Reviews (page 4 of 8)
Half chill coffee shop soundtrack, half anxiety inducing nightmare. (ntm.)
I feel I should like it... Got some vibes about it. But it's a no from me
Hand crafted for the most boring humanities professor at Uni to put on at his dinner party
Maybe I just don't get it, but I've no idea what the fuck that was. The only reason it gets a 2 was because Nadia was decent
Ten times out of ten I’d rather have lo-fi electronica than repetitive techno beats. That being said, it works as background beats but not as much as an album. Its a little disjointed in that regard.
Love them or hate them, albums like this are exactly what this list should have more of. Something likely completely different to what you're used to listening to. They won't always be great, and this album is far from reaching that, but I always appreciate having my musical tastes challenged by something a little bit different.
J'aimais bien au début, mais plus ça avancait, plus les lamentations indiennes me tapaient sur les nerfs
I really liked some Indian/south Asian elements. It gave me some zen moment.. Just checked the background of the album. I believe the intention/motifs were way bigger than what the album actually delivered. My type of music is about everyday life, happiness, sorrow/emotion reliefs, helping me to focus, etc. all about positivities. Nuclear weapons.. global warming etc won’t fall into any of the categories. Music wise it’s just ok. South Asian music is good but it is not AR Rahman level good. 3.5 for me.
They had me in the first half, not gonna lie. It was shaping up to be a decent one listen, 3 rating but the use of words as notes on the very repetitive DJ mixes killed it for me. Both Serpents and The Conference tanked it for me. I am cool with words and lyrics not being in English, and quite enjoy that sometimes, but with the electronic rave music behind it and the pacing it just felt less like music and more like sensory overload. It felt like when you fell asleep watching tv and wake up to an infomercial playing on loop.
i enjoyed this one! I loved the combo of western Asia sounds mixed with new school techno sounds. not sure how many opportunites i would take to listen to this in the future, so i probably wouldn't give it a four, but i definitely appreciated it!
I listened to this a few days ago and just realized I hadn’t rated it. I listened to it while working and had no complaints, and the mix of different cultures was interesting, I just don’t remember much else about it.
I am all over the place with this album. I absolutely love some songs, and others I hate. Overall, it's a positive experience, and definitely had me engaged and interested the whole time. This probably would have been a 4 if it wasn't almost an hour long.
Not sure how much I'd listen to it day-to-day but interesting and well-executed.
This was an interesting one, though a little disjointed across tracks. I appreciated the pull from various styles, especially on “The Conference.”
Didn't enjoy it, felt like it didn't know what it wanted to be. Didn't finish.
Some cool moments, I like the mix of eastern and western music. Much prefer the instrumental tracks and Indian music to the 90s British “trip hop” thing that I’ve already said in other reviews i find really annoying. Glad i listened tho
At first I was wondering why the reviews were so overwhelmingly negative. It starts off as mostly a boring triphop album that doesn't pick up or go anywhere. And then it just gets annoying.
The good news is that this albums sole fear of complete nuclear annihilation has yet to happen. “Letting Go” had some really good vocal runs, it really stuck me even if it went on for a bit too long. The album takes on a lot of different sounds and genres to get to my favorite “Nadia”. More turn of the century DnB with some atmospheric chords floating around in the background. This project has no sonic cohesion from song to song, yet it’s also well-produced/performed. Some of my favorite subgenres, some wildly forgettable songs too. And for an album that wants to get into the exploration of the atomic bomb, it doesn’t dig that deep into ideas of mortality or consequence. Wanted more from this, but didn’t hate it, 2/5
Haunting melodijos.
Beyond Skin is a one-of-a-kind album on this list when you factor in the Indian influence, the nuclear war topic, and the electronic genre. Each song is unique, like the classic jazz in "Tides," the hip hop in "The Pilgrim," or the Indian drums and backing violin in "Homelands." Using so many genres allows Nitin Sawhney to bring the east and the west together, and the topic of nuclear war is quite the choice to bind the album together. Now that the world is connected, the fear of a nuclear war remains. This album is undoubtedly a concept album; the English narrative drives the story while Sawhney honors his heritage by incorporating Indian aspects into his exploration of other genres. Perhaps no song does this better than the title song, which happens to be the last song on the album. Hip hop melds into classical Indian singing with a western orchestra. Musically and thematically, "Beyond Skin" is a great wrap up for this album as we hear Oppenheimer say his famous line taken from the Bhagavad Gita, "Now I am become death." Good music can transcend language. Singing in Hindi is so beautiful, and with the spoken-word narrative pieces driving the story, we don't require a translation. With descriptive titles like "Anthem Without Nation" and emotive singing, the listener understands. In fact, I was almost annoyed when the English vocals began in "Immigrant"! "The Conference" contains fast, ever-increasing Indian vocals that depict a world conference in which world leaders don't listen to one another. Sawhney uses samples, and his guest vocalists are talented. The guest vocals of Swati Natekar on "Nadia" are stunning. The backing, harmonizing Indian vocals in "Immigrant" are almost hymn-like. "Serpents" sounds very much like it's meant for Bharatanatyam, a classical dance from Tamil Nadu, though this could be projection. Truly, I want to give Beyond Skin a 5, but the English singing was too frequent and too unappealing to me. Yes, I understand English, but at what cost to the album's integrity? The music was way more beautiful in the Indian languages. 4.5
This was a unique listen! It takes typical jazz and infuses it with Eastern (particularly Indian) sounds to make something pretty distinctive! The combination works really well and has a very meditative quality about it. It is apparent that world events were on Sawhney's mind when creating this album, as it is bookended by the track "Broken Skin" and the title track, "Beyond Skin", both of which allude to nuclear conflict and destruction.
Just bad
Es ist ein klanglich vielseitiges Album mit politischem Anspruch, verliert sich aber oft in seiner Konzeptlastigkeit. Trotz interessanter Ansätze fehlt es an emotionaler Tiefe und musikalischer Klarheit. Ambitioniert, aber nicht ganz überzeugend.
Ik ken deze artiest zowaar. Het nummer 'Nadia' heb ik een keer op een radiozender gehoord en daarna in een playlistje gegooid. De rest van het album zegt me verder niks. Dat 'Nadia' is een soort drum 'n bass/breakbeat-achtige toestand. Verder krijg je op dit album ook wat chill-achtige muziek met wat lekkere wereldse invloeden in zowel percussie, andere instrumenten maar ook stemmen. Jazz invloeden ook. Ik lees dat veel mensen zich hier bij vervelen, maar ik vind dit toch wel een heel fijn album om aan te hebben staan. Er is voor mij genoeg variatie om absoluut niet saai te zijn en de productie is als een heerlijk warm dekentje zo op de headset. Ik ga 5 sterren geven.
Unexpectedly amazing
A long and weird mix of jazz, downbeat electronica, and world(?) music, tied together by the impending doom of nuclear war. Certainly has some low moments (tikitikitatikitikita for one), but still a creative and fascinating album.
Pues parecía música de Inditex, pero luego mejora bastante. Me ha gustado.
I somehow like the fusion of british pop and Indian / SE asian music. Most of the time it actually works quite good. This mix also comes with a downside as repetition, like a kind of mantra, is excessively present. You will also find this in the albums of M.I.A. And this gets boring after some time. Nonetheless, this album is still quite listenable.
Is that a dude's voice?
How on earth did this make it in to the 1001 list!
I really liked this. I recently learned about Indian Konnakol, the tongue-twisting scatting in some of the later verses. Hindi language sounds naturally musical to me.
Was thinking, “man, I might like this a lot more if it leaned more instrumental.” Then Tides came & I think that’s one of the best songs I’ve heard yet. & the track following was pretty good too. I don’t like trip-hop & this is like what our third one?? Cmon mannn
My patience is being tested
Bollywood theme
Some interesting pieces here. Nothing to write home about.
I thought this was an interesting blend of European electronic and SE Asian sounds/themes. Overall, it was fairly enjoyable but not exactly what I would call exciting.
What a real mess of an album. The styles sometimes really clash with each other. Sometimes they're incredibly beautiful. The one thing that really stuck out to me was that the album really didn't seem to have a sonic direction. There were some really jarring differences from one song to the next that just didn't flow. Maybe a reorganization of the track listing would help, who knows. Despite this being a bit of a train wreck, it's not so much that it's a 1.
Not into really vanity products. But this was very enjoyable, although not sure will listen to it again.
Overall not bad, a little all over the place.. A few songs stood out to me much more than others. Tides was fantastic, will listen to that one again. Enjoyed the piano heavy bits.
The nuclear weapon theme was interesting on paper but the album itself bored me
I had to turn this off.
This was really good!!! The sounds were so interesting and deep and I could see myself listening more. Wonderful music to work to too.
a 3.5 rounded up to a 4 for me - super different and interesting! i agree with the reviewer that mentioned FKA twigs. this is genre-bending avant pop. it's not always my favorite sound, but it's certainly a breath of fresh air on this list.
this was cool, and i ended up listening a few times since it got better the more i heard it. the music is overall pretty chill, but the subject matter of identity and nuclear war really pays off repeated/deeper listens. love that the groove and genre (and even language) of the songs changes up enough to keep things interesting without it all just sounding like a ripoff of massive attack. some of the tracks are a bit too long for my liking but that comes with the territory. 4.5 but i'm gonna give it 5 stars because of the haters in the comments B) favorites: broken skin, letting go, homelands, tides, nadia
Why?
I liked the subtle strings and vocals in this one, but the whisper singing at times takes me out. I feel like Erykah Badhu could've knocked this out of the park. The whole music with a message thing, adding in different aspects of World Music is a nice effort but it feels tacked on. Not sure if this really needed to be on this list.
Thievery Corporation, Zero 7, Massive Attack and many others are making the exact same type of music. I guess this one is supposed to be interesting because it has Spanish and Indian influences? And yeah that’s usually pretty dope but I found this album put me in a coma with how boring it was. A classic case of British Bias.
Glad I didn't buy this book. I know music is objective and you have to include all genres but this album is a "must" listen before I die. Come on guys? Terrible
Haven’t listened to anything quite like this, although it pulls from other genres and sounds that I guess I’m familiar with. It’s lovely and emotional. It’s also aged really well; I was surprised when I checked the date and saw 1999. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. It really engrossed me.
Don't understand all the hate this is getting..really nice vibes all around
3,5
This was so cool. I had never heard of Nitin Sawhney before today, but I absolutely loved this album. Nearly every track sounded different from the others and they were just chock full of cool interesting sounds, rhythms, techniques and instruments. I really enjoyed it and listened to it twice. Five stars.
This is the most confusing album I've ever heard. It doesn't seem to have a specific genre. Some of the songs are pretty good and some are pretty bad. I think I have to give it a 3/5 because I just can't tell if it's good or not.
I had never heard of this artist before this recommendation. The album has a calm sound, but the topics it covers are incredibly heavy. A downtempo album covering the anxiety around nuclear testing is ambitious. Letting the lyrics come to the forefront of the songs was a successful choice to allow the words to sit with the listener, but the instrumentals were a bit boring. There is a meditative quality to the album that makes it feel more like poetry than traditional music - but then that begs the questions if there is a relevant difference between poetry and music - so I can appreciate the exploration Sawhney offers. Homelands stands out on this album due to the rhythmic vocals. Everything in that track plays off of each other well, and the percussion was by far my favorite off of the whole album. Pilgrim was a pretty weak track in my eyes - it tries to come off poignant but feels very "lyrical miracle spiritual." It wants to come off vulnerable and thoughtful, but says a lot of nothing. The entire album's goal is to use repetition to create a meditative quality - but using that idea with rap makes the lyricism come off grating and confused. Would I listen to this again? Probably not, as it just didn't engage me. I respect why the album was made to be simplistic, but it also felt like the easiest interpretation one could have gone with. Mixing "traditional" instruments, with orchestral sounding strings and audio samples from news bites is the most straightforward use of juxtaposition one could go with.
A few ok tracks, few bad ones and lot of just eh. Clearly not an album anyone really needs to listen too.
Maybe a track or 2 that held my attention (Tides was one) but even they were middling compositions and a bit cheesy although well meaning (I guess?).
Hard time getting through this. Didn't like any of it.
I really disliked this album. Way to many songs I wanted to just skip.
Interesting world album, marrying traditional Indian singing with some western musical ideas. The tonguong speed for 'The Conference' is off the charts fast!
Es interesante el escuchar un poco de música india con unas buenas producciones y arreglos originales.
Boring late 90's electronic music but make it Indian. Just to be clear, I'm giving it 1 because it's terrible, not for any more nefarious reasons.
At its best, it’s pleasant background noise, but I’m afraid I found a lot of this quite boring and it gets pretty grating towards the end. Not for me.
already listened to it. good album, lots of interesting themes. not rly my thing but can respect the artistry
Not unlistenable, but you know...not...seeking it out?
I enjoyed this. I think the concept is sound and the individual songs as listenable as the whole album. I'll probably listen again, hence 4/5.
Not a bad album to work to.
2.3/i was relieved when it finally finished. i get that you want to make a piece of protest art but this just felt so pretentious
Amazing album. Soul and East Indian together. So great 4.5/5
A worthy listen, but a 1 timer. Seems very of its era. 2.5/5
This is one of those albums that is sometimes a two-star, sometimes a four star, depending upon my state of mind. Sometimes, an exploration of other cultures within mainstream music. Sometimes an over-indulgence of ethnic noodling. And with a vague nuclear weapon theme. On average - 3-star.
Back in 1999 this did NOT sound like background music. It's hardly the artists fault that basically everything in the girl-studies-with-background-music youtube channel sounds like this. Not that this is the inspiration for an entire genre, at all. It's just that now that finally I get a respite from all this British and North American rock and pop artists I go and read the reviews for this album, from a severely underrepresented country, and I get to read some serious nonsense.
Well, OK, again nothing bad but nothing really good
Down tempo, a mix of styles. A few standout songs like Homeland. And some that had unexpected vocal rhythms like Serpents and The Conference. If I hadn't read the Wikipedia page, would have not guessed at the theme of the album - until the last song, maybe.
Nice variety. Not sure what this category is... "atmospheric jazz"? Somewhat contrasting tone to the seriousness of the underlying subject, but I found I enjoyed this.
A little too ethereal for my tastes.
Two beautiful tracks in, and I'm genuinely shocked that there are *any* one star reviews of this album, let alone, apparently, lots. I shall rise above my indignation, and resume writing this when I've heard the rest... So, I really enjoyed the whole thing. Measured and thoughtful chill-out vibes; hypnotically beautiful at times. Several stand-out tracks. Homelands, Immigrant. Tides is a beautiful jazzy instrumental that reminded me a bit of some of David Sylvian's post-Japan stuff. I can't claim to have got very far exploring the subject-matter, as this was my first listen. But it brought cohesion. So, a cohesive album and also coherent (well - apart from The Conference) despite the mixture of styles (described by the artist as "a mixture of Indian classical music, flamenco, acoustic drum and bass, hip-hop, jazz and soul"). I'll be listening again, for sure.
Nice although a bit too much of its time
at best it's indian sade. at worst it just boring and little cringe. very interesting concept (?) but the execution is really messy overall
very progressive for the year it was released
When I'm checking after every track to see when the torture ends, I know it's just not for me.
Urban rainstorm taxi music
Did not listen to whole album.
Got a bit of a smooth jazz vibe. Some great world music influences.
The first two songs had me interested, then it totally lost me musically. This is more of a statement than something to be enjoyed.
Suprising listening, I liked the different influences of western and eastern music styles and the up tempo drums in some of the songs. As a whole, not I project I will return to.
Pleasant album at times. It promises to be less bland than it sounds.
Gorgeous music
Shit
Nah.
Maybe a little overly dramatic, but in general I enjoyed the variety of styles.
Fun!
Chill and pretty good. Very enjoyable vibe and very calming. I liked it.
Conocí este artista por un recopilatoria de Café del Mar o algo de eso. Y aunque no encaja con mis gustos más generales si es algo que disfruto en dosis recomendadas. Me guardo: Broken skin, Homelands, Pilgrim, Nadia y The conference.
Beyond Skin – Nitin Sawhney (1999) | Electronic / World Fusion / Multi-Genre | Avg: 7.05 | Favorite Song: “Broken Skin”* This album really had me going back and forth. Beyond Skin is ambitious in scope and sonically diverse to the point of whiplash—sometimes in a good way, sometimes not. The opener, “Broken Skin,” hit me right away. It’s soulful, cinematic, and sets a strong emotional tone. But as the album unfolds, it becomes clear that this record is juggling a lot: smooth vocal ballads, sharp political interludes, abstract beat experiments, and some spoken word and rapping that doesn’t always feel locked in. From a reviewer’s standpoint, this is definitely a “high ceiling, wide floor” kind of album. When it lands, it’s powerful and inventive. But when it misses, it can feel unfocused or even grating. Some of the vocal textures hit the ear in a weird way, and a few moments felt like they were going for meaning over musicality. Still, I admire the intent behind all of it. Beyond Skin is aiming for something personal and global at once, and while it doesn’t always stick the landing, there’s a lot here that’s worth sitting with.
I doubt I would have ever listened to this album if it wasn’t for this site, and I’m glad I did. At its best it gives portishead / Massive attack vibes, but there’s two or three too many elements/genres trying to be mixed in here for it to fully work.
The only redeeming feature of this album is the artwork which clearly depicts my face when someone adds spoken word excerpts about nuclear war to hotel elevator muzak.
I already really like Broken Skin! It feels like a chill song I could do homework too, but I could also enjoy and appreciate the lyrical content. Other than that, some of the music isn’t for me. For example, The Conference is just rhythmic noise to me.
There are some cool songs on here but there are also some songs I hate. 4/10
Some pretty chill triphop, like most triphop is I guess. A lot of these tracks sound like something you'd hear on a Buddha Bar or Cafe del Mar compilation. I like the ongoing theme as well, brings cohesion to the album. Nice integration of eastern and western sounds throughout. Points for a Dream Warriors feature. I'll go back to this one. 4/5.
I swear I've heard this album before (despite its nearly non-existent sales). Couldn't put my finger on it until I went to a local Asian grocery. This is the album that plays over the speakers of shops that sell little pre-packed curry spices in small tourist towns for suburbanites who are too scared to go to an actual Indian grocery. I wouldn't go so far as to call it cultural appropriation, but that the artist is a Brit doesn't help that cause. Anywho. I consider this the highest-end elevator music I think I've ever heard. It is poignant and artistic without being pretentious - take notes prog rockers; it can be done. I get the message - nukes are bad - but he didn't have to beat me over the head with it, and the music is high quality. Not my bag, but if there's room in 1,001 albums for one near-classical elevator music example, I'm happy with this choice. Now if I come across a second elevator music album later . . . Zero influence, zero hits, but I didn't hate it. Great background music for a professional dinner party that I need to be average in every way. 2.5
Fine for what it is, but just not my thing.
An impressive album. I think it places being impressive over being enjoyable, though. It's a very cool concept and execution, but it wore out its welcome for me. I am very glad I've listened to it, but I would be slightly bummed if I had to listen to it again.
Quite lovely
I didn't overly enjoy this, but I'm glad I listened to it. I'm not a fan of this genre of 90s-00s electronica, but I liked the Indian twist put on it.
Definitely caught me off guard switching to Homelands from first 2 songs. I like Pilgrim NOT a fan of Nadia. Cannot remember the song, but the one with all the piano was beautiful. On second listen, it was Tides Not a fan of serpents, especially from 2:30-3:30ish Def not a fan of The Conference.
not really connecting with me 2/5
Definitely not my thing.
Interesting stuff happening here but the album didn't feel cohesive at all
Love the Indian fusion. Really y cool beats. Enjoyed
I felt pretty intrigued with the first half of this album. It sounded unique and was grooving to it. The Indian influences worked well on songs like Homelands and Pilgrim. Somewhere after Nadia I started feeling sort of bored and stopped paying attention closely. My attention perked up at The Conference, but not for the right reason because it was super strange. All in all, this feels like this lands in the 3 territory, but probably on the lower end of the spectrum.
I can absolutely get down with some soulful downtempo. For as unsettling a name as it has, Broken Skin vibes nicely with the strings and vocals. I will say this has a distinctly 90s aroma, but I honestly don't mind. Letting Go is an extremely tranquil downtempo jam as well. Love the little elements in the production poking through. Homelands is the first with a distinctly more "ethnic" sound, which is fitting I guess given the title. I really like the use of strings and hand-percussion. Pilgrim draws from a similar playbook of foreign instrumentation; however, with a more traditional hip-hop forward beat. Makes for an okay enough song. Tides is among my favorites on here. While it isn't terribly interesting, I just enjoy the calming piano and flow. Nadia is a toe dip into Dn'B with Middle Eastern vocals. Remainder of the album is fine, though The Conference is a bit much. I'll say this was an enjoyable enough album, but I found myself sort of growing tired of it through the second half. For that, I'll say this falls into high 3 territory.
There were moments where I thought this would land at a 5, but toward the end of the album the atmospheric aspects (Homelands, Tides) that I enjoyed seemed to fade away. This album paired nicely with a chilly overcast day.
Pretty relaxing album with the soft downtempo and singing. The Conference got a little nutty though with whatever the language that guy was singing in with the crazy words. Id say this is a respectful 3
This started out pretty solid but then I lost all focus from it after about 20 minutes in. I just don't think I'm a huge D&B fan, but I did enjoy some of the eastern influences on it. The Conference was definitely impressive af.
Nitin Sawhney's "Beyond Skin" is an album that starts with promise. It initially catches your attention with its meticulous production, creating a lush atmosphere, and certainly for the first few tracks, the intricate soundscape is engaging and draws you into its world. However, as the album progresses, a sense of monotony begins to set in. The initial intrigue wanes as the lack of dynamic range and variation becomes apparent. The album's consistent slow tempo and mellow mood, while initially soothing, ultimately results in a largely one-paced experience that struggled to maintain my interest over its 12-tracks. The carefully crafted soundscape, which began as a strength, becomes dull. I rate this at two stars. Would I listen to this album again? No. Would I buy this album? No. 1. "Broken Skin" - 3 2. "Letting Go"- 3 3. "Homelands" - 3 4. "The Pilgrim" - 2 5. "Tides"- 3 6. "Nadia" - 2 7. "Immigrant" - 2 8. "Serpents" - 3 9. "Anthem Without Nation" - 2 10. "Nostalgia" - 2 11. "The Conference" - 2 12. "Beyond Skin" - 2 Total - 29 Average - 2.42 86/1001
Best leuk!
interesting listen, though not my cup of tea
Another one just not great its been a rough week of 2s, sad!
Really liked, wondered what i was listening to at "the conference" but the album is very chill
I just listened to a poor man's Portishead at first, but then it shifted into something else entirely. It wasn't better than the trip-hop that came before. There are influences from Indian music that I appreciate. "Beyond Skin" mostly consists of worn-out electronic beats. It also seems to be the Ground Zero of "Chilled Out Beats to Study To" compilations on YouTube. 2 stars for "Beyond Skin".
Wooo this is a ride. SO GOOD
I didn't really know what to expect from this since the cover looked like a Sleep paralysis demon and I had never heard of this artist, but I was super impressed. It sounded like there was a lot of influence from Asian and African musical styles which was really intriguing. It was super unique and I really enjoyed the listen.
Concepts of the immigrant experience, nuclear proliferation, and globalist humanism wrapped in an Indian, trip hop, electronica package. Very, very, interesting. Evocative of some Massive Attack and Portishead. The sampling of Oppenheimer quoting The Bhagavad Gita helps marry the stylistic and thematic elements perfectly. The feminine vocalisation employed thoughout is compelling and at times chilling and helps set the tone for the album and songs beautifully. Then the sections in Hindi amplifying both the trance-like quality of the electronica base and rhythm of the music was excellent. Overall a fascinating approach to anti-nuclear advocacy and pacifism while emphasizing common humanity "Beyond Skin." Strong 4/5.
Some really good soft, touching songs in here. Some of the instrumentation (Flutes on Serpent) and vocalizing (like on The Conference) is pretty cool. Back half is a little weaker than the front half in my opinion. The concept is interesting but I don't really see the thematic tie between the soft chill vibe of some of the music and global thermonuclear war.
Definitely expanding my music horizons. I enjoyed the water sounds in "Tides" and Carnatic melodies throughout the album. Nothing stood out enough to warrant a save for me, a tad too electronic. Bjork coded but not as engaging
This is rather unusual and doesn't fit well into any genre - I had hopes, but in the end it was mostly annoying.
Bollywood meets London, a cultural mix of Asian and European, just wish I knew what 50% of the words were in some songs.
There were a few nice songs but I wasn't too bothered on the overall premise of the album.
Not sure why this is on the list. It is unique but not earth-shattering. Ok listen but will not listen again.
"Beyond Skin" is the fourth album by English musician, producer and composer by Nitin Sawhney. Downtempo and drum and bass are the Wiki-listed genres. Ah, they could have thrown a few more in. The album focuses largely on the theme of nuclear weapons and plays over a timespan that runs backwards from the 90's India-Pakistani nuclear situation to Robert Oppenheimer quoting the Bhagavad Gita "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." Sawhney uses s number of guest musicians and singers. Commercially, the album reached #44 in the UK. "Beyond Skin" begins the album with a man talking with an Indian accent in English. A downtempo beat, an organ and a synth with uplifting riffs. Sanchita Farroque comes in with a very soulful voice. There's people talking in the background about war. A song about the Indian-Pakistan nuclear situation. Strings begin "Homelands. There's Indian percussion (tabla), acoustic flamenco guitar and the strings. An interesting vocalist mix of Brazilian singer Nina Miranda and the Pakistani Rizwan Muazzam Qawwali. World music indeed. In "Tides," Sawhney stays straight-forward jazz with a piano and jazzy drumming. Simple and one of favorite songs on the album. "Nadia" combines Sanskrit lyrics/vocals with start-stop drum and bass beat. Two wonderful lead singers ,Nicki Wells and Ashwin Srinivasan, tell the story of two lovers on opposite ends of a river. As previously mentioned, the closing song "Beyond Skin" is back to the 1940's and Robert Oppenheimer. An American reporter describes a mushroom cloud. Various news report are followed by an acoustic guitar and a woman singing mournfully. The music covers a lot of styles: downtempo, Indian (Asian), trip hop, soul, jazz and drum and bass. There's also a fusion among these styles. A lot of different singers are used as well as languages. Sure, the album is bookended by historic nuclear war history but in between, Sawhney's songs appear very personal with his experience as an Indian (Asian) growing up in England. Overall, I liked the variety of music and vocalists. The experience was interesting and never boring. I recommend this for anyone willing to listen to or enjoys a variety of musical styles.
Really interesting listen, but I can't see myself reaching for it too often.
Soul 2 Dal
stick to yer nitin
All this easy listening stuff with heavy infusions of jazz, samples and electronica - which is my attempt at describing "Café del Mar" without using that exact phrase - was... very easy to listen to when it was the hot shit. And I did enjoy a lot of that back then (without being overly into it). Grand music to work on an essay/novel/lengthy email to, or to make love to your partner to, or to cook to, or to dust off your shelves to, or to stare blankly at the ceiling to. It sort of still is, but for some reasing it really hasn't aged well. Maybe because it carries a sort of carelessness and easy living attitude that's difficult to recapture these days. Both because of the state of the world - but also because I'm not in my 20s any more and there's just more responsibility and less time to work on some essay/novel/lengthy email, to make love to your partner, to cook, to dust off your shelves, or to stare blankly at the ceiling (except in depression, in which case this album doesn't help at all). Kind of a weird 3/5 because the world would be a better place if this was more easily enjoyable today. And aspiring to go back there isn't a bad thing.
⭐️ 1001 ALBUMS: # 77 Beyond Comprehension… What in the world did I just experience listening to this ‘music’, a messy blend of styles that lacks cohesion, is derivative and feels extremely didactic to the listener. Incorporating world music influences would be a fine approach with results that were at least somewhat entertaining, instead we are left to endure yodeling East Indian chants over random jazz, techno, hip hop and ambient soundscapes that sway between acoustic and upbeat pop textures. A head scratcher to say the least for how this should all be interpreted. 🎧 Least Objectionable Track: Broken Skin 🚫 Skip Track: Homelands While the overall theme of the album is impressive, the genre-hopping execution is disorienting and inconsistent leaving its flow to suffer. The pacing is scattered and veers into soundtrack-like background music, lacking the dynamism of the more polished songs. 🖼️ Album Artwork: As uninviting as the music Most collaborations do not land powerfully with the vocal delivery feeling flat or out of sync with the musical tone. The rotation of vocalists, while diverse, hinder emotional continuity—there’s no single voice guiding the listener through the entire narrative. The recording feels too clever for its own good, overtly intellectual, keeping the listener at arm’s length emotionally. It occasionally tells more than it shows, which significantly limits emotional immersion.
This is what would be playing at a pretentious hipster coffee house, isn't it? The best of it faded into the background. The worst (which was over half of it) was actively annoying.
Interesting album, with an important running theme. But just not the kind of thing I'll end up going back to. Few tracks really held me and I had to skip rhythm penultimate song (just because it was not commuting music).
this was weird. i liked it. not enough to add it to my library, but you just never knew what was going to happen next. what was the conference? why are we suddenly quoting oppenheimer? keeps you on your toes.
This was fascinating and eclectic. Started like portishead, but went off into mouth drumming and one track in the middle that sounded like seal. It wasn't my favourite thing and some bits were influences I don't really enjoy, but overall the unpredictability was very enjoyable and the soundscape was good.
This album feels like it's trying to do way too many different musical styles and they all suck.
Fine at some points, awful at others. 1.5
Didn’t hate it. Not bad. But I don’t feel this is essential. Sounds a bit Sade and the type of thing that people who don’t know much about music think is brilliant. Not brilliant but ok. Inessential.
Keeping an eye on the world going by my window...taking my time...lying here and staring at the ceiling..waiting for Nitin Sawhney...
Hmm, sorry, just drifted off there for a minute... This is a really 'tasteful' and 'sophisticated' album, and I'm not sure I mean that in an entirely positive sense. This is at its interesting when he leans into his Indian heritage (although it does feel a little toned down for Western tastes), but often this just comes across as insipid dinner party music. The passionless vamping in the coda of Immigrant was especially egregious.
2/10- as I said to my wife, this is massive attack from temu, obsessed with India's nuclear programme and some ok vocals although the English singing is so generic from its period
unfortunately wasn’t my thing at all
I suppose I should begin by saying that I hadn't really been intending to listen to this album that closely. I mean, I remember reading the genres on Wikipedia back when my group first got this thing (yes, this is another backlog fill-in). This is some kind of electronica/Indian classical fusion record. I'm thinking, it must be something like that Talvin Singh album we got, 'OK'. I could probably just listen to this in the background while I read 'Darths & Droids' and judge it based on its vibes. I mean, sure, it says there's samples of Oppenheimer on, but I figured that meant there'd just be some scattered samples here and there to explain the album's concept. No biggie! I can deal with that! Then track one opens with singing. Like, words. Singing words. And suddenly I hafta pay attention. OK, OK, sure. I wasn't prepared for this, but I can switch gears pretty quickly. And I did go all out with this. I followed along with the lyrics, looked them up when Spotify wasn't showing 'em, translated the ones that weren't in English . . . I even went to Discogs to read Nitin's explanation of the album and its themes in the liner notes. If I had to pay attention to this thing, then by goodness, I wanted to make sure I was paying attention **properly**. Which just makes it that much more of a bummer that actively paying attention like I was didn't too much for me. I really did give it my all here, but I'unno. Most of it ended up washing over me like "Fiiiiiine." It's obviously good stuff; I just never heard anything that really made me go "Wow!" and get any kind of excited for it. Even the parts I liked, where either I thought they were pretty or they were just a slice of Indian music that I really appreciated . . . not enough. Maybe the problem was just that I never truly got a grasp on what everything meant in regards to the concept. I know that it starts at the Indian-Pakistan nuclear situation and runs backwards through time to Oppenheimer's famous "Now I am become death" quote — that much I'm clear on. It's an album about nuclear weapons. But it's also about identity? Y'know, there's the part in the liner notes where Nitin says that his identity is "beyond skin," and I hear some of that theme in "Pilgrim" . . . and then, by extent, it's **also** about the Indian diaspora? From the lyrics I translated, that's what "Anthem Without Nation" is about. And what does any of this have to do with nuclear weapons? I mean, maybe it's just a framing device for these other things? A fellow group member says this album can beat you over the head with its themes and message sometimes, but I guess it just missed me entirely, because I honestly had no idea how either of those ideas were supposed to be related. And it wasn't from lack of trying, let me tell you! I'll concede, the problem's probably just with me. I'm a dummy with AuDHD, and unless something's explicitly spelled out for me I can't really "get it," more often than not. And it somewhat makes me feel like a bad listener for not "getting it" like I feel I should — but, eh, y'know, I tried. Can't get on my case for that. And in my failure to fully grasp the concept, that's where the music should come in to save the day, but, y'know, as I said . . . I mean, this is all kind of a big ol' "oops," I guess. In the end, I just kind of don't have many strong feelings about this album. Honestly, I'm not sure if I wouldn't have actually been better off just trying to listen to this thing casually. "Serpents" probably would've still sounded to me like an endless six minute build up to nothing, either way. As I said above, it's far from a bad album, and there are for sure spots I like . . . but I feel like I'm gonna get beyond this album before too long.
Might not be every person's cup of tea, but I dug this one regardless. 4.5 bumped down to 4.
I’m at a 5. When we got this, I went straight to Wikipedia to look at the genres, and I saw it said “downtempo, drum & bass”, and I immediately assumed we would be getting another 58 minute electronica piece driven mostly by video game-esque beats. I would like for someone to edit the damn Wikipedia article for this album, because it gives a *tremendously* wrong impression. This is a deeply enrichening 58 minutes that covers a wide variety of genres, using electronica as a sort of cover-all base to aid in the production, but this goes everywhere from pop to jazz to R&B to DnB, with a lo-fi lean and a lot of worldly Indian influence. The instrumentals are what aid the overarching theme of the album, which is ultimately how much humanity has been impacted & predisposed to self-defense instead of community ever since the dropping of the first atomic bomb, starting in present time for 1999, and going backwards to Oppenheimer’s realizations, quoted in a way that feels a bit chilling by the very end. From a storytelling standpoint, it’s hard to point out any perceived “flaws” here; this takes a more intimate approach at times, so mileage will simply vary on being able to pick up the themes & political overtones of this album, and I do think there is a bit of correlation to picking up on them & being able to enjoy this album to its fullest extent. It does hit you over the head pretty hard with it though, so if you somehow manage to ignore it, that’s on you, I think. From a musical standpoint, there are definitely some flaws in my brain, but they’re not overly bad, save for one. “Pilgrim” is fine, if entirely undercooked due to the way it was recorded; never ever record vocals first & then beat second, unless you’re Kendrick Lamar working with Pharrell Williams. It needed a rerecording & a lot more work. I think “Nadia” is a little too long; cutting it down to an essential 3 minutes would make that track pace itself way better. “Serpents” is… wholly unnecessary to the album. It’s the biggest glaring flaw here, and while it’s not an overly *horrible* track, I do think it’s a bad one, and it could have easily been cut. If you already weren’t enjoying the first 7 tracks of this album, it might be the breaking point to just give up on this album entirely. I’m very glad the first 7 tracks clicked as nicely as they did for me, because it really seems like it could be that bothersome. “Anthem Without Nation” is an interesting case study in lyricism making or breaking an atmospheric song at times; Genius doesn’t have the lyrics, but Spotify does, and they’re very easy to translate if you Google them. Looking through the translation, it’s a very slow boiling anger relating to how indigenous peoples tend to get thrown away and ignored in favor of colonized history; it’s an anthem for those people who feel like they have no nation even though they’re the true natives of the land. Without a translation though, all of this is lost, and the track could easily feel like another 6-minute slog after “Serpents” took a swing at the vibe. I think it’s an admirable track, but musically it’s just far too slowly paced, and the building percussion creates a bigger sense of repetition. I would’ve done it with more traditional instrumentation, but perhaps the synthetic instrumentation is a metaphor for the “overtaking” of nations. I do like it from a storytelling perspective, but musically, it could just as easily have been cut, with “Immigrant” flowing into “Nostalgia” as a better 1-2 punch. Oh, and uh, I guess “Nostalgia” is just a little repetitive. That’s my only thing on that one. The rest of the album flows great. All of that aside, those are just things I would tweak about the album to give it stronger pacing for my tastes; at its core, this is still a very strong album, and a lot deeper & richer than I thought it would be at first glance. Hell, just look at that album cover. That album cover does not inspire confidence whatsoever. I’m very glad this is on the list, and even with a track like “Serpents” acting as a make or break battering ram for some people, I think the rest of this album is more than strong enough to earn a 5. It’s an album where you can draw a clear line between an active listener and someone treating this 1001 Albums project as just colorful noise to listen to. I really, really enjoyed it, and I’m very glad it’s on the list. Hence, the 5.
Good album
Not bad, but boring
Nightmarish - and not in an elucidating way, but rather a painfully miserable way; like being the only kid at a party that the adults love.
Does this come under the world music heading? For me it comes under Crap. It doesn't seem to know hat it's supposed to be. You get anti-nuclear news broadcasts followed by what sound like love songs. No not for me.
Wow. There’s a lot going on. So much variation of styles. Some of it worked for me, but some was just jarring. The more experimental stuff was just too weird. Amongst it was some enjoyable trip-hop and some sweet female vocals.
I was expecting a full-on Bhangra fest. It wouldn't have been a problem if it had, but there was a lot of layers and different styles going on here, more than one listen can take on. It was an interesting theme to structure your album. Unlike the film Threads, I won't be giving this a spin again, so its a hight 2.
This is exactly the sort of culturally important, something-I've-not-listened-to-befpre content that I was hopeful of. Unique in delivery and range, some really beautiful, moving pieces and some significant history captured from a perspective other than the mainstream white western world
Pretty good, nice vibes.
I couldn’t hear the voice and it felt creepy idk
mildly interesting electronic. Might be worth another look.
I really don't like Indian music
Pleasant, not amazing.
First listen to a very good album.
Dad- 7 Mom- 9 Mike- NA Lori- 6 Michael- Miles- 5 Cole- NA Avg- 6.75
Beyond Skin blends traditional jazz with Indian musical influences—a combination that, while ambitious, didn’t quite land for me. From the start, I had a feeling this wouldn’t be my kind of album. The opening track showed some promise, but overall, the album felt like a slow decline. The fusion of styles just didn’t resonate with me, and I found it hard to connect with the mood and pacing. Favourite Track: Broken Skin stood out as a solid moment with interesting textures and rhythm. Least Favourite Track: Homelands didn’t work for me at all—it felt disjointed and overly dramatic. Album Artwork: The cover is a bit jarring—Nitin looks like he’s in pain, and it’s not the most inviting visual.
What a weird mix of stuff. Some of it was fine but I skipped the last few songs.
De los que he escuchado hasta ahora, creo que este álbum es el más ecléctico en lo que a estilos se refiere: música tradicional hindú, R&B, electrónica downtempo, drum and bass, jazz, flamenco, sonidos atmosféricos y hasta rap. Y precisamente esa amalgama de estilos lo hace tan interesante como irregular. Algunos temas me han encantado (los más "étnicos" por llamarlos de alguna manera), mientras que otros (los más "pop") se me han hecho súper tediosos. En general, los temas son demasiado chill como para atrapar mi atención, pero cada cierto tiempo llegan partes muy interesantes. Sobre todo la parte central del álbum me ha parecido especialmente buena. Por su parte, las letras (en múltiples idiomas) me han gustado bastante. Tratan de conflictos internacionales, la experiencia de ser inmigrante y, en definitiva, son una meditación acerca de la identidad y la globalización. Un álbum muy difícil de calificar, así que vamos a dejarlo en tres.
houghts: i would have been *all over* an album like this 15-20 years ago when downbeat stuff was all the rage in my music brain. very hit or miss album for me, more misses than hits songs: “letting go”, “tides”, “nadia” rating: 4.8/10
Erhhhh 2/5
Interesting, but I didn't like it that much. 5/10
Pleasantly surprised 3.5 stars
Interesting, although not entirely successful
What even is this!! I loved it. Not sure how to describe it other than its own “fuses traditional jazz and Indian influences with electronica and breakbeat culture to bewitching effect”
This was fine. It had a very late 90's feel. That combo of electronic and world music. Most of it was dream-like. I didn't love it, but I liked it.
3.5. Really nice and unique album. Aim to relisten to this in the future to reassess.
Great album with lots of feelings in every song. While this kind of music is something where I often think you need to be in the right mood to listen to I didn't feel that with this album. Its an easy enough listen that I could see myself having this on in my everyday life and not get dragged down in sadness straight away.
Not really my thing but at least it was interesting enough to listen to the whole way through. 2.75/5
Very similar to the follow up album Prophesy, on that it's a genre fusion exercise with some kind of quasi philosophy lecture. For the most part it successfully bridges these, although it's perhaps a little on the preachy side.
This was one of those end of night albums we’d put on after that o many beers. Nice and chilled
Lovely sounds very worried about Nuclear fallout!
Inoffensive enough as background sounds in settings too trendy for me to frequent. On active listening it doesn't stand up so well though, particularly the lyrics - all a bit too earnest and worthy /cringeworthy. I liked the non-english lyrics tracks more.
I've got this one in my collection.
Hadn't heard of Nitin Sawhney before, so wasn't sure what to expect from this album, turned out quite pleasant and chill, (I mean apart from the undertones of nuclear dread).
Delightful surprise. I started off thinking I was just being treated to some standard 90s trip hop but the more I listened the more I was rewarded. The more Indian influenced tracks really got my attention. Nadia and Imigrant are both really excellent. Then after reading a little about the concept I'm sold. I'm going to be coming back to this.
What an interesting album, it's like an Indian R&B album. But also with sound samples of Oppenheimer's "I am become death" quote. Some of it was amazing, but some of it was like a Disney soundtrack. I don't even know what to say about it.
I'm writing this after a second listen, a week after my first listen. I wasn't quite sure what to make of this album, and honestly, I'm still not quite there, but I think the second listen made me understand what it was doing more. The combination of chill drum and bass and ambient sounds with lyrics depicting the fallout of nuclear war and of the struggles of immigrants seemed like a mismatch at first, but I think the simple yet driving nature of the music allowed the message to get through clearer. Not all of the songs were hits--"Pilgrim" is incredibly grating, the vocals provided by a constantly off-beat and awkward sounding rapper--but some, like "Immigrant" and "Nostalgia", were incredibly pretty. I generally prefer to write my reviews focusing on albums as a whole, instead of focusing on specific songs, but due to the uneven nature of this work, it's easier to pick out what I liked and what I didn't like in that manner. Overall, while it did create a nice vibe and was an easy listen, I wasn't overwhelmed by it. A solid 3/5.
This was so great
Yesss now this is music
Okay, we've definitely hit on something newer (at least in my lifetime) that I've never heard of. Let's listen to this. Hmmm. Honestly, there was some early Massive Attack sound that I liked, and then there was some alternating boring or annoying pop songs. Wow. Another really interesting and uninteresting album. Three stars because it had legit five- and one-star moments.
Oh no. This is below mediocre.
To me it sounded like Royksopp and Moby had had love child. Saved this into my library to listen again
Triphoppy
Moeilijk om uit te luisteren. 'T is mijn ding niet, en da's oké, maar dan is het ook oké om 1 ster te geven.
Spennende album. En musikalsk reise som ofte treffer. Svak firer.
This album is such a nice eclectic album, with a lot of different sounds, which is something that, even if I appreciate it a lot, at some point has taken me back. Some songs are great, but others feel bland, repetitive. Luckily, there are more good songs than bad ones.
7/10/25. Never heard of Nitin Sawhney but I was really impressed on my first listen. Some songs reminded me of Prince, but also loved the downbeat songs and interesting melodies.
Quite a journey on this album. Holds together well despite the wide variety of styles and even languages.
Productions really good Too much goofy Indian shit
Interesting for sure and a nice change
Poop (lol)
It wasn't all bad. Some nice instrumental tracks.
Yeah, quite different. Liked some tracks more than others, stylistic wise. Glad i listened.
Hey man, I’ve really shit on a lot of the electronica on here, so when I say I liked this? I dunno what to tell you. I dunno why. It sounded nice. It had a semblance of a message and a point t which is pretty fucking ground breaking for the genre. Idk I liked it.
soft gentle jazz... nice voice... unremarkable
Interesting beats and variety. Interesting themes too, but no particular track stood out to me, probably not something I would go back and listen to.
Like the trip-hop type stuff here, rest is eh
6/10 Ah, so this is what inspired the Weird Al Yoda chant! Anyway, it wasnt really my cup of tea, but it was interesting and varied Highlight: Homelands
Not exactly my bag but I appreciate the theme of peace, which I agree with btw!
Not noteworthy at all, but not terrible either
Sorpresa y golpe bajo. Indefinible. Estoy en shock
Could not finish listening to this one. I do not think it is an impressive album
Liked it alot
Really like the theming and the sounds on this one, not super cohesive but very atmospheric and quite emotional in places.
Atmospheric, hip-hop, Indian, jazz, techno? It feels a little contrived.
An absolute revelation. A rare album of sounds that are so expertly arranged, recorded and massaged into a beautiful organic whole. This is an album that you experience, not just listen to. Starts out with a couple of seemingly quite typical modern R&B tunes with subtly exotic touches that set them apart from the usual fare. And the vocals...uncommonly ethereal, particularly on Letting Go. Homelands is a gorgeous world music workout with latin rhythms, tasteful acoustic guitar and a vocal workout that defies any description. The string arrangement give at a feeling of the ethereal. ‘ve never heard such a deft mix of different seemingly incompatible styles. Pilgrim is a rap song for anyone with a distaste for the style, it draws you in and seduces you with rhymes that are subtle quiet and yet powerful. I could go describing each song but that would become redundant with words like beautiful, gorgeous and unique written ove and over again. Suffice to say – go, seek out this unique album and thank me after. 4.5 stars
Nice.
Not really for me
This album tries to be a spiritual journey, a political statement, and a chill-out playlist all at once — and ends up somewhere between a TED Talk and a yoga class with a broken sound system. Some tracks are genuinely intriguing, others feel like elevator music from a global think tank. It’s not without moments of beauty, but I mostly sat there waiting for the point. Ambitious? Absolutely. Enjoyable? Occasionally. Replayable? Not really.
I didn't hate it. 3/5 #102
Guy has a career and who am I to criticize.
Quite enjoyed the chilled vibe until the Convention which absolutely did my head in. Will be dropping a star for that as it's intolerable.
Quite enjoyed it for a while. Reminded me of Massive Attack or Jamiroquai. But as the album progressed it got more and more annoying and I started to hate it by the end.
ambitious in concept, but forgettable in execution. I gave it a fair shake, but this one didn’t stick.
This was okay. It was at it's strongest when it fused electronic pop and Indian sounds.
Lost interest pretty fast and never pulled me back in.
I like a bit of Nitin Sawhney. Lovely lavish productions. However, this is all a bit too nice and midrange to draw me back regularly. Pretty good concept arc tying it all together though.
Liked it. Multi-genre, and I love her voice and Indian influence.
Not my thing, but interesting
Love Nitin Sawhney and I'm happy to be prompted to listen to more of his stuff.
It is such an understated record that it feels like it needs more than one listen to fully unpack it. I've given a three but it's possibly a 4 ic it fully clicks with the listener.
They encapsulated on their album cover the exact way I felt listening to their album.
7/10, nice 90ies triphop-ish vibe
liked it. not all but it had a great start.
Standouts: Broken Skin Tides
This one was quite a ride. I found it basically impossible to predict what the next track would sound like based on the previous. That made the whole thing not super cohesive - and yet in a strange way it also provided some cohesion in a way. I don't know if I will every return to this, but it did keep my attention and it was an experience Standouts Homelands Serpents The Conference 4/5
Rating: 5/10 Meh.
Terribly boring
There's definitely something there and most of it's bad.
The song Serpents did something to my brain that I can’t say I’ve ever experienced before, nor do I want to experience again. It was like someone had put a wet towel over it: weighed down and sort of confusing. The physical sensation was not unlike a sinus headache, not painful, but there was a sense of pressure - like my surroundings had been dampened temporarily. I could think clearly, but everything felt heavy, like I had to push hard to focus and get a thought out. The second the next song started, it dissipated. It was like sensory overload, maybe. Needless to say, I’m not a huge fan of this record.
First record that I had never heard of and this was an odd one. All very ambient, vibey music. The kind of record you would listen to if you were at a trendy European cafe in the early 2000s. Or the kind of music you would hear at the beginning of a Pierce Brosnan Bond movie. Not that it’s bad per se but it’s very ambient and tough to listen to without having your mind wander elsewhere. There are also these moments where they’ll randomly have news clips about India having a nuclear program which makes me think there’s a political back story to this one?? Maybe… but if you ever wanted to listen to a safer Björk record this is a pretty decent one to listen to. Stand out tracks for me include Tides and that’s about it.
Actual heat the whole way through
Correcto
Album 797 of 1089 Nitin Sawhneyr - Beyond Skin (1986) Rating : 1.5 / 5 Electronic, jazz, and South Asian influences. Interesting but no real appeal to me.
Zero stars deserved.
Hot Trash.
I can appreciate the cultural significance of this album, but I really felt like halfway through I had to drag myself through the rest. Not for me.
I did enjoy this album. It's sound is great, it has contrast, its singing is interesting and has (some) meaning. I new some songs already.
Ummm yeah, not sure what this was
A mixture of different EDM styles and world music. On some tracks it works very well, on some it doesn’t. Favorite song: tides.
Had to chew on this one for a few days. It's a little bit of a spotty album, with some areas being very lush and invigorating and other moments being relatively uninteresting trip-hop. The spoken word bits are OK. I like the chanting. All around an interesting experience. 3/5
3/5
Blend of electronic and Indian music. Didn’t really work for me. A little too disjointed. 2/5 Won’t listen again
Though I don’t really go out of my way to listen to Indian classical music, I always enjoy it when I do. So I really liked this album and thought it was a nice refreshing change to most of the albums on this list. I think labelling it as pretentious just because it’s “world music” is.. tacky, to put lightly. I thought the album was cool! I also appreciated the overlying theme of nuclear weapons- not in the sense of yay nuclear weapons, but i thought the storytelling was effective. Especially in the last song, Beyond Skin.
Beyond listenable. It sounds like the generic sample music that comes with digital recording software.
Wow this was fucking weird, but honestly I thought it was pretty effective and thoroughly interesting despite some songs being way too freaking long.
Beyond Skin was just… weird. I went in not knowing much and came out kind of confused. It jumps between so many styles and sounds that it’s hard to get a feel for what the album is even trying to be. There are moments that almost click, but then it veers off into something totally different and loses me again.
Meh
Pretty but boring. The piano instrumentals were pretty good but too long. I think it’s a good album though. Its inclusion on the list is worthy, I think, if it’s more “you should hear this” instead of “this is one of the best 1001 albums ever”
It was hard to find an identity for this album. The production was clean and clearly intentional; however, I couldn't find myself getting absorbed in the album. Definitely a lot of pretty parts, but not really for me as a whole. Nadia is a good DnB song. Strong 2
This was okay, didn’t need to hear it but some of it was pretty interesting. Dimery, including this doesn’t absolve you of ignoring almost the entirety of non-western music. Strong 2/5
Felt more like a compilation of songs from different bands - some of which I like, some pissed me off.
Cool vibe
The opening song really interested me with it's R&B flare and electronic elements. As the album progressed, I became more and more disinterested. I can't quite pinpoint what it was, but it fell flat for me. I don't think it was cohesive and don't believe that the experimentation was done well -- it just felt weird.
Broken Skin, Distant Fears 1001 Albums Generator 35 (05/21/2025) Smiling Buddha was the ironic name of India's first successful nuclear test, which was conducted in May 1974 and which the Indian government assured was only meant to test peaceful nuclear explosions. The Pakistani government disagreed and a Pakistani nuclear physicist later stated that this test was what drove Pakistan into developing their own nuclear armament. Beyond Skin is an album by British artist Nitin Sawhney that was inspired by the ongoing conflict at the time between India and Pakistan and revolves around nuclear weapons throughout time. As of the time I am writing this, we are less than two weeks removed from a ceasefire between these two countries after they "effectively" went to war in a completely different, but related, conflict to the Kargil War that was happening during Sawhney's time. This conflict is the first time in my life that two nuclear armed countries have engaged in hot conflict and is the first time that I personally have really felt the pressure of mutually assured destruction. Luckily, this conflict was resolved swiftly, but who is to say we will be so lucky next time? So the ideas in this album are clearly still relevant. Unfortunately, humanity has not yet achieved nuclear disarmament, and once the nuclear genie is out of the bottle, I really don't think we ever will. Every great world power will believe (with some good reason to) that their enemies will not disarm alongside them. However, this doesn't mean that we can't dream of such a world, and this is precisely what Nitin Sawhney did in his third album, Beyond Skin. The sound of this album is strange, as it combines multiple styles of electronica with vocals that are at times soulful in a Sade-esque way and instrumentals that incorporate elements of Hindustani music. This certainly leads to a unique sound, but does the experiment work? In my opinion, no. This is my least favorite album thus far. While this album is eclectic, it somehow manages to have songs that are bad and uninteresting in completely new ways. The rapping on songs like Homelands and Pilgrim are absolutely cringey, with the chorus of Homelands featuring one of the least cool attempts at a triplet flow that I have ever heard and Pilgrim featuring verses in a whispered tone that just annoys me. The chorus features the line "Life is like a puzzle not pieced yet", which doesn't make any sense, but at least it's repeated like 200 times throughout the song. In the words of a great philosopher of our time: repetition legitimizes. Serpents features production that borders on interesting with its snake-charmer flute and glitchy vocal samples but my god, 6 minutes is so fucking long. Anthem Without Nation is a dreadful 6 minutes which features precisely nothing for its runtime. It could have been cut down to a 60 second interlude and it would still be one of my least favorite songs here. The two best songs here are Broken Skin and Tides. The former is the intro song and does a good job of introducing the theme of the album with a vocal sample of the Prime Minister of India after their successful nuclear test in 1998, the first such test since the previously mentioned Smiling Buddha. I also love the R&B vocals here. Tides is an interesting piece of jazz fusion in a non-traditional way. It features a piano part that sounds straight out of a cool jazz song (for all I know, it could be a sample) and electronic DnB-style drums. This is a cool combination, even if 5 minutes is a bit extensive. Nostalgia is a slower song with some trip-hop energy and good vocals in the chorus, and the title track that closes the album is split into two distinct sections, with the first half featuring an electronic 5/8 beat and the second half featuring a slow arpeggiated acoustic guitar and female vocals. Nitin Sawhney's Beyond Skin does not deserve a place on this list. The fusion of inspirations does not work and it is not a good representation of world music, which has much more interesting albums than this. 1.5/5 rounded down to a 1/5. Favs: Broken Skin Tides Beyond Skin Least Fav: Anthem Without Nation
This is so over-hated (maybe I’m sensitive because India and Pakistan recently spent 4 days at war with one another)
Esch crazy wie vel Musigrrchtige I eim albom (and z. T. I eim Lied) chönd sie. So rächt indisch aber au jazzig met schön Klavier ond so, möngisch aber au weder sehr harmonisch oder de weder Rap. S meischte esch halt eifach okay, aber ned bsonders guet.
Was going for a 1 but I liked the Gran Turismo menu music one. This chillout kind of music doesn't seem to exist anymore.
The reviews made me think this would be a very artsy album but it's just background music with some world influences. nothing more nothing less.
This album had some highs and lows for me. I liked many of the individual tracks that featured vocals, tabla and other percussion, and one of the piano tracks was really good. As a whole it was a little all over the place though, and it was just ok for me. 3/5
Thought this was fine, but not really my thing. I wouldn't go back to it. 2.25/5
Favorite Track: Homelands
Man album is super cool! I've favorited a couple tracks already. Nadia and Serpents.
Also like nothing I've ever listened to. Very eastern. Very experimental. Some R&B and psychedelia mixed in. Altogether enjoyable though. Definitely wouldn't listen to it again though
4/10…trip hop / worldmusic
Bom! Agora eu não entendo americano vir criticar um disco desses e adorar rap/hip hop que é bosta de cachorro!Good! I don't understand americans criticizing an album like that and loving rap/hip hop that is dog shit!
Didn’t like this
Really enjoyed MOST of this - when it was fast and pumping noise! Some lore experimental areas not my bag
I did not dislike all of this but most.
Long album without any highlights
Can't comment on most of the lyrical content but, despite the gravity of the album content, I did like the general rhythms and melodies of its presentation.
Soulful and varied. One time listen for me, but not a bad album. There were some themes that seemed to repeat that I perhaps couldn't quite understand on first listen. I got the sense they were unique to the cultural milieu, but I'd have to listen again.
Did I listen to this album in a past life? I recognize a good handful of these songs, but this isn't something I would typically seek out. There are some interesting rhythms and melodies here. Decent!
Sounds really repetitive and mostly uninteresting.
Expected something exciting from this album cover but this was an incredibly boring trip hop album.
was hoping for more here. had some interesting things going on, nothing that totally Grabbed me though. tracks without singing were superior imo
Pretty horrible
We listened on the way to Chicago for the Shakespeare theater. It improved after the first two tracks, it went on a journey from beginning to end. It was very interesting and a wide variety of musical experience. But somewhat boring at times and probably won’t put it on again.
Beautiful, ethereal, deep world music with surprises at every turn. Really enjoyed this listen!
It's a great album to try out headphones with. It's atmospheric and the instruments sound great. It feels more like a playlist tho. I guess Nitin is more of a composer or producer. I really liked the 4 songs Tides- Serpents and wished there was more of that. I dont know what language the woman was "rapping" in, but I liked it. I did not like the English language songs as much and did not get the nuclear war theme.
No
This was confusing
This goes many different places. I enjoyed it
It plays like a random assortment of film scores. Lush, beautiful sounds meant to be heard but not listened to; presented with no (musical) coherence. This is of a piece with Easy Listening, Musak, New Age, etc. Only it's worse because now we program computers to perform the parts. The only things I feel from this are boredom and frustration.
On one hand not on the level of Massive Attack or similar Electronic 90s ppl, but also not Call of The Valley. Not my favorite, but an interesting listen.
If nothing else, it had quite a bit variety for Electronica. It just didn't vibe with me, and I became bored quickly. Favorite Track: "The Conference".
É um álbum com algumas músicas interessantes, mas na sua maioria muito medianas.
Successfully melting together all of the worst genres of music with some childish whining over the top. Risible. Good grief I’ve got to ‘The Conference’ which is basically the Ying Tong song. This can’t finish soon enough for me.
Pretty good concept album
Llegando a fin de abril, vamos con un artista que me es completamente desconocido. Suena muy chill, tranca, ideal para un viaje en ruta en bici o en un auto un día nublado. Hasta mañana, gentes.
Nitin Sawhney obviously has talent, and the musicianship is laudible, but most of this album is just too polished, too polite for my tastes. It makes Zero 7 sound like death metal. The concept of the album also seems a little half-baked with the vocal sample snippets coming across like an afterthought rather than essential parts of the tracks.
Okay listen. Didn’t really care for most of it, but some of it was intriguing to hear. “The Conference” was an interesting one because I found it unpleasant to listen to but I liked the idea of it with this back and forth nonsense between the vocalists. I think there was a lot that’s special in the tracks, but overall I didn’t enjoy it that much.