listened to before. Interesting, vibey trip hop with an Indian flair. It is a very good album that kind of oscillates between trip hop and a more experimental singer-songwriter kind of sound (but not really). Its stated objectives are to discuss nuclear atomic weapons and identity, but I think the album is a bit more successful at examining the latter than the former.
Extremely boring
79/100. Honestly this record is just amazing. There is such a wild mix of interesting sounds and high quality production packed into every corner of the album. It feels like a massive melting pot of different genres and deep emotions that somehow all work together perfectly.
Heard Before? Woohoo! Something entirely new to me. Notes: - clearly a producer album, and sure enough the production is mostly stellar. - the 1999 standard issue trip hop drums are lame but forgiveable once the other, cooler, percussion comes in on "homelands". - the samples and use of multiple languages really bring the whole album to life. - plenty of stylistic variety from song to song, although individual tracks usually have only one idea. - only "Immigrant" is a true clunker, sounding like a direct-to-video Disney ballad. Verdict: Never truly thrilling, but always intriguing. Like a survey of late-90s production styles. Listen Again? Most likely. Or at least I'll investigate their other work.
really interesting album with the theme being about nuclear weapons and the album starting with the mention on India testing bombs. Definitely an album you need to really focus and pick up all of the subtle hints. Shoutout the band during Tides. I like the down tempo of the album and the imagery. 8/10
This was a super chill and relaxing album. I could see myself coming back and listening to it while being productive. The back half wasn't as great though.
I like the idea of this album and at times it’s really good and engaging, the blending of pop and rap with Indian instrumentals was very inspired and it does it quite well. It’s just so long it’s almost an hour and some songs didn’t need to be that long.
1990s smooth hip hop from across the globe? I liked the fast delivery of “the conference”.
En ole artistista koskaan kuullutkaan. Ekaa kertaa tällä listalla sellaista musaa, mitä olin toivonut; jotain muuta, kuin perusamerikka- tai -brittimeininkiä. En väitä tästä paljoakaan ymmärtäväni mutta ihan oikeaa musaa ja vaatii sävellys- ja soittotaitoa. Ilman muuta positiivinen kokemus. 3/5
Man I gotta get the lyrics to The Conference.
This album is beautiful! I love how it's a combination of a lot of different things.
Pleasant, interesting enough in its (very late 90s) sense of fusion, but there's a lot of stuff in the second half that could have been cut, so the album wore out its welcome, and even with that aside it's all pretty forgettable.
1/12 liked
stupid
More like modern art than just music. Not the easiest to listen to, but I'm really impressed. Definitely a journey.
Ernstes Thema, schwere Musik
While listening to this i have found to my inner self and we both agreed that this was no pleasure. The constant weird shouting and moaning was really offputting, especially on the negative highlights immigrant and homelands
this is largely unlistenable, until you get to immigration. I do like this message though
9 - Nitin Sawhney - Beyond Skin - Rating = 3 Not at all familiar with this album/artist - Broken Skin… woah, this is nice. Cool soulful female vocal with a nice groove behind it, some Indian influence here. Letting Go… higher female vocal, mellow… okay, a little samey on the way out. Homelands… the Indian babbling is not good… the groove is cool enough, but the babble interludes… no… but then it settles into this nice bongos led groove which is nice. Don’t love the vocal mumble rap on the way in.. sitar… hmmm… maybe. Pilgrim is another spoken rap under a someone interesting groove, not remarkable but not offensive. Tides is a nice piano interlude that just floats for five minutes. Nadia… a non-offensive female Indian warble with some beats coming in… but no. Immigrant… high pitched female soft vocal with piano, mellow but sorta nice. Serpents, a bit more drama building on the opening, female Indian tease… builds with some beats… not offensive, but too long like the last song. Anthem Without Nation has a vocal chanting build that’s sorta nice with the building drums… doesn’t really go anywhere. Nostalgia is another female vocal but it has a nicer sultry quality to it, like it. The Conference has a 20 second silent intro that develops into some really annoying Indian beat-boxing or something… no… I mean really, no. Title track. Busts into a much more upbeat groove than we’ve been having… the vocal samples in the middle are mood interrupters, don’t like it.. but allows for a serious tempo change into string-lead airy which goes into Indian female warbling… soft guitar outro with more talk vocal samples. Overall this is an album that would be nice in the background or at a cocktail party. Some cool grooves and vibes but some annoying moments of chanting and some of the songs go on for too long a couple deserve to be skipped. I’d give it a 2.5 if I could but I’ll be positive and round up.
not entirely my thing bit i loved some propositions! defo a lot of different inspirations that was cool
When to listen: uhh... Idk it's hard to rate albums that make me physically uncomfortable to listen to.
Like the music, not the vocals.
Downtempo, electronica, and trip hop are all genres that I really like. So despite the rather cautious reviews in this forum, I was excited about the album. I liked most of it, but I wasn't blown away. The Indian/Asian influences are too foreign to me for me to feel comfortable with them. I probably won't listen to the album again. 3/5
Nadia // 1.5/5
Really interesting album. A clever mash-up of trip-hop, electronic, jazz, Indian folk with a poignant theme. It doesn’t always completely work for me, but mostly does. I especially loved the middle three of Tides, Nadia, and Immigrant. 4/5
Interesting, some much better than others.
mal was anders. Paar en riiiise vibe, und paar anderi aber viel z ahstrengend zum lose. git mal wider klassischi 3 puontos
Couldn't even finish..
today we're listening to some downtempo music. funny, this is another album in the collection that's a interesting little fusion of electronic, cinematic, and indian-folk songs. the concept for this album is centered around nuclear weapons. the album as it goes on enters a little downward spiral, becoming desolate and haunting as the runtime continues. it's interesting i guess, but it doesn't hold my interest for that long... another entry where i struggle to think of what i want to say about it. only so much i can say when past two days now was just ambient beats and occasional hindi hymns. give me something new, please.
Thought the album started off well enough with Broken Skin. Nice smooth sounding song. 2nd song not as good, but Ok. Then went off the rails for me. Turned into elevator music mixing in some weird chants and by the middle I was ready for it to be over. The .5 is for the first 2 songs, mostly Broken Skin 1.5
2.5 We went from an album titled The Scream to one featuring a man doing just that on its cover, and yet, neither feature any actual screaming - we must have death metal up next. Anyway, given his British-Indian background, there’s definitely something interesting about the way Nitin blends two cultures of music here, but mostly, I found this to be pretty slow, boring, and overly long. If I were high and surrounded by some sort of colorful mood lighting, I could see this being more of a vibe, however, in the opportunities I had to listen to it here, I can’t say it did much for me. That said, there were a couple tracks that grew on me over the course of my listening. As far as this sort of downtempo sound goes, I think Letting Go hits the moody nail on its head about as well as one could want from the genre, and the more Indian-inspired instrumentation on the track complements much better than expected. However, I think the best instance of Nitin fusing his two cultural identities into one song here is on Nadia. Once again, he takes two very different styles of music that feel as if they shouldn’t play nicely together and combines them to create the most memorable, replayable moment of the album - it also doesn’t hurt that the vocalist on the track (as well as Letting Go) is fantastic. Unfortunately, The Conference does this much less successfully. Holy cow, was that song grating and the worst here by a mile. The rest of this album is pretty unremarkable, though for better or for worse, I found the “Life is like a puzzle not pieced yet” lyric from Pilgrim stuck in my head for a little bit after listening. I guess this is supposed to be a sort of concept album revolving around nuclear weaponry, as evidenced by the cover and Oppenheimer quote on the final track, but I can’t say that came across at any point before that. Granted, I wasn’t paying super close attention to all of the lyrics here, but I at least listened to this thing enough times to say that it’s certainly not a consistent theme. This album is pretty consistent otherwise, but unfortunately, not exactly in an overly enjoyable way for me - pretty mid overall.
mostly nice coding music, but it gets absolutely unbearable the moment a human being starts singing in a human language
Deeply un-enjoyable listen. Not for me. 1.5 rounded up because I’m happy it’s over with.
I liked the vibes and it felt like a journey. Giving it a 4 on merit because I was definitely impressed, but I don’t see myself feeling the motivation to revisit this.
Didn't finish, wanted to stay awake.
FINALLY something cool. this was really interesting i love the indian influence, indian music is so underrated due to racism and this really has a nice way of blending these two cultures. LOVED!
“my identity and my history are defined only by myself” 🤮
Varied and interesting enough. It's nothing that I'm going to get too excited about, but it's solid and makes for good background music.
4.5 super interesting
Started off strong, got boring.
I have listened to a lot of Downtempo albums in my time, but I have to say even for this not being one of the most amazing projects out there it is still one of the more interesting albums I’ve talked about in the genre. This album borders on Ambient at times but mostly falls under the Downtempo umbrella for the entirety of the runtime. What sets this album apart from most other albums in this genre is its very original blends of other genres. There is a lot of Jazz, Classical, and Orchestral influences all around the 58 minutes of runtime, hell there is even a good bit of Indian culture and musical influences as well that really shocked me. This album isn't very engaging but does a good job in relaxing myself while also showing me new fields of sound I had never imagined to be blended together before. It is a refreshingly new sounding project to my ears that maybe I am glazing too hard, but I think it is more on the underrated side of things. Really happy I took the dive into this niche project and I think more of you should as well!
Didn't know what to expect but wasn't expecting much but was pleasantly surprised. Interesting vocals, rhythms, and lyrics.
I love when an album feels like it's own movie. This was a 4.5 for me but I'm giving it a 5 because whatever.
Ein schönes Album mit sehr unterschiedlichen Titeln. Beim ersten Hören hat mir Serpents besonders gefallen.
banco la idea y la temática del disco, pero musicalmente no me terminó de enganchar. interesante para conocer igual.
it's definitely not the worst but this also is not it. almost reads like an insult to the every genres I like here sigh
Just not sure what this is and why it’s on the list.
Had a few moments
Interesting! I can’t say I necessarily liked it but I respect the combination of styles and influences. I liked the more traditional Indian sounding parts best, I think (whereas some of the more ‘western’ female vocal parts sound a bit dated). The messaging about nuclear warfare feels more relevant than ever too.
This was interesting for sure, but it did not feel cohesive enough to be compelling. The Conference was a whole vibe though, I could have listened to those tikki takka talkers the whole day.
This was better than initially expected. I appreciated the opportunity to listen.
jazz. vocal. different. chill. real music.
The opening tracks here are very much like Soul II Soul, as channelled through Massive Attack. They’re familiar-sounding, and nicely done, though without offering anything particularly new to my ears. Things get more interesting from the third track, Homestead, where the musical content has a much more “eastern” flavour. To a listener coming from a more traditional blues and rock music perspective it’s therefore harder to access these sounds instantly, but this is clearly a serious piece of music from a serious artist, with a commensurately heavy theme of the nuclear threat and its impact on individuals and societies. I’m glad I’ve heard it.
An interesting album with mostly good tracks. Many Indian in style which was good to hear. There was a rap track which sounded very out of place compared to the other tracks. There were a couple of other 'strange' tracks (Serpents was one and I think Nostalgia. Not awful but again seemed a bit out of place compared to the other tracks. Overall a pretty good album and another artist that I'll look for other albums from.
meh
Reminds me of thievery corporation
Not my jam
Different and actually enjoyable. 3 stars because I wouldnt listen to it again personally but it was actually pretty good🗣
Boring
Beyond...World music fusion.. that goes nowhere
Couldn't quite get into it
Beyond rubbish
Not bad
This one deserves to be on the list its very different. I got excited that its a concept album but didn't seem to match with the theme
Very much bjork vibes going on here
Das Cover ist schon mal der Hammer. Die Musim ist stimmig und gut.
This sound really died in the 90s. It was a weird mix of non western music and subby bass
Weird, but fascinating
Something different for sure. Starts off with Broken Skin, a pretty relaxing song. Homelands has some neat drums in it, it kind of fell off for me after that. Wouldn't relisten or keep any songs from this album.
This is AMAZING. Why is there so much hate. There's so much variety, so much depth. I think there was something for me in every single track on this album. I felt it even without understanding the language. AND it was written in the 90s! It was ahead of its time!
i am loving this. i love a direct and clear artist's message and such a strong vision behind the album. definitely feels like performance art and less like a typical "album"
Honestly shocked at the lower rating of this album. Thought it was really dynamic and experimental. Starts off weak with a four minute introduction track titled “Broken Skin”. The opening track should have been the albums second (and strongest track) “Letting Go”. First minute and a half reminds of me of PJ Harvey with gamakas and sitar. The third track, “Homelands” was a banger. Although I cannot comprehend the lyrics, the continuous drums and hypnotic violin entrance you throughout the entire six minute track. “Pilgrim” was a very interesting vibe switch mid album. Giving a Tribe Called Quest over a Tyler the Creator ass beat. Lyrically weak but I like the flow and the beat is super interesting, went on a little too long for my taste. “Tides” the fifth track, switches right back into what Sawhney is known for, — beautiful jazz ballads. No lyrics (thank god after being force fed a constant stream of words in the previous track). The sixth track, “Nadia” is my personal favorite. An electronic, Aphex twin ass, brain fuck of emotional gamakas for five minutes. Something Id drive or bike to and just zone out since I cant understand anything she’s saying. I’ll save my review of the rest of the album but man… From jazz to rap to soul to electrica… This album covers it all in under an hour.
This album generator is proving to me that the late 90s produced terrible music. What the hell was this shit?
A real mixed bag. Tracks like Pilgrim really turn me off, but the track right afterwards, Tides, is my kind of soft, jazzy nonsense. I think this album is at it's best when it's providing a solid soundscape and conveying feeling through music. Too many peaks and valleys for me to really recommend it just to listen to, but it's a decent album. I'm wondering how transgressive it was in 1999 to be anti nuclear weapons.
Bullshit
This is a *journey*. These thoughts are mostly scattered because this is an extremely ambitious album. Some of that ambition really pays off, some doesn't. "Homelands" is eerily beautiful. Could be used in some dramatic movie montage. When we suddenly get into hip hip on "Pilgrim" it seems totally out of left field. The MC has a decent flow, but I'm not terribly moved by the vaguely spiritual/political lyrics. The use of Indian instrumentation as a beat hits though. Not sure if "Tides" is jazz, which I'm usually anti-, but I thought it was great. Similarly, I somewhat enjoyed "Nadia" for the lovely singing, in spite of it being a drum-and-bass track, which I generally loathe. "Immigrant", on the other hand, a sort of straight-up soul song, just didn't work for me. As for the Hindi language patter, especially "The Conference" it was certainly interesting but I have no means of comparing it to anything else having never really heard music like that, nor getting its meaning. On one listen I must admit I don't follow exactly the significance of the through-line about nuclear tests beyond it being a horrible thing that India had come to embrace. Tied together with the Oppenheimer/Shiva bit at the end over the eerie music was pretty dope. I also imagine the album art (cool) is related.
Очень странная хуйня
The primary offense of this album is it is boring. In 1999, it was possibly more interesting than it actually is, but time has filtered it away to let better examples like Massive Attack and Portishead stand. It tries so hard to be a vibe album, a concept album, and finally a fusion album. It succeeds at pleasing no one and being very mid in all it attempts. The primary offense of this album being on the list is it confirms what many know: music critics fail too often to separate what they think is cool or relevant (or by their estimation will be) from what is actually good. Time fixes these issues but, in the meantime, we had to listen to this album.
Not for me.
Pretty good actually but also Oppenheimer
Weird, but liked quite a few of the songs as a cohesive album. Very Buffy-core.
This album felt like a fairly successful experiment in cross-cultural fusion. I’m not completely sure I grasped the artist’s message about nuclear weapons, but overall it came across as a laid-back electronica record with clear Indian influences. It was a little boring at times, but I pushed through it.
Went into this blind and it was and interesting listen. It's not something I would listen to on purpose, but it was just fine.
This was interesting, I enjoy the blend of chill trip-hop bears and piano with traditional Indian singing and instruments in parts. I couldn't really get into the story much. I liked the piano sound in Tides a lot. Didn't wow me and dragged towards the end
Soundtracked a nice hike through a state park. Worked swell.
Liked it more than most people on here. Didn't love it but I did appreciate the downtempo beats and rhythms. This one might grow on me.
Reading that this artist was known for electronic and fusion I didn’t think I’d like this but I was pleasantly surprised. Some different songs that were a bit out there were mixed with some surprisingly good vocss as ls and music.
sorry too weird not a fan
Was ok
It’s cool and goofy, but not my bag.
Wow so cool you wrote an album about nuclear weapons with heavy use of Indian styles! Too bad you couldn’t make it interesting. Tides is a good peaceful moment, but most of this does not appeal to me.
Forgettable! Music you might hear in an elevator or a perfume shop... It was a bit difficult to get to the end and it certainly wasn't the best day to listen to this! Anyway, I give it a 2 because, as it was forgettable, it didn't do any harm either ;-)
Incredible actually. Wasn't a fan of everything, but overall very cool. Stand-outs - Broken Skine - Pilgrim - Tides
Such an odd album. Every song is good, but every single one overstays its welcome by about a minute. Would be a strong 4 to light 5 if every song was shorter
it's fine. it's more 90's-00's groove. I don't dislike stuff like this but I'm not reaching for it, either
I made it about half way through before giving it up. It’s really not very good, but more importantly it’s all the same really, well except that attempt at Hindu Hip Hop or whatever they called that. This album feels like a DEI hire for the list.
An album in the 90s about the India-Pakistan nuke crisis is somehow still relevant
Eesh.
Based on the cover, I was expecting something completely different than what was delivered. A genre-bending journey that is part hip-hop, traditional Indian, flamenco, and Disney soundtrackesque… I don’t know what to think but can’t say I minded the trip.
Took me a couple listens to really appreciate this one. Never has an album been so far off from what I expected it to be. The cover art makes you think noise-rock or nu metal - turns out it's Asian pop with flavors of classical and jazz and trip-hop. I think this is absolutely a worthy addition to this list - a pretty fascinating meeting point of Eastern and Western music, and Sawhney is one of the few uniquely positioned enough to make that happen. Now, I'm not going to be putting this album on just for kicks very often, but it was an interesting listen, and musically solid. Fave tracks: - Broken Skin - Letting Go - Tides - Nostalgia - The Conference
I have heard bits of this before, but I don't think I've listened to the whole album. This is the kind of concept album I can get on with - thoughtful reflections on a theme, rather than a bombastic opera about the random interests of coked-up rock stars. The mix of 90s trip-hop beats with world music is very much my cup of tea.
Chill desi-infused trip-hop r&b. I dig it.
Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
This is a very interesting album, but it is just a "good" listen. Nitin Sawhney is also a very interesting artist. He seems to kind of operate as a composer in a contemporary classical tradition, but with a distinctly electronic slant. He also makes a lot of music about his cultural identity, colonialism, and here, nuclear weapons. Beyond Skin is in kind of a trip hop/down tempo/drum n bass space. And it wears these genres well. Beyond Skin doesn't take the genre core anywhere completely unexplored (as far as I know), but the consistent usage of Indian music across this album does give it a distinct, and unique flavor. And, every once in a while, a song is built around a truly *fascinating* sample. For example, choosing to build The Conference around *that* vocal sample is an unbelievably brave move. Additionally, the compositions here skew towards the minimalist end of their genres. It makes these songs feel very intentionally constructed and nocturnal. I also want to award points for ambition. This is a concept album about nuclear weapons, told backwards, in a genre that is very minimally focused on lyrics. This is another very brave move. Nitin Sawhney doesn't cheat a whole bunch either. A few samples of speeches get you into the right place, but a lot of the concept here is told through mood, and pure composition. In short, the mechanisms going on here are extremely interesting. However, as a listening experience, I think it's the sort of thing that I appreciate most as just something I can put on in the background of another activity. Which isn't to say this is boring, I do think the songs here are good, but they don't end up really enrapturing me the way some other stuff in this genre space does. Overall, this is a well-executed, interesting concept, and a pretty decent listening experience.
I do like a concept album, but I'd have to study this more closely to appreciate that aspect of it, mostly because of the language barrier. It feels cosmopolitan in the sense that it never stays too long in one place or adopts a single POV, or at least it's anti-colonialist in that it doesn't privilege a Western POV. There were some notable tracks here ("Nadia," "Serpents," "Anthem without a Country") but also some that sounded almost poppy and others that, again, I'd have to spend more time with to appreciate what's going on.
I can't tell if this is familiar because I ran into it in the late 90s/early 00s, or if it just sounds like a hundred other bands from around that time. It blends a bunch of genres neatly, but it's too straightforward and rhythmically unadventurous to elevate past "music that would have made me pull up Shazam at a Gap, add it to a playlist, and then never listen to it again."
I enjoyed playing this but could on a regular basis.
Interesting. Other reviews dogged the whiplash genre changing but I enjoyed it. Almost like the album was transmissions from a lost radio station post-apocalyptic disaster. Knowing the album background made it a more contemplative listen.
I didn't get all the hate at first, then track 3 started and was completely different followed by another genre change for track 4. Now I get it. This thing is all over the place.
Boy, does that guy look like he's having a good time, am I right? I'm sorry, I just really wanted to make a juvenile joke because the album cover is kinda funny. I think the album cover is actually more interesting to me than the album itself, because this thing is just kind of okay. I don't particularly care much for this album. It's another one of those late 90s/early 2000s obscure British albums whose only claims to fame are being nominated for the Mercury Prize and being on this list. I don't think it's a must-listen, but I'll give it this. It's not the least interesting album on the list. It does have features that aren't commonplace on other albums. Granted, they're not entirely exclusive to this album. There are other albums in existence that blend UK electronic styles with Indian influences from artists like Cornershop, but I do actually prefer this over the Cornershop album, so there's that. I think the Indian influences could be executed a bit better on this album, but I'm not Indian so my opinion is actually irrelevant. The production here is alright, I guess. The album has its moments, though its does kinda blend together a bit and, as is often the case with these sorts of albums, it goes on a for a little too long. The vocals aren't my favorite, though, again, there are some good moments. I will say that there are some neat thematic ideas behind the album in regards to things like cultural identity and even nuclear warfare, though this is one of those albums where I like the ideas of the music more than the music itself. Overall, Beyond Skin is one of the albums of all time. It's got some neat ideas, but I don't personally care much for the music itself. Light 3/5.
Var ganske behagelig helt til herrestemmene dukket opp. Da ble det automatisk stryk fra meg.
Reading a little bit about this album and the artist was interesting, he really promotes music from across the world from his town in England, where there was and still is lots of anti-immigration sentiment, so it’s cool that even in 1999 when this album came out this artist was eclectic in his sampling of music from around the world and how collectively we are one world, the album gave me Buddha bar vibes with lots of cool Indian vocalizations and percussion. I even heard some Brazilian Portuguese at the end of one of the songs which was cool, overall though there was a bit of a somber message as he ties in samples of news reports of nuclear testing, which is eerily timely as just today the doomsday clock was moved closer to midnight. Hoping more messages of peace unity continue to emerge to bring together the human race as ONE, so we may transcend our current limitations and live as the Gods we all—in peace, harmony and abundance ❤️
new -agey, I liked it. the tone was a little bit everywhere (indian chants, nuclear tests, spoken word), but that's what gives it that groovy 90's coffeeshop feel.
It was okay, I'm a pretty big trip hop fan and I really appriciated the Indian aspects to this, I found them really interesting and refreshing. I dont feel this does anything necissarily wrong, it just doesnt high the heights for me.
Ekki alveg mín tónlist, en þó frekar áheyrileg og conceptið er alveg töff. Þristur simpatico.
"Beyond Skin" by Nitin Sawhney surprised me right from the start. When I saw genres like electronic, downtempo, and drum 'n' bass listed, I expected something quite different. What I actually heard felt much closer to R&B most of the time. Overall, it is an ok album, but not one that really stood out to me. Some tracks use Arabic scales and musical elements that honestly confused me a bit rather than pulling me in. I also read that the album carries a strong political message, from references to the India-Pakistan nuclear situation in "Broken Skin" to Robert Oppenheimer quoting the Bhagavad Gita at the end of "Beyond Skin". That is interesting on paper, but for me the focus is on the music, and musically it felt pretty bland. I might give it another listen at some point, but definitely not anytime soon.
not for me
A bit apprehensive when I saw this because I have heard it before, not long after it came out. A friend lent it to me and I duly listened. I found it a bit of a slog to be honest. I'll take this as a sign of my personal growth because I really rather enjoyed it. The nuclear weapons theme is perhaps a bit obvious but otherwise, full of interesting stuff.
Fine, I dont think id ever listen again. Second listen was a struggle I dunno
This album deserves a closer listen than I was able to give it this time. Really interesting and quite diverse musically.
Never heard before, very cool mix to ethnic lo-fi beats slash trip-hop, would definitely seek a physical copy ⭐⭐⭐⭐
wish it was more dnb. Interesting listen though. Meditative vibes
Generic, repetitive and boring. More British mediocrity.
Not for me
Some interesting fusion ideas. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. I won't listen to it again.
An intriguing listen. Something very different to what has been presented so far on this list. Some great tunes, some others forgettable, but nice to hear some cultural diversity.
I enjoyed it, can see the inspiration from middle eastern music heavily throughout the second half of the album
Fine. An additional installment in the continuing series of music played in a clothing store I don’t shop at. Wait, the theme of this album is nuclear weapons?
This one surprised me. I thought it might be more techno electronic stuff, and maybe a little, but this wasn’t bad. A little long in places but interesting.
It was fine.
An absolutely gorgeous album. It has some amazing rhythms and the backdrop of nuclear weapons is haunting.
Kept checking to see if it was almost over.
Enjoyed this way more than any other I've heard in the genre. Felt like it had a story.
people lowk made it sound like this was shit based off the reviews but I quite enjoyed it for the most part and found the sound unique in some aspects
I didnt know this and was blown away. There was so much to enjoy here. I loved the Portishead sounding stuff, the drum n bass and the world music. It engaged me from the first second to last and i managed 2 listens. A couple of filler tracks brings it down a notch, but a great find.
It was meh at best. I am all for trying different styles within the same album but most songs genuinely sucked and eventually I couldn't even put it as a background noise as it distracted me. Though the mix of traditional indian music and modern indie was definitely something cool, just wish there were more flavour to them. 2/5
My ears were tortured for 1 hour by Indian electronic music. Some songs performed by the lady with good voice. Some songs are not too bad. Overall it is not music for me.
Actually thought this was really cool and enjoyable! Very interesting.
Maybe I just don’t get it?
indian
The Hindu influence here is pure wasted potential. Visually and conceptually it’s intriguing, but the music itself is underwhelming. It lacks rhythmic impact and depth; the tracks just blend into the background without leaving any lasting impression or memorable highlights.
The vocals are so irritating and cringeworthy; the fusion aspects sound so insincere Tides was beautiful, there's a small instrumental section of Homelands that was also gorgeous
3.5 Pretty good, loved a couple songs, skipped a couple
I should listen to more of his work
meh
love it
Unfortunately this is just not very interesting. Searching through the songs looking for melodies. The only thing that can be said it is atmospheric. Not much else though.
Pretty cool stuff. Listenable and interesting blend of sounds. This feels like a direct precursor to some of the stuff Four Tet blends into his electronic compositions and I love Four Tet. I’m not sure about some of the vocals. And it feels like it’s meant to be about something important but that’s not really layered into the songs much, so it’s a little half-hearted. Still, interesting stuff, I’m glad this is on here even if it probably wouldn’t be on my personal list.
so interesting, this album was a vibe
A lot of people really don’t like this album from the reviews. Honestly, it wasn’t my favorite but I found it a lot more interesting to listen to than other stuff on this list. Not really for me but I actually did like it and found the fusion to be fun to listen to.
DNF; got around halfway through before i thought i’d heard what i needed to form an opinion. interesting mix of sounds but just.. a little confusing? not for me
Album Review 043 Beyond Skin by Nitin Sawhney (1999) Rating 4/5 In the late 90’s, it seemed that every other complication album released in the UK was of “Ibiza Chill” and on face value Beyond Skin sounds like typical, generic music that you’d hear on one of these records. However, listen a little more closely and you’ll hear something with a lot more depth and complexity. On Beyond Skin, Sawhney fuses something I’ll lazily call down-tempo electronic chill-out with elements of classical, jazz, drum & bass, and Indian influences to create something special. Beyond Skin speaks of the need for global peace and racial inclusivity and is one of the best “new-to-me” albums I’ve heard in a long time.
Yeah, not for me. A strange choice for the list
3.
10/10
This was fun! I enjoyed "Broken Skin" and "Letting Go." I enjoyed how they referenced Oppenheimer quoting the Bhagavad Gita — "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds".
I was not familiar with this artist at all. Kinda why we do this right? It was an interesting listen, maybe a little too all over the place?
Pretty good
Downtempo electronica with lots of influences from Indian music. Interesting idea and there were some great rhythms but it was overall a bit flat and boring for me.
Chill-out vibes with rich Indian samples and smooth electronic textures. Relaxing and culturally layered—easy to enjoy without demanding attention.
Not bad
3.5/5
Un sonido nuevo para mí.
I’m seeing new colors Favs: "Letting Go," "Nadia," and "The Conference"
Interesting sounds, global atmosphere, and engaged lyrics that made me go back for a second listen.
Some good songs, some kinda annoying skips. I enjoyed the first half of this, but found myself losing interest towards the end
Never heard of him and this is almost 30 yrs old. Maybe if I heard it back then it might sound better than it does today. I found it kinda generic and not all that inventive. Her vocals were nice but boring, the Indian instruments and singing added flavor but not impact. "Homelands" was the only track with over 1M listens and I was annoyed by it from the outset. Poor man's Thievery Corporation with female vocals, Indian influences and hip-hop thrown in. I was drifting off to sleep by the 6th song. Apparently this is about the hardships of being Indian in England? This is yet another Brit album that never hit anywhere else that we're all being forced to endure but you should not consider this a must-listen before you die album. 1.5 stars, didn't enjoy it - no hits, no impact stateside, no longevity and no real joy on it.
That was Jazzy and funky and rappy.
Not as expected, bit of a slog
Weird elevator music
Objectively bad.
Why would you make me listen to that
I have never heard this befor today. This is dope. Different. I didn’t know what to expect from song to song. A must listen for music connoisseurs.
Somehow when I saw the album cover I "knew" the top rating on the ratings page would be a 1 star. I actually thought it was pretty cool, this album. Only song I found questionable was the one with rap early on. I'm incredibly hungover
More electronic dance and this was globally influenced it sounds like. It was fine not my thing and remember nothing.
Experimentellt, emotionellt, riktigt bra!
Nothing special but a fun listen, covers were good. Can see how this went on to influence the pop punk to come including the childishness of it.
Preferred it when it was going full weird world music rather than the 90s rnb it started with
This was an interesting one. There were parts that were really cool and atmospheric, and genuinely could’ve pushed a 5, then there were songs that were really dated and dragged it down. I appreciated the blend of trip hop and Indian music though, so I am feeling generous and not marking it down too harshly.
eerste nummers vond ik wel goed, maar later zaten er echt een aantal die ik niet mooi vond.
Not my jam
enjoyed this way more than I thought I would
Interesting Indian pop/electronic music. Pitchfork: n/a Rolling Stone: n/a Best Songs Nadia
Another album everyone hates? This is gonna be fun... It might just be due to the fact that I'm more in tune with music from other cultures, but I really enjoyed this one. The odd pair of Hindustani vocal traditions and downtempo "drum and bass music" is strangely captivating and creates an interesting atmosphere. The album does go on for a bit too long, as most 90's albums tend to do, and I don't think this style of music fully captures the grand ambitions that Sawhney had for this project. Nevertheless, I still appreciate it for going for an understated and intimate mood rather than an overblown one. Standout Tracks: Broken Skin, Pilgrim, Serpents, Anthem Without Nation, Beyond Skin Score: B-
irgendwie tolle soundscapes. und beats.
Irgendwie finde ich den Zugang nicht
Nah man. Indian r and b politico jams.
It was good. I love the Indian vibe
This was an interesting little album! Honestly one of the better British electronica albums I’ve been forced to listen to for this project (and there’s been like 20 of them). A nice variety here, from trip hop to rap to instrumentals (Tides is an absolutely beautiful composition), to more experimental ambient pieces. Not my favorite thing I’ve ever heard, but I dug a lot of it! Cool!
I want to give 1 stars. I really do. I REALLY do. It's bland and pretentious. If modern art was an album. Superficially "philosophical" and "socially conscious" and "cultural" to try and mask the lack of any real talent. However, some of the piano work is rather nice. The instrumental track "Tides" is quite nice. And I wanna reward the piano playing by bumping it up a star. But man, everything else. Actually, you know what. Back to 1 star for you. Just looked at the album cover again. Absolutely awful. Disgusting. Don't wanna think of it again.
2.8 First listen I thought this might be interesting, second listen I realised it just not interesting to me. Obviously some sort of concept going on here that I'm missing, particularly when I'm on airplane mode mid-flight. There's nothing particularly bad here, it seems to flit around various different types of music without being too annoying in the process, it just really doesn't achieve anything or show me anything that I enjoy in the process.
This was super interesting. I read that it was Jazz mixed with Indian and I thought for sure I wouldn't like it, however once I got into it I thought it was pretty cool. I wouldn't have guessed that I'd like it. I probably won't listen again, but Nitin did an amazing job fusing the genres and made something that was really compelling.
очень в сторону от того к чему я привыкла (особенно эта реп-интерлюдия с така-така-тааак), много такое слушать не смогу
Really, really liked this. Fascinating man - take a look at his bio and the artists with whom he's worked.
Now we’re traveling into unknown territory (for me). Obviously, a very layered, serious work by an accomplished artist. Lots of new and old sounds, Asian and English, acoustic and electronic, blended into a heady international mix. I see this album is listed as a 1999 release but it could be from last year. All that keeps this from being a five-star for me is a certain New Agey-ness that seeps in occasionally and the fact that my ears are too damn old. But my rating may actually go up at some later date.
Hard pass
I really enjoyed the first two songs. And then i dont know what happened to the rest of this album. It's experimental for sure. But damn this was tough. Immigrant very much gave me Disney movie vibes.
Not a fan
Bit weird, especially the lofi jazz tune with nuclear excerpts
This was ok, but didn't leave big marks.
It was (checks notes…) this morning that I wrote a review for Beth Orton's monstrosity of an album that I included - "If the author(s) feel like dolling out a slot on this list to every UK artist that gets a Mercury Prize nomination waved in their direction this is going to be a very trying ordeal." I can add no more to that. I am however doubting the capabilities of the Mercury Prize in their taste of music. 2/5
An instant classic… in the genre of ‘records specifically engineered to clear a room.’ Bland, derivative Indian spa-lounge drivel that somehow manages to be both irritating and completely forgettable.
I thought this was really interesting!
I liked this way more than I thought I was going to. If you need a vibe record this is a good one.
3 out of 5. Some good songs here like Tides and Immigrant but otherwise ok music.
Nothing really stood out but I appreciated it for the fact it wasn’t more guitar music and it brought a range of influences to the table.
I do think Nitin Sawhney is an underrated artist, but being completely objective, this particular album is a bit too safe and MOR to really excite. Some tracks are more interesting (‘nadia’, ‘homelands’) but some are very bland indeed. Appears to be aiming for a fusion of Indian and (at the time) modern British genres but the genre fluidity could have been better served by being a bit more focussed as we seem to move from trip hop to drum and bass to chillout all in the sis e of a few tracks. I also think the album concept, of the existential threat of an indo-Pakistani war and nuclear proliferation simultaneously is a bit too on the nose at times and lacking in others.
Some interesting songs and sounds, but not enough replay value
Good but forgettable.
It’s good but not for me
Some sounds are very much of the time, but overall a strange and different-sounding album, I liked it
Some beautiful sounds here. Love the theming. There’s a couple of weird tracks but overall liked it.
Surprising how contemporary this feels. The eastern influence has become far more prominent in music since this was released.
It seems this is another album where it's only real accomplishment is that it's on this list. I wasn't expecting much, but thankfully it is not bad. Some strong chill-wave vibes. Things did start to sound the same after about the 3rd or 4th song but not annoyingly so. If you're looking for some decent background music, look no further.
Fusion of Indian Ragas/Jazz/Electronic/Pop, well executed. Another good find from the list. Favorite track: Homelands other picks: Immigrant, Tides, Broken Skin
9.3/10
Intended to have a strong message but is sonically very boring
Not sure what to make of this album but I'm carefully intrigued
I feel like the first half of the album was really good, but from Nadia to Nostalgia it took a nosedive in quality. A really interesting and unique album, similar to the Talvin Singh one I had a while ago, although a bit more trip-hop like.
What an interesting album! I personally really liked it, enough to listen twice (I was somewhat distracted the first time, and felt like I didn't properly take it all in) and I think it's well deserving of its place on the list. People need to remember this list isn't "1001 best albums of all time", it's "1001 albums you must hear before you die". To me that means these albums should be interesting or noteworthy, not necessarily good. With that in mind, I think this album well and truly belongs on this list - it's a fusion of genres, telling a story in reverse chronology about nuclear warfare, xenophobia and the British-Asian experience, and It's a stoke of genius to connect those things via Oppenheimer's famous quoting of the Bhagavad Gita. Throw on top of it that I like the music, it kept me engaged and interested and vibing throughout... And it's an easy 5.
I like to think I have pretty eclectic taste in music, but this was a little too eclectic for even me. Favorite track: Homelands
This was well done and a very interesting fusion
It’s not that I think the criticism of this album is invalid - it does sound at times like weird coffee shop music, it is overly disparate - but I guess I just liked the overall effect. Every time I thought I knew what it was it went a different way. I felt stoned af and had absolutely the best nap of my life after listening to this. No idea why it’s here.
This album is really all over the place, and not in a good way. Pretty boring listen. Def didn’t need to hear this before I died. I wanted to give it a bonus point for being thematically interesting but the message gets lost in the mud.
Interesting record. Probably not one I will listen to a lot, but I’m glad I’ve heard it.
Pretty varied and entertaining. Had no clue what to expect but was good to listen to altough not great
Excellent album. Had never heard of Sawhney before and definitely never heard this music. Really, really good stuff.
Broken Skin 3 Letting Go 2.7 Homelands 3 The Pilgrim 2.4 Tides 3.3 Nadia 2.3 Immigrant 2.6 Serpents 2.4 Anthem Without Nation 2 Nostalgia 1.8 The Conference 2 Beyond Skin 2.3 Score: 2.483333333
Interesting Indian motifs and piano but didn't connect with me
home cooking again. Thought parts of this were ok, but not deserving of repping 1999.
I actually thought this was pretty good. It is a bit of a background style, but I enjoyed the south asian influence in the songs combined with the late 90's early aughts euro dance influences. It's pleasant, easy to listen to and unobtrusive. I don't think it's terribly standout but I liked it.
Это современное индийское звучание ну совсем не мое
Nuclear war themed, quiet india Broken skin Letting go
Hookah tunes
Альбом не пришелся мне по вкусу, но было интересно послушать для разнообразия.
Beaucoup de choses dans cet album, il ne laisse pas indifférent ! Je ne sais pas si j'aime ou pas. Peut être quelque part entre les deux !
Some songs were pretty good. Some sounded like toilet noises.
Complex blend of genres that ultimately fell flat for me.
Favorite Track: Letting Go
Mysig inledning, sen blev det sämre… Men är ändå inte superdåligt, tokig näst sista(?) låt som piggade upp.
So far the sampling on track 3 are the most interesting. Combination of Indian and Latin tones. Nice groove. First two tracks are more mild in tone. Trip hopi but maybe a bit to clean for me. Tides has some very nice piano. Nadia is a strong one that I know previously from an amazing rendition of Jeff Beck. Immigrant is nice but a bit to long. Which I feel like like it's something that's going to affect the scoring of this. 8 is not good, and too long. I'm happy it's over. Not a great one. Some very good highlight on the first half but overall, too long and not inspired enough. Not something that I'm going back to. But the positives are there So it's a flat 2.
Quite an experimental mix of electronica and trip hop
A 3, since as a whole the sum was a little better than the parts. Not always a great listen, tho. But a more unique entry on the list anyway. 3/5
There is nothing interesting, memorable, or essential about this. 1/5.
Loved it
”Pilgrim” var en riktigt fet låt. Annars för daterad 90-tals-lounge-drum-n-bass
Passar inte min smaaak.
känns som ett mkt intelligent album
Ett för städat hem är inte ett mysigt hem. Samma med musik. Beyond skin är inte dåligt men för polerat för att ens väcka en förnimmelse av känsla i min sargade själ.
Not my jam
The most surprising thing to me is that this album came out in 1999. I listened and still listen to a lot of electronic music from the late 90's and early 00's, but this one has a production and style that feels like it is more recent. I liked the laid back feel of it and a lot of what it is doing. The style of the Indian music mixed in is not my thing, but I do like the overall vibe and production enough to give it a 3.5 or 4 on this scale.
3.5 I’d say, but not enough to round up. A couple fun vibes, overall kind of forgettable.
I thought it was fine. But I can't figure out why it's on this list. Did someone have dirt on the author or something?!
Whos this knock of Q-tip on the 4th song?? Quite interesting, its quite a lot like some massive attack stuff, namely the blue lines album. I like the jungle (perhaps) influences, and some of the slower drum breaks are great. The guest singers are quite good, and very varied, which I suppose helps keep things interesting. Some songs are a bit too long especially ones where there's just a repeating vocal thing, and not too much else happening. The themes of Indian heritage are cool and the nuclear weapons theme is also interesting, pretty sure its related to the India/Pakistan border conflict. The Oppenheimer quote is cool as well. Not too much else to say, functions quite well as background music. Favourite songs: broken skin, letting go, homelands, tides, Nadia, immigrant, serpents, probably some more I missed. Overall around 6/10 (feels close to 7)
Interesting at least
I don't know what all the nuke stuff was about but I liked this way more than I should have
So the first three songs were pretty mellow and relaxing. I was thinking this is a two, maybe even three star album I was listening to. Then came an unlikeable rap song by someone that sounded like Q-Tip. After that, pure nails on a chalkboard.
Music for the lobby toilets of upscale Montreal hotels.
There's some really cool trip hop here, but the album's too inconsistent to make a lasting impact on me. Some of it is great. Sitar was already played out when this record was released, but the Indian instruments and singing feel much more authentic here than in most songs that use them. I didn't read anything about this album, but I assume artist is a Brit of Indian origin, and that would make sense for the successful blending of styles. I think I like the use of piano in some tracks even more. Still, much of this record sounds dated, especially the Massive Attack style coffee-shop rapping that is taken too seriously here as if it were the highlight of a track instead of texture added to a track, which is why I think Massive Attack's use of it holds up, but it doesn't hold up here. There are some gems on this record that I'd like to hear again, but I'm not into the album as a whole. My OAD project is about celebrating the full album format, and this record just doesn't do it for me. It's not bad by any means. I just don't care. Three stars.
Dang
Gostei do álbum apesar de não ser meu estilo. Muita canção em língua não inglesa (incluindo português) o que achei muito positivo. Celest x Versekeys Ultra-Sense Planet.
Swings between tedious and annoying, usually some combination of both.
Ok listen.
Absolutely in love with some of the songs but, songs like "Anthem Without a Nation", while impactful just made me so bored i felt like stopping listening. I just think as an album it sort of lost steam at some points but overall really ethereal. "Broken Skin" and "Beyond skin" are impeccable.
Ambitious effort, creating a concept album about nuclear weapons, but it comes across a little pretentious, and the musicality is lacking any real depth or interest. The exception being the nutty "The Conference", which is the first song on the album that really grabbed my attention. Pity it took until the second last song for that to happen. Overall, an interesting idea, but not executed very well.
Mellow, boring jazzy electronica with some Eastern music sprinkled in. No new ground broken here. Songs regarding nuclear war? The American folk music scene is the 60s covered that. Incorporating Indian musical influences? The Beatles did it better. Another album that's only on the 1001 list because of the editor's bias toward UK acts.
Interesting and the topic is important but not something I want to listen to more than once.
This is a mix of interesting ideas... but it lacked music.
Good album. Pleasant trip hop sounds with Indian fulourishes for your late 90’s dinner party. Need more grist in my mill.
Huh.
Good
With the screaming dude on the album cover and the subject matter about nuclear weapons, I half-expected some industrial clatter instead of South Asian-inflected pop. Fair enough, but is the pop music that's on this record interesting or moving in any way? Does it have any emotional weight? Not in the slightest. On this album all of the eggs were put in the production basket and little attention was paid to actual composition or songcraft. For an album that centers on such a heavy topic, the whole thing leaves no impact whatsoever.
Never heard this album before or of this artist. Really like a lot of this album. Really creative, really interesting.
A concept album about nuclear weapons. Begins with India's nuclear testing and ends with Robert Oppenheimer. Tracks rotate through several genres: orchestral, jazz, electronic dance, rap, MOR soft rock, scat. Arrangements featuring both western and Indian instruments and styles. Overall, I found it to be an enjoyable listen. I could hear this being played in a coffeehouse or spa. Favorites: "Homelands" and "Tides"
It was an interesting experience. Indian background elevator music with pseudo deep lyrics. Nice try. Excellent choice for 1001 Albums I Must Hear Before I Die. (No) If I get stoned, I’ll definitely play “The Conference” again. —————————————— Liked: — Broken Skin — Letting Go — Nostalgia — The Conference
++: Broken Skin, The Pilgrim, Serpents +: Homelands, Tides, Immigrant, The Conference, Beyond Skin +-: Letting Go, Nadia, Nostalgia -: Anthem Without Nation 5,0/10