Reviews (page 2 of 8)
Underworld deliver a set of techno songs that land somewhere between the club and atmospheric sides of the genre. The first two tracks are the longest, and they flow between different motifs as they go on. There are touches of jazz, a little rock, but mostly steady techno beats. After those tracks the album stays mostly in a downtempo sound, which is less interesting. The exception is the exciting "Pearls Girl," which is likely the strongest track. The vocals add very little and the surreal lyrics usually don't work - I'd rather this be fully instrumental. There are some nice moments here, but it's stuck between not being quite exhilarating enough and not quite layered enough to work as atmospheric music - at time it feels weirdly empty. It's all too much for such a long album, but might have worked on a shorter one.
Me gusta la electrónica pero en ámbitos específicos. Muy bueno en algunas cosas y los tracks son super accesibles.
Underworld made a major splash in the music world with Born Slippy, so here is an album that doesn't contain it. If my criticism of electronic music/techno/whatever genre this really is boils down to “repetitive,” “soulless,” and “robotic”, Underworld does not do a whole lot to argue on “Juanita”, with very obviously looped beats and cyborgified, one-note vocals. By the 4 minute mark, there begins to be a bit more movement, which is an improvement, but the drone is still the heart of the beast. This isn't music for thinking, and every “riff” feels as inorganic as the last. There's a different flow when someone is playing a riff live and when someone is looping one, and this is so loop coded that I would actually be surprised if any human could play this with such consistency and lack of interest. But this is a 16 minute track. It makes up more than a full 20% of the album. Do other tracks also fade into the background as easily? Well, it takes a second, because we get another 15 minute song immediately after. It does lean a bit more into a pleasant ambiance, it does have a quirky guitar line in the second movement that feels a little more human. But this is pulse music largely. “confusion the waitress” throbs banal-ly. It layers like someone experimenting with fruityloops. Ooh, that synth hi-hat. “Rowla” just luxuriates in repetitive buzz saw. Every spoken word anywhere on the album makes it worse. Unexpectedly those longer tracks are where a few decent, shorter pieces could have been born, if any electronic club producer knew anything about editing. Now, I don't even hate background music. There's definitely a lot of ambient music that lives and dies by its movement, stuff you could listen to actively but is made to work passively. And honestly, this is probably above the median when it comes to this sort of thing. But it doesn't make a strong argument against this sort of music being the slippery slope that allowed AI to flourish 30 years later. If club music ever has no haters I'm dead. ⭐️⭐️
80/100. The first time I heard this album, it made me feel nostalgic. It’s a calm techno album, taking a more atmospheric approach. It’s a fantastic album to have on in the background, but also as a main focus. Didn’t feel like a 70+ min album, this went by fast.
++: Juanita: Kiteless: To Dream of Love, Banstyle/Sappy's Curry, Rowla, Pearl's Girl, Blueski +: Confusion The Waitress, Stagger +-: Air Towel 8,5/10
As Underworld blared out of my speaker in the kitchen during a clean up session, the album seemed just what I desired. Head bobbing, without throbbing, beats with some interesting touches added to the mix. That quality continued at times throughout Second Toughest in the Infants (a title I will have to contemplate), but new elements appeared, mainly uninteresting vocals that diminished my pleasure. A second listen had the same effect, with the closing track, “Stagger” being the most egregious violator. If seeking a neo-soul or dance club hit, improvements are needed. The vocalists themselves offered nothing compelling, and their position in the song did not help. Learn how to write a catchy chorus or deliver a powerful phrase. Otherwise stick to instrumental work until you hire a better singer and/or songwriter. Get someone to do a stronger remix, and maybe you will get that big hit.
6.5
If you could mix in part John Wick movie, part roof top bar downtown, and part shopping for jeans at Abercrombie, then you would have this soulless mess.
I need drugs and a dark basement for this to be worth listening.
Techno music that puts you in a trance. Feels like being in a futuristic rave in space. The repetition only adds to the hypnotizing vibe of the record. Very good stuff, I'm convinced everyone who dislikes this just doesn't like techno and that's fine.
Music is fine, too repetitive and tracks are too long.
When you’re in a sweaty crowded club, the dance is jumping and the vibe is high this is good. Also the high hat is somehow out of time on the first track which makes dance difficult. Stripped of context it’s meh. This isn’t a must listen. It’s a highly contextual example of house music. That’s ok. But it’s not a great album.
incredible propulsive great focus music love the energy it brings this is definitely one of those work to it techno albums that I love. the continuous build, works off anticipation and beautiful patterns
I feel like much of this smart, stylish 90s electronic album is not designed for the dancefloor, but for listening in the lounge room while coming down from a big night out. It is more intelligent and varied than many EDM albums (largely attributable to the occasional use of guitar and the vocals). I have mixed feelings about the chant-like vocals -- they avoid the usual house cliche of whacking a big soul vocal over the top of an electronic track to give it some drama. The repetitive, rhythmic singing -- often just a single note -- and impressionistic lyrics make the vocals an intrinsic part of the track rather than a decorative topline. But I can't work out whether I really like that or not. Jury is still out. I assume that 'Born Slippy' was an album outtake they agreed to offer up for the Trainspotting soundtrack, which accidentally then became their biggest hit and turned out not to be on the album (oops), but belatedly added to the deluxe issues. The sound is pretty sophisticated, but of that seems to come down to the judicious use of digital delays and reverb. Better than most of its genre but still doesn't really move me.
This was a tough listen. I feel like at times they overindulged in making the music they wanted to make - this is easily reflected in the overall album length and some of the tracks' length. I felt a a lot of filler was on here throughout. Some interesting sounds, but even more sounds that didn't fall well onto my ears.
- Better than expected. Long but better writing than usual ......... 3.5 rounded up to 4 because it held my interest and this type of music doesn't always do that. -
I enjoyed this much more than I expected. Or, rather, after it had mostly faded into the background, I found myself enjoying Stagger, the last track, and went back in the hope of finding more actual songs to enjoy. There were certainly bits of songs throughout. But not much of a record. 2 ‚Cook Little Pot, Cook!‘ (The Magic Porridge Pot) Suppose you go to a restaurant and the menu dazzles you with a variety of colourful and imaginative garnishes and exotic dressings; this ‚reduction’ and that ‚drizzle‘ - a ‚coulis‘ here and an ‚emulsion‘ there. Then you notice that everything is served on porridge. For all the expense of creativity there is still only one thing on the menu. Underworld will do you a nice wobbly synth riff here, and a distinctive acoustic sample there. There‘ll be inaudible spoken word, and audible spoken word and they’ll even sing a note or two. Surely their variety of hi-hat and ride sounds is second to none? Underneath these probable delights, however, is harmonic and structural stasis - sometimes just one chord for minutes on end. This over even phrases of 4/4 at about 130bpm. For an hour. And thirteen minutes. Who are these unfortunates, like the poverty stricken family in the Brothers Grimm‘s Magic Porridge Pot story, who eat porridge all day long and are thankful? I‘m not knocking porridge, which is very nice. However, I will take the ‚Born Slippy .NUXX‘ and no starter or dessert, thank you. 1.5/5
It's possible I could be more bored.
No.
good lord, not another one of these
Well. those songs were way too long....say repetitive a lot. I'm not sure why a lot of electronic music has the same characteristic of going on and on and on, but I've found that in a lot of the groups that perform electronic music. It is possible that there are groups out there that don't, but this was not one of them. I found this album to be repetitive and boring, but it wasn't really offensive, it just became background noise after a short period of listening to it.
That's what I call mechanical music. A strong rhythm line that goes on forever, with a minimal jingle repeating ad nauseam, some slight variations every now and then, sometimes voice over. Good for repetitive tasks that don't need chatty music but just beats.
Okay.
Favourite Track(s):
The name “second toughest in the infants” really sets you up with the expectation that this album is going to be some unserious shit and then you get transported to the party dimension for 1 hour and 13 minutes
Dos criadores de Born Slippy, uma das minhas canções eletrônicas favoritas, eu tinha altas expectativas para Underworld. Todas as expectativas foram não apenas superadas, mas também arregaçadas. Que álbum ótimo, batidas eletrizantes e hipnotizantes, cenários musicais oníricos e cativantes. Uma escuta imensamente satisfatória que me conquistou fortemente. Fiquei cogitando deduzir a nota um pouco por causa de sua duração e pelo fato que é indiscutivelmente bem repetitivo, mas acredito que esse é um dos raros casos onde ambos fatores complementam o disco. Muito bom. 5/5
I first discovered Underworld on the Trainspotting soundtrack, and have been a fan ever since!
Soundtrack to a rave organized by your dad? Corporate chic? I don’t know what to make of this beyond the fact that I don’t like it much. It’s not objectionable though.
4/5
The only Underworld song that I was aware of going into this was Born Slippy, which I have enjoyed for a long time despite not really being in my typical musical wheelhouse. While that song isn't on this album, these tunes seem to be from the same Underworld era. They don't hit the same way Born Slippy hits, though. It's not a bad listen, and certainly did the job decently enough as background music while I worked, but I don't see myself returning this album.
Okay, I accidentally listened to Dubnobasswithmyheadman instead. Oops. However both albums were good and kept me entertained during a long train journey, as I crocheted yet another Jimothy.
A little repetitive but fun
Not my thing - electronic sounds - compelling, but boring. Could play in the background. Enjoyed Banstyle/Sappy's Curry and Blueski the most. 2/5
Propa rave cunt. Really cool beats and some crazy going songs. Wish I got to discover this a little sooner because it's great music for driving like a retard. My car liked this music so much that it broke down right after the album was over.
Noooooobody cares.
Boring techno music
meh nothing inspiring or interesting but not offensive either good background music for doing a puzzle with your cousin
1/5. Find repetative techno music very boring, layered or not.
Strong classic EDM
Underworld have a very cool, slow moving aesthetic which you could get lost in. They take their time with all things and every moment is earnt, they're not being overindulgent. I particularly like how the percussion is worked into the overall sound and the production is of course, absolutely fantastic. I am a bit of a fiend for punch melodies in my electronic music, and that is where Underworld is lacking. There's a lot of interesting progression of rhythm and beats, but melody takes a bit of a sideline, although I like that we get some somewhat melodic vocals on the final track which is a nice contrast. Ultimately it's not a sound I'd return to too often, though some of the gentler moments do seem to have inspired The Field who is in my regular rotation.
Second Toughest in the Infants is getting a low 5, on first listen it's likely my favourite Underworld album so far, amazing sounds, heavy and euphoric, v v consistent
Choose death
Second Toughest in the Infants by Underworld only has eight tracks, but somehow it seemed to take me forever to get through this listen today. I went into this fully expecting to hate it, and I absolutely did not. That said, it’s definitely not an easy listen. It’s repetitive, but then a lot of techno is. In small doses, though, this is really good. The music is complex, layered and incredibly well produced, and I can imagine it working perfectly as background music. As a full album, however, it’s just a little too long and started to drag towards the end. I could definitely see myself listening to this again; I just can’t quite work out what situation I’d choose to put it on in. Favourite track: “Pearl’s Girl” is easily the highlight for me. Least favourite track: “Rowla” is the weakest track on the album. Album artwork: Cool album cover.
I would’ve preferred Everything Everything, their love album. I was obsessed with it in my teens and my first trip to Coachella in ‘03 was to finally see them. Second Toughest is a really good album, for sure one of their best and I would recommend it always
Meh
Idk
Разнообразие, прикольный на фон впринципе
Fun, actually. not bad for the gym.
Now is the time on Shprockets when we dance.
It's interesting personally as another puzzle piece in examining late 90's electronic music from England. I've had You've Come a Long Way, Baby by Fatboy Slim and The Fat of The Land by The Prodigy before this album, both records which I absolutely loved. The reason I bring them up is when asked I describe those albums in one word respectively as carefree and grimey, whereas the word I'd use for this one is not one rooted in feeling but of the age, that being digital. This totally takes me back to early oughts LAN gaming clubs, and this kind of music backing many internet pages, blogs and forums at the time. While that kind of music did not leave an impression on me at the time and is certainly not something I'd seek out today, I'm left feeling weirdly nostalgic after the listening experience. It helps that I listened to this at work and I've described my office as exactly that kind of LAN club from back in the day, with the way our PCs are arranged and how relatively commonly you'll hear people shouting obscenities at the top of their lungs as if they just lost a match in Warcraft 3. If this all feels familiar to anyone reading this review, I'd wager you'll enjoy the album as I have.
Not for me on the regular but I’m sure this is good if you’re into house music.
This fucking rules. Dance music is music for moving, and Underworld's Second Toughest In The Infants makes a convincing case for my argument. This really is a fantastic electronic album. Not a dull moment. Shoutout to my buddy, Dragon, for introducing me to this group.
Sterk 4'er. Ble ikke fenga av første sporet, men deretter sitter det veldig godt. Savner en skikkelig banger, men jevnt, høyt nivå.
Enjoyed this
This is good club music (the repetitiveness is good for dancing). It's mostly instrumental with minimal vocals. However, I don't like techno on its own because it just fades into the background and it doesn't keep my interest.
Probably didn’t have the right drugs for this at 7am, so this album (especially the first two tracks) could have been an email. Technically impressive, though.
Cool
Es tan repetitivo que te hacen entrar en un estado mental que podría funcionar para trabajar o concentrarse
Fantastic, totally unexpected journey through ambient/experimental dance music.
Not my genre, but it was ok. The album seemed to get better the more I listened.
Very repetitive, but a lot of soft and atmospheric touches in it. Nice voice but a bit unnecessary. Gets a bit boring in the middle
What is it with these nineties electronic albums and being so ridiculously drawn out to the point that I'm spitefully taking points away from them for it? Born Slippy isn't even on this one, and while it is pretty chill, I feel as if this was a waste of my time.
Decent album, I'm like some IDM albums (most of them being aphex Twin) and this is a generally good album, feels like it's constantly in a boss fight 4/5
This had every type of electronic sound that I like this shit was pretty fye
Awful club music. Hate it
This is great, I own and just love Everything, Everything which seems to be a live album of this studio album. 5 easy stars.
Enjoyed it more than I thought I would
Mediocre at best. Come on brits!
Long album with a lot of instrumental.
OMG what a piece
fucking awesome
no es para mi pero lo aprecio como arte
I mean, it really wasn't my vibe today, and it was too long, but there's good sections rather
Definitely not my speed.
Too long. Definitely need to be on drugs to get into this
Too much electronica
Nothing in this stood out but I was enjoyable
My knowledge of electronic music is extremely sub-par, but I do enjoy it as background noise when something else has my attention. Because of this, dedicated listening to this album didn't really help. Its enjoyable, but the repetition of beats and sounds are very pronounced. Not my favorite, but I'm not mad at it.
The challenge for me listening to a long techno track is having the patience to sit through each set of 4 bars (or 8, or 16) to see if anything different is going to happen in the next set, or whether there will be another set of exactly the same to get through first. The build-up to track 1 did test my patience, but, to be fair, it developed a good shape after that and threw in some tunes and some variety. The most repetitive and pure techno track of all was Rowla (not available on the original link at the time of writing; don't bother seeking it out unless you want six and a half minutes of literal beats and squeaky electronica). The rest of the album had some highs and lows; Confusion The Waitress I found annoying, but Air Towel (now there's a title) had me nodding along happily. I seemed to enjoy the instrumental passages most. Stagger was great, but I'd love to hear it with a different singer (sorry). I didn't love techno at the time, but I appreciate its place in dance music history and what a brilliant scene it was for those who were involved.
A little hard to absorb on the flight, but matched my weird book. Probably worth a revisit in a quieter moment, or for work
I guess if you don't like this type of music there is nothing on this album that would make you like this. i thought it was ok, but some tracks were too slow for me. I need it more in the "born slippy" style like for example Rowla which is a really nice track on this album
Well shit this was one of the most transporting and enjoyable electronic albums I’ve gotten from this list. Super hypnotic and groovy and I love the long proggy songs. It’s not consistently great all the way through, it’s not perfect, but it’s awesome. Must-listen #376.
Transcendent. Iconic. Everything
Listened all the way through. Didn't like it. Boring repetition.
A little too beep boop beep boop at first but I came around to it. Too long though Playlist add: "Juanita: Kiteless: To Dream of Love"
Dance music by nature struggles when translated to LP format. That makes it even more impressive when the transition is smooth. I'd give Underworld that accolade as this album is just a fantastic hour or so of music that never bores and consistently evolves. One of my favourite new listens from the project.
T1 - if the lead singer of "the national" was contracted to score the original blade movie T3 - maybe i don't hate this? T5 - these all feel/sound so nostalgic. I have never heard of "underworld" but I feel like these songs have been used in E V E R Y T H I N G I wish more records on this list won me over this way
I can see the appeal of this album if you’re looking for complex electronic textures to get into a "flow state" or need some pulsing background music while you work. There are undeniable moments of atmospheric brilliance and hypnotic rhythms here, but honestly, as a pure active listening experience, it feels like an absolute endurance contest. Kicking things off with two sprawling, repetitive 15-minute tracks is a bold choice that immediately tests your patience, making the whole 74-minute runtime feel incredibly bloated if you're just sitting at home sober. I get it... this would probably be transcendent in a sweaty, dark club in the 90s, but that energy doesn't translate perfectly to a casual afternoon listen. It just drags on endlessly with minimal variation or lyrical substance, leaving me desperately waiting for it to finally wrap up. I can only imagine this was added because of the massive hit "Born Slippy" but it's not even on the regular version of this, and I'll be damned if I'm listening to an even longer version just for *that*.
Started out really not enjoying but it grew on me really quick. Great background music. Felt like I was in a menu for an N64 game. Only main issue was the songs were each a few minutes too long. Fave songs: Tracks 1, 2, 5, 7 Rating: 8.3
EXCELENTE descoberta! gostei muito do disco e da banda!
I enjoyed this album. Nice for background music in the office.
Very cool and kinda trippy; I feel like this could have been the soundtrack to a video game or action movie in the '90s.
Definitely an earned place in electronic sound
UNDERWORLD!?!?! FUCKING UNDERWORLD?????!?!?!??! Dit is tenminste een soort van techno album. Wauw, ik had niet verwacht dit op deze lijst tegen te komen. Ben benieuwd welk Britpop album uit de jaren 90 ze hier voor moesten schrappen, vast eeuwig zonde. Anyway; fucking blij hier mee. Underworld ken ik wel een beetje, natuurlijk van Born Slippy, maar moet hier ook toegeven dat ik geen volledig album van ze ken. Hoe is opener Juanita een volledig album? Een volledig feest bijna? Bizarre plaat, en dat dit bijna 30 jaar geleden is gemaakt is insane. Je word echt vol in de club gedropt eigenlijk met Juanita, daarna schakelen ze door naar een heerlijk dromerige breakbeat plaat met Banstyle/Sappys Curry. Ook deze duurt weer een kwartier, maar in dat kwartier raak je nauwelijks verveeld door de verschillende dingen die continue worden uitgeprobeerd. Rowla is een wilde plaat, voelt wel vreemd om die op die plek in het album te hebben, zelfde met Pearl's Girl daarna, het zijn vette nummers hoor. Maar de plaatsing op het album voelt vreemd, nadat je met Juanita en Banstyle eigenlijk al een soort rave hebt gevangen voelt de rest een beetje als een afterthought? Air Towel is dan weer een heerlijk trippy plaatje. Valt me op dat er een hoop emotie bijna in de muziek zit. Het is nooit alleen maar beuken of techno, er zit bijna altijd een vocal of iets in die mij persoonlijk heel veel geeft. De laatste 2 nummers zijn wel echt de 'after space' plaatjes. Ja dit album brengt mij persoonlijk heel veel, duurde ruim een uur maar er gebeurde zo ontzettend veel dat ik me geen seconde verveeld heb. Uiteindelijk neig ik toch naar 4 sterren en dat is dan puur omdat de muziek geweldig is, maar ik toch de volgorde niet altijd even logisch vind, Rowla en Pearl's Girl hadden denk ik misschien voor Banstyle gemoeten, maar dat is mijn persoonlijke mening. Wel echt een fantastisch album, blij dat ik het gehoord heb. FAVO: Juanita, de volle 16 minuten. Wat een vette plaat. , Banstyle/Sappys Curry, Air Towel
This was like the 3rd straight 90s British electronic album I listened to so I feel like the genre lost its luster by this one
Excelent
What Underworld do really really superbly is balance thumping, bass-first numbers with gorgeous, chilled moments. And they scatter both with the highly distinctive stream-of-consciousness ramblings of Karl Hyde. You always know when you're listening to Underworld. This album, along with its predecessor, dubnobasswithmyheadman, consist of longform dance numbers that drift into one another and skip between those thumping and chilled moments so effortlessly that sometimes you don't notice the mood has even changed. Around the same time as releasing Second Toughest..., they also dropped the seminal Born Slippy, as part of the Trainspotting soundtrack. A single so good that it fell awkwardly between albums but still retained its classic status. And from there, they went on to bigger, more mainstream success and became part of the burgeoning British Big Beat scene, which somehow ran both parallel and in antithesis to the Britpop movement of the same era. The decision to choose Second Toughest In The Infants and not its more mainstream and digestible successor, Beaucoup Fish, has probably cost me a 5-star rating, but I don't mind it. This is a bold and solid choice that probably tells more of a story of Underworld's breakthrough, rather than them cruising at the top of their game. I would expect a lot of first-time listeners to find it too long and repetitive but if you can immerse yourself in the vibe, there are some incredible highlights. And go on and listen to Beaucoup Fish when you're finished anyway. It's great fun (and even better).
I really liked this. Good vibes to work and study to.
Interesting sound that would be better in smaller chunks
It was background music to me, so I didn't listen that carefully to assess if it was "good" background music.
Do quite like this. Reminds me of being off me nut in some Somerset field
Its alright. Not really my bag! Would be great live.
Expected more 90s rave. It was that, but much more subdued and Chill. Quite enjoyed it. Can put it on and go about your day. Was waiting for Born Slippy but it never came. 'Stagger' lyrics: all over the place. Was always put off by Underworld as its also the underwaer factory in Coronation Street. Sure someone got sacked for that one
Trash
Maybe the first dance album I've listened to due to the 1001 list. Another genre I really don't like. I always thought my music taste was eclectic, but I'm starting to doubt myself. Sure it was a good dance album but bloody hell, it was a DANCE album. 😞
⭐⭐ Techno. Inte dåligt men för mig funkar det bäst som bakgrundsmusik och inget jag aktivt skulle välja att lyssna på. Det får bli en 2a. Bäst är Junita: Kiteless: to dream of love
A techno rave album from the UK is exactly what I wanted to listen to on 4.5 hours of sleep. It’s 80 minutes long, not very good, and should only be listened to at a rave by people tripping on drugs. I would barely consider it music because no one would listen to this outside that aforementioned context. It’s a low 2/5 because it’s not as bad as that Shamen album, but still pretty bad.
Honestly I would see listening to this while driving, maybe at night or when I don’t know what else to put on the radio. Even dance, it’s better that what I get at parties. Yeah I know
Pretty good overall even if techno is not usually something I listen to much of. Could have been a bit shorter. Favorite Track - Rowla Least Favorite Track - Confusion the Waitress ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a cool album to be on the list. I know Underworld from being friends with Brad and really liking the movie Trainspotting. Underworld had 2 songs on the soundtrack and was one of the first major movies to play a house song in basically it's entirety. This album had a bunch of great ideas but you could tell this was old school club music... the songs are 6-7 minutes long with easily 1 or 2 extra verses than needed for listening... but if you're a DJ, you gotta have that flexibility.
Nemėgstamiausias underworld albumas, turi tokiu meh dainų, bet kartu turi ir vienas iš mėgstamiausiu jų sukurtu dainų.
It was repetitive techno, but I actually kind of enjoyed it. Reminds me of Abby's lab on NCIS. I wouldn't want to overdo it, but I actually found this to be pleasant background music.
Heard Before? Nope. I only know Dubnobasswithmyheadman and of course "Born Slippy.NUXX". Notes: - So much more variety than I expected, with "Stagger" being an especially pleasant surprise. - For better and worse, the album is all texture. Barely-there structures, almost no hooks, very little rhythmic complexity, lyrics that don't matter. But texture, glorious texture. - the innovations are subtle, but worth the close listening. - vocals much improved over Dubnobass... Still nothing to get too excited about, but keeps things fresh over some very long, repetitive songs. Verdict: A real grower for me. Ten minutes in and I was ready to write it off, but by the end I'm hitting the repeat button. Listen Again? Yes - right now in fact. I'm still not convinced that anyone NEEDS to hear any Underworld besides "Born Slippy.NUXX", but I make synth music and I feel like I'm learning from this.
Cool, but fatigued
This list could be 101 albums. At the rate I'm going 90% of them are 1 or 2 stars. 1.0. This one takes crap to a whole new level. I really wish 0 was an option.
Good
It sounds like an alien trying to communicate in the first one overall it have good potential but feels raw now 3.8/10
Boring
I really wish I could've rated this one higher. The beats on the tracks themselves are generally pretty good, but the repetitive nature of the album was among the worst I've heard so far. I'd enjoy myself for about 2-3 minutes, only to realize I'm not even halfway through the song.
Trip hop rave EDM piece. Good listen. Can't say I'd go seeking it out but not looking to turn it off.
Its fine, but it gets repetitive by the end. And it is indeed, incredibly long.
este si es un album que podria escuchar aunque no sea mi estilo de música (obvio en un ámbito mas de fiesta y bajo efectos jaja)
An interesting mix of high energy, ambient, and jungle techno styles. I'm no expert and I was today years old when I first heard this album, but I'm enjoying myself so far. As it goes on it gets less appealing to me. It started out all "Ooh, techno finally!" and ended with me skipping forward in songs to see if the musical weather had changed (spoiler, it had not changed).
Might be great, but I find it impossible to listen to
Thoughts before listening: Pretty sure this is techno. Review: Yeah...this is techno. The first 2 tracks are 32 minutes of repetitive beats. I'm sure this slaps on a headful of drugs at 2am at a rave, but at 1:30pm at my desk its kinda giving me a headache. I think I give the same review for all techno albums on here, but it remains how I feel. I wasn't into this music in the 90s and 00s when I was the target demographic, and I'm not into it now in my mid-40s. 2-stars
Unbelievable. Genre diverse, an amazing project that feels like it was driven by an interest in experimenting rather than commercial success. Nuts that they can obliterate any style they touch. Critical album
Et par gode sanger
Pas fan de ce genre pour l'instant ou en tout cas pas dans le mood mais à réécouter pour sur.
Back in 2004, I briefly went through a trance / techno phase, and one of my favourite atmospheric records was "A Hundred Days Off" by Underworld - a hypnotic Tech-Noir album that always got me into a dreamy mood. By comparison, "Second Toughest in the Infants" feels a bit disappointing. It's less repetitive, maybe, but also less minimalist, more cluttered. It's very good EDM, with more depth and complexity than most similar records ; a couple of tracks do have a nice trippy / futuristic vibe. But it also felt like the music was all over the place, never coalescing into a truly unique identity. A pleasant listen overall, but it never really leaves background music territory, so I most likely won't come back to it. 5/10
Just can't relate
Same feeling as yesterday, although I like this one more because of its immersive dimension. It is less blank and I found myself tripping on tracks like Air Towels or Cherrie pie. Still, every track sounds like it could be on a Café del Mar beach bar compilation and I’ll propably never come back to it :)
This is album 972 and if I’m given another shit EDM record it will be too soon.
That was pretty good, reminded me of raves in the 90s
Welcome back to dad's techno-breakfast kitchen. I'll be head nodding my way through these absolute slammers while doing last night's dishes and drinking my first coffee. Fancy a 16-minute house odyssey while trying to fetch some cereal eh kids? No wait, come back.
I fricken loved this one, I love the droning and when it picks up it really picks up
Wild that this was 30 years ago. It’s fun, but it is very repetitive. Usually I don’t mind songs like that, but these hardly progress. Makes for some interesting background music though. 6/10
I wouldn’t mind if this was the “1001 electronic album to listen to before you die” cause I can never get sick of this stuff. Last track the only doozie on the album
I must be in a good mood this month, because honestly, this album was a nice listen. It is not that out there, but it gets the basic electronic elements right. I'm sure this would hit mad on a late-night drive.
机器人来的
just noises.
Jamais écouté avant. Je crains d'être passé complètement à côté de cet album, dont je veux bien admettre que les qualités hypnotiques doivent être du plus bel effet sur les dancefloors interlopes de Manchester. Mais dans le cadre d'une écoute plus active (et moins défoncée), qui plus est un jour de canicule, que c'est long, répétitif et fatiguant ! En dehors du dernier morceau, le seul qui peut vaguement être considéré comme écrit (ce qui lui vaut, sans conviction, la place de "Top"), le reste est une suite de beats et de basses électroniques vaguement agrémentée de mélodies ambient au synthétiseur et de parties chantées dont on se demande pourquoi se les être imposées, tant le chanteur semble blasé et les paroles cultivent le non-sens le plus total. Même rythmiquement, il ne me semble rien avoir entendu de particulièrement nouveau, funky ou même marquant. Incompréhensible. Top : Stagger Flop : Air Towel
Repetitive, long, and boring. Doesn't go anywhere. 1/5
This is a classic, Underworld are so much more than Born Slippy
I’ve had a really shitty week and this just made in infinitely worse. Thank you underworld for making me feel even more nauseous than I already was. This kind of music is just so fucking irritating. Especially when it’s so fucking bland like this. Pass.
Uk industrial is not for the faint of heart. I can’t do this. I had to run errands and ran the farthest I have in a while 6 miles yikes man it’s not terrible but it’s definitely not anything that is engaging for over an hour. It’s perfect club music meant to be mixed with other music. Long periods of silence it expects a lot of the listeners. While interesting doesn’t make me excited to revisit or have more. Where is the cool stuff. Does he know? I do like this a lot tho fun and chill
A good album to get lost in
One of the more boring electronic music albums here
como eu disse na minha review anterior: msuica eletrônica só é boa quando tem influencia disco, ou seja, odiei esse album aqui. chatão.
It's......bad? But also very of its time and kinda good?
En commençant cette liste je me demandais quel serait le pire style que j'allais découvrir. 506 chansons plus tard, difficile de ne pas considérer l'électro anglaise des années 90.
I still have a hard time taking purely electronic music seriously. Acts like Underworld, who don't even have a real singer, don't make it any easier. Their album “Second Toughest In The Infants” consists of various kinds of ringtones, which are, at least, layered in a rhythmically coherent way. Is that a creative achievement? I don't think so.
Wishlist version of Nine Inch Nails with less creativity and bite.
The kind of electronic I like
Punishingly long, the slog just grinds out any good I found to be honest. Why is everything so long, its not hitting some great build to something at the 8 minute mark, I could just repeat a 2 minute version 6 times and get the same song if I HAD to listen to it longer.
This is meant to be listened to while watching a sped up video of someone going out on the town in a British city. Sorry, I don't make the rules
Listening to this sober, alone, in the daytime is like having a bloody Mary in the afternoon
Not really for me..
It's a good album, but I didn't find anything unique about it.
3 sterne
I love Born Slippy .NUXX, and was happy to hear Pearl's Girl from this album had a similar feel. The rest was decent.
Not a bad electronic album. Like all electronic albums, they get a bit repetitive after a while. 3/5
A solid electronic album. Really dug listening to this while making dinner. 3.2/5
Buena música para salir corriendo y escuchar otra cosa. Bien grabado.
I needed an Anacin two minutes in.
“ it’s okay Tim, not every genre is going to be for you….” I gave it a good though!
My family hated this because they felt it was over stimulating, meanwhile I was almost meditative, once again reminding me that Dyslexia comes with an overactive frontal cortex resulting in acceptance of overstimulation easier than most. I actually loved this album. In the late 1990s I rediscovered electronically with bands like Alien Project and DjBT, which you can hear the influence of this album in their work (Listen Aztechno Dreams if you get a chance). Incorporation of vocals with the very fast paced beats like in the song Pearl’s Girl somehow slowed it down. My key track was Rowla because it was so powerful. I do miss how later techno albums blend the songs into each other but it is a small change. The last two songs Blueski and Stagger were good but felt like the party was done and it was time to find a Denny’s. I’m coming back here again. 3.5/5? Possible?
Random thoughts: * This was definitely too cutting edge in 1996 to hit my musical radar. I feel like most people, it was Trainspotting that turned us onto Underworld and this type of music in general. * Some of it was quite trance and some was the base hitting dance music of the day. I thought this album had a nice flow even though the sounds morphed and changed. I could throw this one on again for sure.
The author cant be serious with this nonsense. Let me save you some time. Just listen to the first minute of every track and you have the full experience. Skip around the songs if you want, all you'll get is incoherent mumbling and awful staccato beats. Its like when you're trying to hear someone speak and they just dont speak loud enough, and there is awful eurobeats pumping around you.
A terrible listen. Grating, irritating music enjoyed by the most annoying people you’ve ever met. But on the plus side it’s really long!
Uno dei migliori album che abbia mai ascoltato, ho ascoltato la versione deluxe con ulteriori brani e dall'inizio alla fine mi ha fatto impazzire
Only half listened.
It’s cool and moody, but I don’t think it’s something I’ll revisit much.
There were parts I genuinely liked but then they just dragged on and on and on.
British electronica go brrr
Nice, vibey techno. Don't know if I'll be returning to it, but it is hypnotic and well produced.
2 / 5 Best: Banstyle / Sappys Curry Worst: Blueski Weirdest: Pearl's Girl Honorable Mentions: N/A Good music for hacking databases and saying "I'm in" after 30 seconds of typing. Maybe new and refreshing for electronic music at the time, but the lyrics are strange and it's a bit boring and repetitive.
#25 Repetetive and drawn out techno album. There are some good parts and sounds, but it is best used as background music.
Very good. It was new to me and certainly deserves more listens.
Groan, another electronica album. The overly repetitive loops make my head hurt.
Easy-listening electronic, offers some pretty smooth sounds and a pleasant dose of variety, but it is quite a *lot* and it's not the most engaging or exciting through all the tracks. It's addictive club music and a good ration of satisfaction
Some of the better electronic music I've listened to. There's some really good beats. But sometimes it hangs out on the most annoying sounds known to man for minutes at a time and I have to skip to the next song. Was almost good to listen to.
Even in my second attempt to get into this one I I couldn't. I ended up skipping around just looking for something redeeming
Yeah. You don’t understand. I had a passionate love affair with this band’s music back in the day. This was my literal soundtrack on my discman. Hot tip: get super high. Hop on the first car of the subway. Get right up by the front window. Hold onto nothing. Blast this at top volume. Surf.
Fave track: Pearl's Girl Born Slippy vibes
Completely unknown to me but I enjoyed it. The vocals being used pretty sparsely was a good choice. I think ones enjoyment of this album would depend very heavily on already being a fan of electronic music. 3.5/5
I'm no expert on EDM, so a genre plump would be post-house, verging on DNB? Also presaging trance possibly? Decent beats, decent synth sounds. And vocals too which I wasn't ready for. So far loving it. First real dance album on the list and it's pumping. But consider also that the first track moves through various sections, doesn't rely for 16min on the same hooks. Interesting, EDM but in Banstyle there are some passages that have a jazz-like feel in terms of phrasing and an improv feel. It even gets a bit electro psych folksy feel towards the end. Reverb heavy, looped guitar riff. Ooh, Blueski goes back to the guitar again! But used as in loops to still keep that tight and artificial feel. Last two tracks are really low-key to bow out on a melancholy note. It is good, those textures and drums give me goosebumps Best track - Juanita, Banstyle 4 stars - great beats, hooks, song structures
Interesting. Cool vibe don’t know if I would play it again
Never listened to Underworld before not gonna change after that
Encore très cool en fond pour bosser, ou pour compter le nombre de pages couleurs de sa thèse pour savoir combien on va raquer J'aime bien l'électro un peu chill comme ça je crois
Un peu long mais j’ai trouvé ça vraiment sympa, je me le garde sous le coude
C'est long! J'ai pas écouté jusqu'au bout, pas trop mon délire et trop répétitif
Fun techno-punk
Triple platinum at Dimery Laser Tag
I don’t want to listen to club/rave music when I’m not at a club or dance scene. These folks sound competent at what they do, but it’s just hard to consider this kind of album in the context of albums of songs and other music designed for critical listening. A 2.
No. 404/1001 Juanita 2/5 (2x) Banstyle 3/5 (2x) Confusion The Waitress 3/5 Rowla 2/5 Pearl's Girl 2/5 Air Towel 3/5 Blueski 3/5 Stagger 3/5 Average: 2,6 Actually better then I expected after the first song. Still not really my thing.
i wish i could've liked this more but it was such a chore to get thru even as background music :/
Some good beats and vibes, but too repetitive to listen to as more than background music
I think that for any genre, albums of this length can get incredibly tedious if the tracks are also quite long. 'Dangerous' by Michael Jackson, for example, is of a similar length, but has many more tracks, which means variety and variation. With an album, especially one of this genre, having longer songs can become repetitive with no interesting features throughout. I can appreciate the sound they were going for in this, with the first track being quite enjoyable for me, but as enjoyable as it was, it started to become boring after around 5 minutes. The instrumental parts themselves were really nice to listen to in bits, and I suppose that the introduction of some vocals added some slight interest. Looking from another perspective, I can see why people would enjoy this, but I think it just isn't really for me. Favourite lyric: 'Your thin paper wings, in the wind, dangling.' ('Juanita: Kiteless: To Dream Of Love') Standouts: Juanita: Kiteless: To Dream Of Love Stagger Banstyle / Sappys Curry
Relatively tasteful for what it is, doesn't make me want to rip my ears off, but does nothing for me otherwise.
Słaba techniawa
Dissappointing
Uh...no.
Ready to go clubbing now
What’s with the low score? This album is a classic
No idea? Could be really fun, could be a horror show - some days I am there for the roulette, some days it makes me nervous, honestly. Feeling a little fragile today… so we’ll have to see… Um… why is this here? I mean I do like a dj compilation here and there, I like background tacks… in the background. Why is this album being given to me as a foreground listen? I wanted to give it a 3 for some interesting moments, but I am not feeling it today. 2 Boolean: no. Hell no. I did not need to hear this before my death. Maybe if I went back in time I could hear bits at a club while I was out with my “mates” but otherwise, no. NO
Blind album and artist. I feel like I'm trying to escape the matrix, but instead of it bring an oppressive human battery regime, its more mellow like a fun drug den where everyone gets high and we all coast through life Mellow and chill. 3
Way too long for being this repetitive.
Had the chance to see Underworld live a few years ago - I now deeply regret not going this was utterly fantastic and i will be revisiting it a lot I am sure.
I just don't get it. Like it's kind of cool if I was high as a kite dancing my tits off. But I'm high as a worm and my tits are very much attached.
A bit too long but otherwise brilliant
Mucho Techno! Demasiado largo y repetitivo si no estas acostumbrado a este estilo de musica, pero es buen album. Si te lo pones con alguna labor automatica y laboriosa no puedes parar 😅 el ritmo constante te incita a seguir 😁
Not bad, not very good. I think it's a travesty that there are no Yello albums on the 1001 list, but this made it.
A bit of vaguely soulless electronica - inoffensive but nothing to get particularly excited about.
Gezien het genre en de lengte had ik in eerste insantie verwacht dat ik halverwege ergens af zou haken, maar ben zeer positief verrast. De 5 kwartier vlogen echt voorbij, al kan dat ook te maken hebben met het feit dat ik dit rond 1u snachts luisterde. In de juiste omstandigheden gaat dit heel hard
I'm not a huge fan of this kind of music, especially on a regular Sunday whilst I'm sober. Seeing as the full version of this album is well over four hours long I DNF'd. That being said, the album itself was fine. Bizarrely long, but fine.
yayy
goeie tijd! ook nuchter op de zondag x
It was moderately interesting, but nothing I will return to. Occasionally interesting, otherwise repetitive. I'm not sure how dancy it is... I don't have the experience to know how I might feel hearing this in its intended environment.
The biggest issue I have with techno, and electronica albums is the fact that almost every song is way too repetitive. While this is by design, since these albums are intended to be played in a sleazy 1990s dance club, it makes it difficult to genuinely rate these albums any higher than I give them. At the very least, this one was a bit more diversified, but it had no business dragging on the way it did. Favorite Track: "Banstyle/Slappy's Curry".
This was an alright electronic/house album from a DJ I have no knowledge of. Apparently has some hits though but not on here. It's a simple 3 stars for me.
My son has been exposing my to modern electronic music, but I still don't know shit about the genre. I simply haven't explored enough of the genre to know what defines excellence. What I do know is that I really grooved with this music. I probably needed some molly to truly appreciate, but sadly this isn't an option right now. Fun stuff.
The euphoric trance journey the underworld takes you on is always great from start to finish. Ronda wide open space, put on some over ear headphones, close your eyes for an hour and let it take you on a transcendent rave.
Underworld were the greatest electronica group of the 90s (Aphex Twin doesn’t count – that’s one guy) and this is their second best record. What they did with vocals – a kind of half-drunken, propulsive, poetic improv – worked perfectly in a techno context. There still is no sound like theirs, an experience like being stuck in a hot, echoey cave with an unstable British man alternately whispering and shouting nonsense in your ear while percussion threatens to rip your chest open. But in a fun way. Best track: “Juanita: Kiteless: To Dream of Love”
oh to be alive in the 90s. Underworld are fuckin sick 8.5 / 10
My kind of speed
No me gustó, pero le voy a poner 2 estrellas porque me vino bien que sea tranqui y con poca letra para poder estudiar con el disco de fondo.
Good edm
Atmospheric Techno. This was good for the a session at the gym but that’s about it.
Pretty long, repetitive and overstayed it's welcome.
This album wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be. Fully expected to give an over an hour long electronic album a 1 or a 2. It was still pretty repetitive but I enjoyed it more. Also the intro to Pearl’s Girl really reminded me of Treefingers by Radiohead.
2/5
Relentless sameness. If I were dancing at a club, this would be my expectation. What a slog.
Not for me but not bad
Bien, sonaba a nuevo en su momento.
I too was the second toughest in the infants. But then again I was home schooled.
Packed with ideas and movement
Kind of a mixed bag with some to like and some to "meh." Certainly, everything was way too long ⭐⭐.75
ill give it 2 only if I never hear you again
bad one :)
Americans don’t understand.
Underworld carved out a career by mastering the sounds of warehouse techno and bringing it to the masses. “Juanita: Kiteless” doesn’t pull punches as an opening song. It’s successfully hypnotic, peppered with acidic synth arps, syncopated hats, and frenetic little melodies that fade in and out of consciousness. 12 minutes in, this all gives way to a heavenly loop acting as a beautiful way to outro the song. “Banstyle/Sappys Curry” felt like rain after a drought in the context of the electronic music selection in this list. So often Ive been disappointed by some lackluster dance music selections this list has to offer, and many times Ive referenced Chicane’s “Far From The Maddening Crowds” as a better listen - much more cutting edge with an actual sense for how to apply melody to a dance floor setting. Well my prayers have been answered with Banstyle! It’s got a jungle tempo with a subtle, pleasing percussion loop thats not nearly as heavy-handed as an Amen Break. The Sappys Curry side of this track presents a halftime switchup that seems to chug along in slow motion, accompanied by some instrumentation that I could only call ‘Indian trip-hop”. A funky set of synth chords lifts this thing up to a very colorful, fade-out ending. At this point in the record, I was adoring the commitment to each idea Underworld took on. This commitment continues on “Confusion The Waitress”, which wields a very classic Underworld sound. A jumpy but hypnotic drum pattern and a warbly, wiggly synth under some nonsensical spoken lyrics. “Rowla” feels a bit more like a “Born Slippy” song on impact: uplifting and super high-energy. It’s got one little motif to play on loop and you’re gonna like it through all its saturation and oscillations. “Pearls Girl” was right down my alley. A jumpy breakbeat pattern jolts out of the harmonic intro. The low-end sounds like some of the best stuff The Prodigy put out on Fat Of The Land. More added nonsensical lyrics that all mesh into one chaotic loop around the 6 minute mark. The last few songs that follow take things in a very interesting direction. “Air Towel” might be the weakest yet smoothest cut on this album. I can hear this song playing excellently as a 2000’s car game main menu song, or a still-daylight bar/lounge jam. But I do think what’s meant to be a bit of reprieve on this song turns into a bit of staleness. Still, a neat little song. What was MUCH more neat and WAY more little was the following “Blueski”. I felt aa though I’d been tricked by this one. A cunning guitar loop that plays on…and on…and on. All the while, I’m getting so very excited for a four-to-the-floor kick or snappy breakbeat loop (or both) to punch me in the face. But then, it doesn’t. Honestly I kinda liked the tease of it all. I could in my head make up the ways this melody could unfold into a full club mover. But it didn’t have to! Last is “Stagger”, which feels like a bit of a credits roll song. Stretched out percussion, a mellow bit of synth programming, and more of those nonsensical lyrics play things out in a way that make you feel like you stepped out of the club/warehouse you’d just survived in. This feels a bit like I’m using my one time for a more personal 5/5. I can tell you this isn’t a ‘perfect’ album for many reasons. This might not even be Underworld’s best project. I like some of their other songs. “Two Weeks Off” is very blissful. “Cowgirl” is a total mastery of its art form and should be listened to ASAP. But damn, this record is good. It’s commitment to an idea and effectiveness at getting a dance floor moving WHILE maintaining a fairly wide scope of accessibility — it’s all there. 5/5 for the second day in a row!!!
hab gut dazu schlafen können. is schon irgendwie chill und cool.
Decent electronic and techno album. This was a pretty good way to start the morning. The beats were strong right away, and it had that kind of steady momentum that makes an album easy to roll with even when it's not doing anything super flashy. “Juanita: Kiteless: To Dream of Love” was a solid opener and did a good job setting the tone. “Rowla” went pretty hard too. Favorite song: "Rowla"
Cool background music. I cant see myself sitting down with the LP and really pouring over everything and actively listening beyond the this. I'm sure this is great if you are at a live DJ set and everyone is dancing. Granted, this is better than a lot of what has been suggested in this genre thus far as well as out. I don't dislike it, I don't feel the need to ever purposely listen to this again either. 2.5 rounded up to 3 as a 2 would imply its bad, it isn't.
I was not previously familiar with the artist or album. This is an electronic album, which is also ambient at times. This is a very interesting listen. The beats keep things rolling along, and the vocals are fairly minimal, but other elements come in waves. This is a good album to put on in the background while getting work done. I would listen again for that purpose.
love it 🥰
Lager, lager, lager
I think that if it takes you until 3 minutes and 40 seconds into your opening track before you add a second musical note to either the instrumental or vocal tracks then you're moving at the wrong pace. Like, what are we doing here. Why did this album have to be 73 minutes long. I don't know actually I didn't mind having it just as background/ambient while I was working today—it wasn't, like, outright unpleasant or anything—but I am just never going to put this kind of thing on to pay attention to/feel inspired by
Did I hate this? yes
For me, having 2 15+ minute songs to start off an album is an abomination, especially when the music is of as low quality and taste as this. I also found it difficult to discern whether the banging and other distasteful noises were coming from the builders next door or this album.
"Great background music" is not the high praise that some people seem to think it is, and in this case I don't even believe it is accurate. This really isn't my kind of music. Aggravatingly repetitive, it either distracts me in the worst way possible, or I completely tune it out, so what is the point? There were some good bits towards the end of the second track, but by that point you are well over 20 minutes into the album. It's a waste of time. Blueski and Stagger have something interesting going on but again, it's not worth the time it took to get there. A generous two stars, because it only annoyed me rather than actually making me angry.
I like the break beats and the ambience, then the vocals ruin it.
I listened to this on the way home from Sunn O))) and it was way better than Mariah Carey’s bullshit.
Seems like an important British popular album but I'm not sure there's enough to elevate it to classic status for me.
„…nobody listens to techno.“ -Eminem
Pretty good
Really good, not quite Underworld at their best.
pretty good I suppose
Highlights: Juanita: Kiteless: To Dream of Love, Banstyle/Sappys Curry, Rowla, Pearl's Girl, Air Towel, Stagger A much more diverse record then what I expected: at times lounge, rave, house and even a bit of acoustic. It never sounded like cheap and brainless junkie slop which I expect from electronic music. The ambiental tracks gave the record great value. They were lovely to listen to. However I'm not crazy over it, it feels like it's going to be a rarely revisited release. The ambiental direction is what gave it value, but it sacrificed its personality for that. It also sounds timeless, but somehow dated at the same time. It's a tossup between a 3 and a 4.
I wanted to like this but there's something fundamentally boring about the entire album that I can't quite place. Even the parts that made me move a bit felt hollow somehow.
couple things keeping this from a four really: there are as many songs where the vocals detract from the music as songs where they improve it it's too long and repetitive I remember not liking Underworld much/at all back in the day when people recommended them based on liking Daft Punk, Orbital, Etro Anime, Front 242, etc but I guess something shifted, I'm into this
Their dancehall hits were a feature in the nightlife of my youth, and somehow it never occurred to me to listen to an album. Pearl's Girl was, of course, one of those club tracks I heard regularly. The opening two tracks are remarkable, sprawling compositions that have me thinking of artists like Ulrich Schnauss or Jon Hopkins. These are more in the category of ambient mood than song. I love Confusion The Waitress, a ballad of sorts, and the syncopated reverb of Stagger.
4.5/10
Wow!
Disappointing that only 1 Underword album is on this list given some the other electronica albums that made it. I love Underworld and this is probably my 3rd favourite Underworld album. Its a 5* even without the later addition of Born Slippy - which still sounds amazing even though I've heard it 3 million times.
Its not Dubnobasswithmyheadman, but still very cool Underworld. Gains an extra star for winding up Americans that hate "techno"
First song is the best one, legit banger. The rest kinda fade into the background.
10/10 90's techno with light vocals here and there. Very very good. Reminds me of the matrix and toonami. Would like to buy this on CD.
Definitely listened to this in the wrong setting hahahaha it is notttt a gym album!! But it made me want to be at a rave + dancing/vibing. Good stuff, 7.5/10
I enjoyed it. Some slick, dark techno.
Bom bompie bom bom, bompie bom bom, bompie bom bom. Wat is dit ongelofelijk saai. Toing toing, toingtoing, toing toing, toingtoing. Vijf kwartier lang herhaling. Bonk, bonkbonkbonk, bonk, bonkbonkbonk.
Het boek schrijft onder dit album over Born Slippy. Ok, ze geven het toe. Dat nummer staat helemaal niet op dit album. Maar dat is wel het punt. Hét nummer waar de notering over gaat staat NIET op dat album. Nog steeds is het een 5 sterren-schijf die iedereen mag horen. Door de openingstracks en Pearl's Girl alleen al. Maar dé plaat die met alles brak en een nog steeds overeindstaand eigen geluid neerzette was Dubnobasewithmyheadman. Vanuit een eentonige basis werd opgebouwd naar een modern-barok-achtig geheel, waarbij stemgebruik en -vervorming bijzonder knap werden ingezet. Soms ontspoorde het zelfs. Zoals in Cowgirl (Everything, everything). Dat stemgebruik is één van de vele vormen die Underworld toepast om schijnbaar amuzikale elementen prachtig muzikaal in te passen. Wellicht het meest onderscheidende van de band. En juist dat komt op dit album net iets minder naar voren, Pearl’s Girl als mooie uitzondering. En ja, Born Slippy had dat inderdaad wel.
Ik heb vroeger op de mp3-vergaarbak een live-plaat van Underworld gehad en dat technode er af en toe flink op los. Maar het verzamelde wel alle grote tracks zoals Cowgirl en Born Slippy (dat op geen enkel regulier album staat? Althans niet de versie van Trainspotting zoals we die allemaal kennen?). Als ik dit album zo luister is het eigenlijk veel rustiger, veel meer ambient en lounge-elementen. Heel rielekst, zoals we onze broeder Electrische Eric wel kennen. Uiteraard beloont hij dit schijfje dan met 5 sterren. Zover zal ik niet gaan, maar ik vind dit wel helemaal prima om als achtergrondmuziek op te hebben op het werk. Ik mis dus wel de voor mij bekendere tracks en ik denk dat ze beter voor het live album "Everything, Everything" hadden kunnen gaan. Qua muziek zou ik hetzelf op 3,5 ster inschalen, maar als je een anthem als Born Slippy maakt, dan verdien je sowieso een bonuspunt.
La electrónica no me gusta y no entiendo mucho tampoco. No es lo mío.
Very long songs, but some sick beats. Not my type but I can see how this formed the basis for a lot of modern techno
didn't expect this to be absolutely peak for studying. Incredibly locked in for the entire duration of this, will be listening again.
4/10… electronica / 90s edm / *1996
Don’t like edm
This is good, driving electronica, very beat-heavy. Not sure what sets this apart from others, though.
Not my scene. Good for movie dance club fight scenes. Top track: "Juanita : Kiteless : To Dream of Love"
Final thoughts: not something I'll return to a lot but it's full of interesting ideas and I'm glad I listened ******************************************************************************* 8 tracks? this should be a breeze--oh god it's 73 minutes long --Juanita : Kiteless : To Dream of Love...I could see myself really enjoying under the influence of the right substance --Banstyle/Sappy's Curry...dammit I'm digging these 15 minute tracks --Confusion the Waitress...solid vibe but I'm glad this is only half as long as the first two tracks --Rowla...generic night club stuff. probably great if the drugs are hitting --Pearl's Girl...what was once pretty expansive is now getting repetitive. maybe I'm just tired and should revisit in the morning --Air Towel...the hand dryers in the restroom that barely work? I like the first two tracks because they had a lot of variation despite being over 15 minutes long. Their shorter songs are entertaining but more repetitive --Blueski...hey, a three minute track! it's very repetitive --Stagger...could be a Radiohead song
6/10 - it's good but not Underworld's best
I was definitely toughest in the infants, but album title aside, this wasn't too shabby. Hovering somewhere between three and four stars, but I'll mark it up as it's nice to see some electronica making the list.
Not for me.
123. fine for background music
it's not on the original version, but you really should listen to Born Slippy - Nuxx at the end to maximize the impact. pretty much the sum of what dance music meant in 1996 at its most soothing and restrained. some breaks, some house, a lotta techno, a touch of trance. not quite as easy to dance to as i was expecting, but very well produced nonetheless. deserves to be one of the 1001? yes! alongside Dubnobasswithmyheadman and maybe also Beaucoup Fish
Nåede ikke helt igennem - En 16 minutters dronene åbner som ikke fanger mig.. Efterfulgt af en 15 minutters lang slasker som peaker det første minut. - Albummet kommer aldrig rigtig videre fra sin uendelige opbygning.
Ikke så Dakke-Dakket som jeg havde frygtet. Faktisk rimelig okay at have kørenede mens jeg arbejde.
Jammer van die paar saaie
Downvoted by those who didn't like the 90's rave scene, like jazz and wizard rock. Attend an Underworld concert and you will smile. Maybe that's what you need.
Eh not my favourite. Some cool sounds probably not heard a lot back in 95 but today it doesn't feel as revolutionary
As far as 90’s electronic tracks that involve randomly singing colours, I’ll still rank Aquarius and the colour Orange over Juanita and Green, Black, White, Grey, Red, Blue and Silver (which is just a shiny Grey). I was worried about the length of the album but it flowed fairly well. Pearl’s Girl was my favourite, had a good industrial feel to it, faint shades of Nine Inch Nails at times. It was a good listen but won’t work its way into my regular rotation. 3 stars
House music for a cocktail bar I'm not cool enough to be in
I enjoyed this more than I expected but its not something I will return to.
Not many banging beats instead, atmospheres and pulses and twitchy vocals. The soundtrack to a come down rather than a night out. Tracks that stretch out and give the ideas room to breathe
Pearl's Girl
Some good jams otherwise alright. I kinda dislike the fusion aspect and think the genres are best left separate.
This was OK. It didn’t grab me in any way. I added “Blueski” to my Generator playlist.
Electronic, techno, progressive house, breakbeat, ambient, downtempo, experimental.
Lots of cool noises from the boss of drums. Good to put on while you’re doing stuff.