Beyond Skin

Some parts of this I found interesting, others annoying. 2 stars.

#50. This album is all over the place. And not really in a good way? It sounds more like a compilation of assorted random shit than and kind of cohesive whole. None of it's terrible, but there is no standout great song either. 2/5: meh

I don't remember it after one day...

I get what this album is going for, but it isn't executed very well and comes off as too on-the-nose and pretentious. I like some of the instrumentals, makes some decent background music, but I keep getting pulled out by occasional cringe-inducing lyrics and vocals. Kind of a shame because it feels like this album COULD have been pretty great. 2 - Will probably not listen again

Hyviä ja kauniita klippejä tähän "tuottaja" tyyppiseen levyyn on saatu, mutta jotenkin hengetöntä hissimusaa silti. Ehkä se aasiavaikute on joku semmonen teema. Siitä nyt sit nippanappa 1 lisätähti.

Techno with some signing and an Asian/Middle Eastern element

Broken Skin - W vibes, W voice. 4/5 Letting Go - I enjoyed this song, the sample didn't work as well as it did in the first track. 3.7/5 Homelands - Took a bit of an adjustment but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would've. 2.6/5 Pilgrim - What the hell is this? 1.2/5 Tides - Lo-Fi Girl Studying 2.8/5 Nadia - Nadia 1/5 Immigrant - Uwahhooohhaaaaahhhhhaah, male vocals tanked this song 3/5 Serpents - TUNA 0.2/5 Anthem Without Nation - Forgettable, idk man 1.5? Nostalgia - Night core vibes, liked the vocals a lot but the breathiness wore on me quickly. 3.5/5 The Conference - Nart a good song, but it will be used for jokes 1/5 Beyond Skin - I LOVE SAMPLED NEWS CLIPS RAHH. Oppenheimer mentioned! I'm sure it concluded whatever nuclear point it was making throughout the album but I completely missed it. It was a good song before the music started 2.7/5 I had high expectations after the first song, those were quickly demolished. Overall 2.26/5

I find it quite sad but just can't bring myself to pretend that this is really good. Maybe the one track- 'Homelands' has promise but the other tracks are smooth wallpaper produced bumph with no spark or originality. There, I said it and I'm sorry.

Not super into it but it was interesting

Ok

This was just OK.

Música étnica, árabe, flamenco, house, no sé, un popurrí.

Bad music from all around the world!

sometimes it felt like it could deserve a 3, but then other times it deserved a 1. I think 2 is fair

1.75 average per track.

kulinarisch

There was a lot going on here and I found most of it to be a bit much. I suppose it was interesting at times but they really did toss a bunch into the blender here including the cutlery. This was a bit of a mess, didn’t go down smooth for me. 2 stars

It was alright. It may grow on me in the future, but for now its just kind of weird

At first I thought hmm, this is kind of nice, but I quickly got tired of it. The rap song Pilgrim was pretty bad. The Conference is something I'd never want to hear again. The rest is somewhat forgettable.

Didn't finish so maybe unfair. But it started off OK but then some of the parts were so bad it turned me off the whole thing. This album was a head scratcher

Fine I guess, but very much not for me.

Not as electronicy as the album art suggested, but still not for me.

1. Broken Skin - this is actually quite a bop, a little r&b to me 2. Letting Go - I’m not minding this one either, it’s quite soothing. 3. Homelands - I didn’t mind this one and get its purpose but not my favourite. 4. The Pilgrim - a foray into rap…it’s not too bad. 5. Tides - I actually really love the music of this one it definitely sets the tone 6. Nadia - this one was ok not my favourite. 7. Immigrant - this one was pretty calming 8. Serpents - very manic sound to me 9. Anthem Without Nation - 10. Nostalgia - I like the lyrics of this one. 11. The Conference - another instrumental :( 12. Beyond Skin - was not expecting an Oppenheimer reference…interesting closer Overall I appreciate the diversity of the album and the fact that it has a clear theme and some of the songs were quite soothing to me, but probably won’t revisit it.

I read a review that compared this with FKA Twigs and Massive Attack, acts that I've given one star reviews of. Not looking promising. It's better than those acts. Still boring, but better. Pilgrim is probably the worst piece of music I've ever heard, managing to be boring, irritating, pretentious and dumb at the same time.

-never heard of this artist or album -very cool first song -i like the different languages in the songs and the influences of them -the artist bringing elements of their culture and its music is really beautiful -personally a bunch of these songs aren’t really my vibe but its nice to listen to -i love the speaking parts they are very powerful -overall this album is good but idk if i would listen again

Not too bad, not too good I will admit there were definitely some nice moments

It's not unpleasant. In fact it is blandly, innofensively pleasant. It feels like music made so people can show off their sophistication while having drinks and nibbles. There's some good stuff, but it's so neutral it hurts.

Meh

Mellow Enya type stuff

There is artistry here but it’s so hard to listen to..

Interesting listen, I won't knock it too hard.

Very derivative and, at times, self-important, and, with every track, getting more and more on my nerves. 2/5

You’ve got “Broken Skin” and “Nostalgia” which are pretty decent, and there’s also “Pilgrim” which is actually good. Everything else though? Really, really bad, the difference is so big it’s impressive really

It's 2023. Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer came out last week. "Nukes R bad" has never been a more relevant take. But did you have to make the message so boring?

Þetta byrjar þokkalega áhugavert en verður pínu leiðigjarnt til lengdar.

Hmm. Lots of classic 90's tropes here, including spoken work audio from the BBC news. Indian music mixed with the emerging trip hop movement, but it just sounds dated.

At times I just thought I was listening to Vince and Howard crimping

Close to a 1 star

Starts off okay but then gets really lame and annoying in the second half

Shitin Sawney

not my fav. sounds fine if on shuffle for background music but for sit down listening or for me to actively choose it, i need more substance. track 3 by far the best.

Too much hip hop for my taste

Some of this is pleasant hip-hop/ trip-hop sounds that has some interesting tempos and instruments. The rest is just people making noises that I didn't really like. I think the vocals killed it for me, but it's not bad enough for 1 star, below average but not awful

It wasn't the worst thing I heard on this list so far, and I really enjoyed some of the songs, but the rest of it felt like it was trying to take itself VERY seriously. Also I hated "Pilgrim"

I don't think this is thaaaaaaat bad like some of the comments say. It's not my vibe, but there's a reason why this guy is so widely recognized.

on one hand i can see why people would be interested in this album. it is full of unique sounds and rhythms that I've never been exposed to. It is not, in my opinion, purposefully ugly- sounding. There are moments that are easy to understand and enjoy. It seems like someone genuinely poured their heart and soul into this project, and its production. But on the other hand, it's just not for me.

2 ambienta låtar höll måttet. I övrigt ganska så tråkigt.

Meh.

Ik vond dit echt een heel verwarrend album. Tekst is wel mooi en soms raakt het me wel, maar de uitvoering minder. Ik heb vaak met zo’n ‘hijgerige’ stem dat ik het bijna vals vind ofzo? Zou iig afraden om het met noise cancelling oortjes te luisteren, want daar krijg je af en toe echt rillingen van. Moeilijk, moeilijk. Idee 3, uitvoerig 2? Dan kom ik uit op toch een 2 uiteindelijk

Had echt gehoopt dat dit leuker zou zijn, maar vond het eigenlijk echt helemaal niets. Misschien zelfs echt irritante muziek. Wel mooie thematiek in de teksten maar dat weegt niet op tegen hoe vaak ik nummers doorgespoeld heb.

Enjoyed it more than most electronic albums.

Might just be good for background music - but not every song. Favorite Song: Immigrant 2.5 at best.

This is frictionless music, and I am the wrong audience for it. However, it is interestingly dissonant: laudable, urgent politics to a songtrack that would go well with a swim-up bar on an infinity pool. "Homelands" has some urgency in the middle, though it drags back to the record's slow, comforting default zone. The record has dynamics, but nothing snags. I was gagging for the Yellow Swans before the halfway point. Or Sly and the Family Stone. Or the Didjits. I bet the Didjits are not on this list. Honestly, listen to "Hey Judester. Arrrgghhh this album seems to never end! "Anthem Without Nation", leave me alone!

Música étnica, árabe, flamenco, house, no sé, un popurrí.

supersticious

2.75/5

It decays steadily like an uranium atom

Disc que beu de l'electrònica, del jazz, de diferents músiques tribals, amb unes veus femenines de primer nivell i lletres compromeses. Interessant, però no necessari

This album is close to an experimental one with a very obvious anti-nuclear warfare message. That being said, it oscillates from being inventive world music to experimental electronic, to utter nonsense. While it is a bit of fresh air, it's nothing that sticks with you as the listener.

The music is cool but not really my kinda thing 2/5.

I liked Tides & Nadia. Feel like I've heard Homelands before. Reading the description in global reviews gives me more of an appreciation for what he was trying to do but it just wasn't really for me.

Some of the textures are intriguing and maybe beautiful ('Serpents', 'The Conference'), but I definitely didn't enjoy the entire hour of content in this rather eclectic collection. What's Nitin Sawhney's role here? The album unfolds like a curated playlist of miscellaneous electronic, world, and neo-soul music.

2.5 I really liked a couple songs

Meh, I prefer talvyn singh's stuff...

If Indian Chill is your idea of a good time, then you need to have a long hard look in the mirror and punch it in the face.

Although not offensively bad, I can't say I find this album the least bit inspiring.

Some decent tunes and some not so decent. Some not really my thing at all. A very varied album and some talent on show, just not really something I’d put on.

juu kyllä minun sydämessäni on paikka tällaisille elektronisille, synkähköille albumeille! en tosin ihan saa kiinni tämän nerokkuudesta, mutta monipuolisuus ja Intia ilahduttavat. omaääninen

Alun "biitti ja akustinen kitara" -taustat saivat minut pelkäämään pahinta, mutta levy parani keskiväliä kohti. Tämä artisti on parhaimmillaan, kun antaa vokaaliraidoille tilaa hengittää ja ilmentää omaa substanssiaan: esim. Nadialla on potentiaalia koskettaa itseänikin pahempaa ilonpilaajaa - joka tosin pilaa ilon viimeistään The Conference -hoopoilun tai oo, niin diipin "I am become death" -samplen aikana.

I was surprised by how much I liked this at the start. The description did not make me think I would. Halfway through it began to grate on me a bit. I like what they’ve done to a degree, especially the opening cut, but I don’t see this as something I’ll revisit.

This one is just...fine...After ten minutes though it's mostly the same over and over....some nice sounds but doesn't make for a 59 minute listening experience. Would play great in the background of a coffee shop or bookstore...which probably sounds more insulting than I mean it to be.

This has way more going for it than I expected. It's elevated background music, but a few tracks like Pilgrim and Letting Go got my attention. Still, I'm not too sold on these type of music overall. It's mood music, but not something I'm going to seek out for listening to.

While this is pretty interesting it's thoroughly not my cup of tea. Very 90s sounding and a really eclectic mishmash of genres: trip hop, hip hop, breakbeats, bhangra and jazz are heard in the first 5 tunes alone.

A lot of this really isn't my cuppa tea, but I found the Indian strings and scatty vocals on tracks like Homeland, Serpents and The Conference kinda cool, so it deserves some credit.

Generic downtempo & dnb accompanying uninspired indipop. I liked the songs that sound like they were sung by Nelly Furtado, but even those offered nothing new. There are many bad tracks, many decent tracks, and no really good tracks. But at least there's variety. Oh, and it's an hour long jfc. Favorites: Broken Skin, Letting Go, Tides, Nadia, Nostalgia

I like trip-hop, Asian underground, and Hindustani music, but this just not good. Its best tracks were only tolerable, but most were a good bit worse.

quite boring

It's a bit better than I expected, but I still don't like it. I need music that I can connect with, that has an element of fun. This was a chore. And "I don't do the dishes, I throw them in the crib."

never heard of him before but one track was well known to me, probably from a Cafe Del Mar compilation. I like the style of music but I found parts of the album hard (unbearable?) to listen to

Biitit sinäänsä toimivia ja viihdyttäviä, mutta "laulu" pilasi tunnelman.

Sellanen… loppupäästä löyty oikee helmi. Not.

Wild 3, but after the second half more of a 2

I liked this first half of this more than I expected. It was groovy and relaxing. The back half though I disliked thoroughly. It was strange and off putting to me. Speaking of off putting what the hell is this album cover.

Don't agree with "Drum and Bass" on wiki but ok. This album started a bit like a Buddha bar album which I generally enjoy. There were some more jazzy/loungy tracks later. Then there was a really whiny song "Nadia" which made me go a bit crazy. The track after was quite pretty though. All in all this album makes me think a little bit of cheesy-ish music at a beach club (even though the subject isn't that festive/romantic at all).

This was not altogether terrible, but it was a very eclectic mix of songs with widely varying quality (with most songs falling on the lower end). A weird album such as this one always has to strike a delicate balance between being original and being annoying. In my opinion this album did not achieve that balance.

Guess it’s ok, some songs are ok some are skips

Odd.

A bit of a slog if I’m honest. Everyone raved about this album at the time but it’s not stood up well. The beautiful Hindi singing elevates the bland dance tracks a little and there’s a few nice touches and flourishes here and there. But not an album for the ages, sadly.

Internationaler Lounge Pop mit einer unüberhörbaren Datierung. „Homelands“ weiß wie vieles überzeugen. Das Gros zieht jedoch dem mangelnden Mut zur strengeren Editierung oder einer falsch verstandenen Kompletierungssucht den Durchschnitt arg herab. 2.4

Fusión de diferentes estilos y melodías. No es incómodo de escuchar, pero no le he encontrado ningún aspecto que me llame la atención

didn't really gel with it, couldn't get past the first track even

Pilgrim mi je dobra ovo ostalo dost meh al kao kuzim al neb ponovo slusala jedino ak moram al ne moram. That's all folks

Poštujem istočne elemente u glazbi, međutim u ovom albumu ima tog lošeg zavijanja ako se smijem tako izraziti koje mi većinom upropasti pjesmu nego što ju pošećeri kao npr. Nadia, Homelands, Immigrant (ženski dio i instrumental je dobar), Anthem Without Nation. Pjesma Serpents - dakle nalazim se u pustinji, perjam škorpione sa nekim kolcem dok ovo svira u pozadini, ali nije napeta borba. To mi bilo u glavi, isprike. Pjesme koje bih izdvojio sa ovog albuma su sve nešto opuštajuće, nokturalne nakane (a la trip hop neki) , šteta šta ih je takvih malo (dobrih pjesama hehe) : Pilgrim, Tides, Letting Go i Nostalgia.

I want to like this, but it sounds like elevator music to me.

Soms wel aardig, vaak iets te veel van alles

Het begin vond ik nog wel te pruimen maar na verloop van tijd kon ik er eigenlijk toch niet zoveel mee.

Kon er niet zoveel mee.

While some of the ideas here are exciting, there is absolutely way too much going on for anything to gel into something beyond a weird primal scream. The vocal are either great or insanely irksome, the instrumentation groovy and interesting or grating, and the overall effect one of misused potential.

Eh. I feel like we're going to get every possible trip-hop or trip-hop adjacent album of any note whatsoever on this list. I didn't hate it, didn't love it. Was different than I anticipated. But can we just skip straight to Portishead?

Very late-90s; watery.

Sounds great and I should like this but none of the songs grabbed me.

Pleasant. I don’t think I can say anything else.

Meh

i’m not sure how to feel about this. i was okay with some of the songs and just didn’t like some. i liked the diversity of the songs but i just didn’t click with it

As a political message, it makes a point. However, it's reminiscent of Lisa Stansfield. Would be a shame if Affection isn't included in this 1001 list.

Though there are a number of times that the music finds its vibe and balances electronic, classical, jazz, and indian music, nothing strikes me as very compelling. On the other hand, The Conference, Nadia and Pilgrim are irritating and felt like suffering to make it to the end of the track. Some highs, but more lows on this.

I think I even bought this album. Now I only quite like it. Very 'polite' in retrospect. some of it very nice, other bits a bit noodly jazz.

Kind of interesting, almost a 3. It still sounded very 90s to me and too many rubbish tracks

What a mess of styles. There’s a lot of interesting stuff here, but there is one point where consecutive songs switch from hip hop to instrumental jazz to drum and bass with Hindi vocals to piano pop. There is apparently some deep meaning according to the artist, but it’s lost in the telling. Also very surprised to see this on the list. Most things on the list have had some popularity in the US, with a focus on genres and artists popular in the US and UK. This seems an odd choice, though the artist has apparently won lots of awards in England and worked with lots of famous people.

Because of all the references to India, this album reminds me of my biggest life travel regret. In the mid-2000s I could have gone to India with my friend and his family. It would have been great because his parents grew up there and speak the language, and it would have been great insider guided tour. Plus I really like Indian food. I didn’t go because I was doubling up on grad classes, while working full time, and I didn’t want to miss two weeks of the hardest class I ever took because I would not have recovered. I regret not going because I’m almost certainly never going to go to India and I feel like I lost my chance. Missing my opportunity at India was not worth the better grade in fluid mechanics. Homelands is definitely more appreciated following along with the lyrics. Without them the first time, I wrote the song off as gibberish because I didn’t understand what was going on. But seeing the lyrics, I reassess the song as a beautiful melding of several cultures. Most of the songs are well put together and pleasing enough. However, I don’t think this album knows what it wants to be. Thanks to jkav for pointing this out because I can’t unnoticed it. This just is not my thing. Side note: For Father’s Day I request a 5 star album. No whammies!

Weird album. No need to listen to again.

Loved the concept of the album and glad I listened to it.

Well it is certainly...interesting. The themes of nuclear war between Pakistan and India is clearly interesting but it is hard to get past some of the musical features to listen to this again.

Too sincere and miserable and well produced and humourless for me today

2/5 Indian sounds kind of ambient. Didn't do anything for me though

Decent background music.

I don't understand what is significant about this album. Didn't do much for me at all. The story felt like a bad TV movie.

Niet echt mijn ding

The Conference is my jam, the rest sucked a bit

Snoozeville

What a bizarre album. I'm at a loss for words to describe anything about it, including genre. Ambitious?

J'ai pas été bin bin émoustillée... Je trouve les beats de plusieurs pièces redondants.. C'est correct mais je ne suis pas certaine que je le réecouterais

It was ok

De nuevo un disco al que no le veo el sentido o razón de por qué está aquí. Lo único que me imagino es a alguno de los editores insistiendo en que es una "hidden gem" pero incluso en ese caso eso no hace que TENGAS que escuchar este album. Después de escuchar leí un poco sobre Nitin y al parecer se dedica últimamente más a hacer soundtracks, lo cual creo le ha de cuadrar bastante bien (y sin tratar de oírme agresivo, también algo dice el hecho que como compositor de banda sonora tampoco se ha hecho famoso). La música por todos lados, creo abusa de tratar de fusionar y hacer todo, poner flamenco, jazz, funk, electrónico, cantos de taal, cantos de qawwaali (en donde por cierto no me gustó mucho que literal copia las líneas de Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan)... Termina sintiéndose en 80% como música lounge pretensiosa de gente en bar platicando sobre que "étnico" es este "proyecto." El concepto de ser un album para hacer consciencia sobre las pruebas nucleares en la India... me agrada... los insertos de noticiarios y los ambientales bien puestos... pero con ese estilo de música la verdad siento se pierde mucho (más tomando en cuenta los giros de estilo sin ton ni son entre canciones). Tres canciones muy buenas (Homelands, Nadia y The Conference), que aún así tampoco es como que fueran brillantes. El resto del disco olvidable.

strano strano

Este disco empieza muy muy bien y después creo que termina muy muy mal. La primera parte es variada, por un momento me recordó el soundtrack de Cowboy Bebop, con diversos géneros y buenas ejecuciones. La segunda parte supongo es de mucha influencia africana por tantas percusiones y la mayor parte del tiempo se la pasan haciendo scat (supongo) y es terriblemente aburrida. Lástima el cambio. 2.5 estrellas que no puedo subir a 3 porque sí es muy dramático el cambio.

kind of all over the place

Cuando empezó pensé que iba a ser un disco de trip hop o algo similar y ya todo se fue al garete en la rola 2. Tiene muchos ritmos que tratan de homogenizar pero la verdad es que no le vi mucho sentido al disco, the conference nos hizo bailar a Elin y a mi como si tuviéramos ataques de epilepsia y fue divertido

De esas cosas que me parece rarísimo que estén en la lista: siento que no aporta mucho encima de otras decenas de discos de la sección de “World Music”; sin embargo, de hecho alcanza a la segunda estrella por el cuidado de algunos detalles. The Conference funcionaria para ponerle de despertador a alguien que odies.

Interesting but not my bag

Ganska tråkigt

Kändes mer som ett konstverk än ett musikalbum vilket för vissa säkert är awsome men jag pallade chi.

This is okay! Good vocals, interesting production Some of these songs are a bit too long Not keen on the rapping? These songs really do not need to be 5/6 mins 💀💀 they're repetitive enough as it is The genre mixing is cool though! Faves - Broken Skin Overall - some interesting ideas, but most of the songs are just way too long and repetitive No songs saved or added to playlists Rating - 2/5

Not for me

Somehow, this record managed to be irritating and boring at the same time. Atrocious.

0.5 , this was a horrible listen

the album cover captures how i felt listening to this monstrosity

One of those albums that could not end quick enough. Nothing redeeming about this to my ears.

Throwing together a bunch of seemingly disparate genres without much rhyme or reason does not make an innovative “fusion “. It just means you threw a lot of different shit at the wall and, In this case, none of it stuck. This is bad all over the place. The idea of tracing the incubation of the atomic bomb is interesting fodder, but if you want to see an exploration of this that actually works, look to Picasso and Dalí's abstract expressionism in visual art, butoh in dance or lots of 70s and 80s heavy metal and industrial music, where the goal is to sound like a thrashing and mechanical destruction of the normal world.

I made attempts to listen to this album on two different days. Stayed a little longer the second time, but I just can't finish this. How am I simultaneously anxious, annoyed, and bored?

Often, when listening to "unconventional" music, you think, "What did the author mean?" In this case, the English-Indian Nitin Sawhney (whom I'm hearing for the first time) outlined the album's concept right in the booklet. It consists of a countdown from the Indian nuclear tests that took place during the album's recording to Robert Oppenheimer's quote, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." The description is interesting, but the same can't be said for the sound, as the entire album is a disjointed mess of electronics like Morcheeba, Indian chants and folk instruments, and some rap... The result is a unique piece: a concept album without a concept. And if you browse Nitin's discography on streaming services, everything becomes clear: most of his works are soundtracks, meaning he's adept at capturing the feeling of background music accompanying the events onscreen. But it is unrealistic to perceive this album as a complete work.

Hahaha no

I respect the different cultures, really I do. And I appreciate the pretty blatant nuclear bomb commentary, those can be pretty scary. However, this was written in 1999, not 1949, why is it so self indulgent? And why on earth does this go for almost an hour??? I have come around to the fact that this is the exact kind of album I'd expect on this list, and one I never expect to hear again. 1 star.

How is THIS album on here..?

Beyond shit.0.00

There are doubtless some extremely talented musicians on this, but this kind of vaguely trip-hop, noodly, late 90s, pseudo-drum 'n bass, nu lite soul is super frictionless and utterly vacuous. Tedium with flutes and weak beats.

I thank “Beyond Skin” by Nitin Sawhney for bringing the thunderstorm warning earlier than expected. This is a great album if one wants to fall asleep, be woken again, and leave eternally annoyed. Don’t get me wrong; I am completely for cross-cultural fusion, and I very much enjoyed it with albums like “Clube Da Esquina” by Milton Nascimento, which actually does it pleasingly. I tried my best to like this album and figure out what I was missing from the five-star reviews, but I am so sorry; this is just noise. I felt like I was at some sort of secret society convening at a liberal arts college with people in long skirts playing the biggest game of impostor. I truly envy the people who gave this album a five-star rating because I know my larping skills will never be as good as theirs. This album is the epitome of musical ragebait. How do you call this a concept album when half of the songs do not relate to nor evoke the emotions of nuclear weapon-related whatever? And please. How do you call this experimentation or even INVENTION when this man is just blending sounds that were NEVER meant to be together? For example, in “Pilgrim,” he blends rap (talking?) over a weird chill lofi beat with some random strings, which does not go well at all. Additionally, what was he thinking with “Nadia?” A seemingly calm and soothing voice blended with an upbeat drum beat? If Nitin Sawhney has any musical awareness, he should understand that some sounds are meant to mesh together and some aren’t. You know it’s bad when the album is so terrible that you need to look at other one-star reviews to get laughs toward the end of the album. I really tried my best, but I truly could not take it. 1/5

Nitin Sawhnwy - Beyond Skin ⭐️ Only three weeks into the project and I feel like some of my reviews are already a bit repetitive. I guess there’s nothing wrong with the technical musicianship on this album, but boring music like that does absolutely nothing for me.

I really want to like those albums that are a little more 'out there'. This one is, with both a rare language and cultural background. But I really cannot like this album. There is just a bit too much weirdness. It seems like it really wants to send a certain message, but it doesn't come across to me. 1/5

This is probably the worst album suggested so far. Nothing really stands out musically or lyrically.

I, just no.

Boring as fuck...

The mall Sephora-type beats. “Homelands” and a few others had some cool instrumentals (“Tides” and “Immigrant” were actually pretty good). WHAT THE FUCK WAS “The Conference”?!?!?! https://youtu.be/p69XxYjfx-k&t=5s

Awful

Previously unknown. I didn't dislike this as much as I expected to.

No

Bit boring, liked the first song but it got hard to commit to finishing it

You’ve heard of English guys doing a bad take on good Indian music, but what about an Indian guy doing a bad take on bad English music?

No.

Sounds like something that would be played in an overpriced clothes shop with annoying white lighting

Clippings from radio interviews is a cool touch, but not enough for me to enjoy the actual music. Fave track: Homelands

not bad but genuinely can’t think about anything this album does than any of its contemporaries. feel like the production doesnt hold up to the conceptual and artistic aspects, especially with the Indian vocals. Very striking but it’s applied in a dull way.

lol this was trash but people need to understand that this walked so Jai Paul could run.

This was so bad! Even in the 90s this would have annoyed me. Incomprehensible how this ended up on this list. Mediocre at best.

Nah

I did not enjoy this album at all.

Beyond shit.

(20/100)

Extremely boring

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.

Couldn't even finish..

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

“my identity and my history are defined only by myself” 🤮

meh

Beyond...World music fusion.. that goes nowhere

Beyond rubbish

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 album generator is proving to me that the late 90s produced terrible music. What the hell was this shit?

Bullshit

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.

An album in the 90s about the India-Pakistan nuke crisis is somehow still relevant

Eesh.

Var ganske behagelig helt til herrestemmene dukket opp. Da ble det automatisk stryk fra meg.

not for me

Generic, repetitive and boring. More British mediocrity.

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

meh

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

Yeah, not for me. A strange choice for the list

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.

Objectively bad.

Why would you make me listen to that

Irgendwie finde ich den Zugang nicht

Hard pass

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.

Intended to have a strong message but is sonically very boring

Это современное индийское звучание ну совсем не мое

There is nothing interesting, memorable, or essential about this. 1/5.

Swings between tedious and annoying, usually some combination of both.

Huh.

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.

Didn't enjoy it, felt like it didn't know what it wanted to be. Didn't finish.

Just bad

How on earth did this make it in to the 1001 list!

The nuclear weapon theme was interesting on paper but the album itself bored me

I had to turn this off.

Why?

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

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.

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.

Did not listen to whole album.

Shit

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.

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.

Definitely not my 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.

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

Keeping an eye on the world going by my window...taking my time...lying here and staring at the ceiling..waiting for Nitin Sawhney...

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

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.

I really don't like Indian music

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.

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.

Not really for me

Terribly boring

Zero stars deserved.

Hot Trash.

Beyond listenable. It sounds like the generic sample music that comes with digital recording software.

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

Sounds really repetitive and mostly uninteresting.

Pretty horrible

No

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.

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.

I genuinely do not understand how this can be on the list... 1.5⭐️

Not for me

The jazzier stuff from the album was way more fun. The male voice that sometimes comes in drags also the experience down. This is one of these albums that would work better with less voices and vocals for me. But still an interesting Listen. The Conference was silly asf. (1.5/5.0)

הכל נשמע אותו דבר

I really didn’t like this. Kind of annoying actually. I think I could’ve died in peace not having listened to this. Immigrant was ok.

Meh

I was trying, I honestly was ... and then the dude in the background started chanting, that is where I draw the line!

eh too weird/global for my taste

This downtempo triphop with smatterings of world music and glistening production is as late 90s/early 00s as it gets! Ambitious, exotic and well executed but not engaging - is it really an album about humanity's difficult relationship with nuclear weapons and the experience of Indian migrants in the UK (pretty diffuse thematic manifesto....), or does it just have some newsreel samples over the transitions between fairly boring tracks? Favourite tracks: Broken Skin, Nadia, whatever it was I listened to next...

1 bosta

J'aime pas le trip-hop, j'aime pas la drum and bass, et j'ai pas d'affection particulière pour les sonorités orientales et indiennes. Forcément, tout ça mélangé, c'était pas ouf.

Didn't really click with this one. Not sure why it is on this 1001 albums list... Highlights Include: "Tides"

# 421 : Zzzzz. Another one of those albums that make you reconsider whether there are actually as many as 1,001 albums you must listen to before you die…

Not good

I've come to realize through this list that I just don't enjoy music with Indian influence. This was... Pretty profoundly meh. Very well done, but the Indian influences really took it down several notches.

Second bad imitation album in a week. This time its Temu Portishead. 1/5

Moody Downtempo for testing the limits of boredom.

Haven't heard of this before. A chill, background music-esque album about nuclear weapons doesn't seem appropriate to me. The concept of this album aside, purely musically it isn't interesting either. Actually after a while the sound of the album started to be annoying. Another strange pick from the author of the original book. 1/5

this dragged for so long, literally felt like i was listening to it for hours on end, i respect the style of it but the trip hop esc sound to it was very generic and all the songs sound the same and it didn’t keep me engaged at all

point5.

Weird R&B

I would never put this on a list like this unless it’s what you should not do.

Album #14 0 1/5 Not for me. Seems like there is a great message / theme to the album (lyrics) but the music/sound just isn't for me.

The album cover is actually me having to listen to this nonsense. 2/10.

I'd rather be nuked than listen to Homelands again.

This is real weird and bad.

de opener isch etz nöd so i mim gschmack sehr dissonant mit langsamem electrobeat. find etz de zweit letting go au ultra seicht und langwilig. homelands het chli spannenderi perkussion aber macht etz au nüüüt mit mir. alles sehr melancholisch und depri. pilgrim findi au meega scheisse sorry wiso ischs so gloomy? immigrant isch de erst song woni no easy schö find. schöni melodie cooli chords. würkli recht schön. serpents isch defür wieder e rechti tortur gnüssi etz nuuuuuull. abthem without nation isch au wieder cooli perkussivi sache im hindergrund das wüschende findi cool aber es isch so laaahm fuuuck. wenns harmonisch uflöst isch no schön. ich check scho dass mega lang söll riibig sii und denn isch d uflösig no befriedigender aber bruudi. the conference goht blöööd

Shitty indian music infused with jungle. Near the end they go Deng de Deng de Deng deng deng for 2 minutes. It felt like an eternity. Horrible.

it insists upon itself...

This is #day86 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... how about music to take a dump to? Long story short, this is not an album you must hear before you die. It's a 1 out of 5, of course. Looking forward to #day87.

The album cover is terrible. The music is incredibly bland. Some of it sounds like it's trying to be Massive Attack, but nowhere near successfully. Also pretentious.

? My 1000 album

This is really hard to listen to

fuckin fuck

Just awful. Has the potential to be a fantastic and compelling trip hop album. Instead it's a cheesy soundtrack to a 90s British Airways commercial. At best, dentist office music.

Can Downtempo make you angry? Turn this on and find out!

First 3 songs are pretty good everything else was garbage

Beyond Skin is an album from Nitin Sawhney, a British musician that has won a number of awards. This is an odd collection of songs, with downtempo electronic backgrounds, and elements of Indian influence throughout the work. There are odd ballads, "Anthem without Nation," poorly executed rap, "Pilgrim," rhythmic exercises, "The Conference," and even near-pop songs, "Nostalgia." Some of the tracks are interesting, but the scattered collection is enough to dampen any interest.

Bit all over the place, parts were okay but other tracks I really disliked

Beyond excruciating

Released in 1999, the album aims to explore identity and culture through a blend of Eastern and Western music. Unfortunately, the album falls short, resulting in a disjointed and unsatisfying experience. The fusion of classical Indian instruments with electronic beats often feels forced and jarring, lacking cohesion. Vocally, the album is inconsistent, with guest performances varying in quality. The spoken word segments, like in "Broken Skin," come across as pretentious rather than profound. The lyrical content strives for depth but ends up heavy-handed and unsubtle. Production is another weak point, with traditional instruments undermined by synthetic electronic elements, resulting in a sterile sound. Few tracks leave a lasting impression, and the ambitious soundscapes meander without direction. Overall, Beyond Skin is a well-intentioned but flawed endeavor, failing to deliver a memorable or cohesive musical experience.

How can you even call this art

Definitely not my music - sorry!

Not for me

Wtf

This has to be near the bottom of albums on this list, like 998.

who listens to this Like sure, some of the jazzier stuff is fine, but tell me anyone’s favorite song is ‘Nadia’ or ‘Serpents’. None of this is artistically bankrupt or anything, but it seems like the artist put no effort into actually making this something people want to listen to. This made me feel nothing, and unlike other albums I could say that to, I really see no appeal to this. Probably the 1 star album I have the least hatred of, but who is this for?

Was this list required to provide a westernized Indian album because if this was the best possible option then I guess there is still more learning that needs to be done. The first song was kind of okay. Then emit just went to shit and everything else was pretty much a mess. There were two songs I had to skip, which I usually don’t do. This could’ve been a two star album if it stayed like the first song. 2.0/10

Beyond Dull. A late-to-the-game take on mid-90’s international flavored groove like Moodswings and Transglobal Underground. Nothing to really stand out.

The deeper you get into the list the more you realized how UK-skewed it is. Also the commitment to a diverse array of music can be great but also a big negative at points. I think I need to start viewing this list as just "1001 random albums" and not the best 1001 of all time. "Pilgrim" was brutal to get through with its weak spoken-word. I feel like I've heard most of these songs in a wannabe trendy hotel lobby before. This album is all over the place, and not in a good way, with no cohesiveness from song to song. 3/10 (1.5/5)

Nope

Ugh. This is standard turn of the century stuff that had some guardian reviewer named Tim, or Ben or Miles getting semi hard for on its way to the Mercury Prize and hipster end of year polls. The music drifts between acoustic down tempo pop, Bhangra beats and female vocals that could’ve been Morcheeba, Sneaker Pimps or countless others. Unremarkable

Didn't listen.

uhhhh really not for me. giving kratom bar vibes. LEAST favorite songs Pilgrim - this is what it feels like when ur on a first date and the dude asks to freestyle for you Did not end up finishing this album

Ok so I don't know how this album has made this list. Frequently bored out of my mind listening to it. GREAT background music but feels like I'm in a white washed movie about colonialism ? Like it's a attempt at fusing electronica-east asian just settles itself in the pit between where it sucks all around// The concept behind this album is supposed to be a time-line running from the India-Pakistan nuclear situation to Oppie quoting "I am become death... yada yada" Cool fucking idea. So so poorly executed. Yeah samples are taken but again just make this sound lazy and as many have said...BORING. Wieners: Homeland...I guess? It is the most popular and the only song I could get through without grimacing Losers: All.

I really wanted to like this, but, I found it waaaaay too arty for me. It went on a journey but I was not pleased to be on it.

Extremely dull. I have zero desire to ever listen to this album again.

I would never listen to this ever. I don’t like these weird albums. If you make an album it’s a project and often a description of that artists life. But at the end of the day it’s still suppose to be music. And this is not my kind