Reviews (page 3 of 8)
Back with the noise pollution.
These electronic british albums are really testing my patience, seems like I hit the wall if this was a marathon
Love to hear one track, but not an entire album
I was worried at first that this wasn’t going to work for me at all, but it improved over time. I got some elements of Prodigy, and some vaguely industrial moments that reminded me of my highschool CD collection. I really enjoyed “Stagger”, but didn’t need it to be 7+ minutes long.
Yeah, you could not get more repetitive and padded-with-unabashed-filler than this. That was my thought at first. And that was my thought for most of the album. Juanita / Kiteless / To Dream Of Love... is this opening track supposed to be representative of progressive music? There's hardly any progression to speak of. The rhythm and tempo remain exactly the same for all 16 minutes and 36 seconds. The strongest part of the song is around the 13-minute mark, when some fairly good modern-sounding vocals come in and the percussion is completely cut out to give the ears some space. Otherwise, the song mainly consists of this one irritating electronic percussion pattern. Which wouldn't be so bad if it were 3-4 minutes long... but 16 minutes? Nah, man. I got places to be. I got In Rainbows sitting right there on my Spotify homepage giving me the sexy eyes. Banstyle / Sappy's Curry is marginally better, at least for the first half. But then the synth soundscape starts, beginning with a two-chord pattern that slowly builds over the course of seven minutes. By the final few minutes of the song, the atmosphere is positively orgasmic. Reminiscent of the middle section of Pink Floyd's Echoes, and every bit as good. I'm not exaggerating. (Though it could be that all the preceding slog let me to temper my expectations.) It's not like a carbon-copy of Echoes, though. You can hear plenty of futuristic-sounding production to cement this record firmly in the 90s. The remaining tracks never hit the same peak as track 2. Confusion The Waitress, despite beginning with a promising drumbeat, falls into the repetitiveness trap (which electronic artists think makes for good music. Yeah, I don't get it either). Those mumbly vocals can't be good for the ears. Following that, Pearl's Girl does the same thing with repetition, this time for almost 10 minutes. At least we get some vaguely decent synths. Air Towel? Just shy of 8 minutes of the same 1-bar melody, accompanied by poorly enunciated whispering of some lyric or other? No thanks. At this point in the album I felt kind of bad for the Underworld fellas, so I gave Blueski a like (despite it just being one looped riff on an acoustic guitar). It helped that it was only 3 minutes long. Stagger is a pretty solid way to end the album, though: the keyboard lines are quite pretty and wouldn't be out of place in an underwater-themed retro video game. It beats most of the other songs any day of the week. So much wasted time on here, though. Less than a third of the album runtime is actually listenable. 1/5 Key tracks: Banstyle / Sappy's Curry, Stagger
I couldn't listen to all of it, it's just too long and boring.
Techno just ain't really my thing. It had its moments, but 15 minute songs shouldn't be this repetitive.
Late night jet set radio future/ need for speed game 90’s club vibes.
NFM
In its best moments, like the last track, it evokes a kind of sad, unplaceable nostalgia. Unfortunately, most of the rest doesn’t evoke much more than mild boredom. Still, it’s never truly annoying. Confusion The Waitress, Stagger 3
I really like this album, it doesn’t have a banger like Born Slippy but it’s at times hypnotic, surprising and varied. I’m not big into techno stuff but if it’s of this quality I can dig it. 3.7
Fine to have on in the background. I always feel like this kind of music must require the assistance of class As in order to properly tap into it. It's just a bit dull and repetitive otherwise. On the occasion they venture into writing an actual song it can be quite good.
It does peter out at the end.
It's techno like this that makes you realize why electronic music has continued to last and improve. Even though it is now as marred with sub genres as rock is, this kind of oldie brings ya back
Overall: 4/10 Despite the length and repetitiveness of the first 2 tracks, I actually really enjoyed them! After those 2, the repetitiveness got on my nerves and I ended up not liking the rest of the album. Not the worst british electronic album I've gotten though! Fav Song: Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream Of
It's okay in parts but several of the songs don't seem to go anywhere or evolve.
This album really just didn't do much for me. I think the concept was cool, and it wasn't bad. I just really don't like electronic. I hate to characterize it as "just noise", but that is the reality I have when listening to this kind of music. It just sounds like repetitive noise. I will say this, however, this is far and away the most interesting electronic album I have heard.
Some cool sounds, dragged on a bit at some points however.
First song had to skip after 10 mins in. I don't haaaate it, but def gets old real quick. 2/5
It was fine. Bit try hard maybe? Or maybe just not that good. I don’t know. Not returning
This is the stuff i want from this website. Only skimmed the album but so unique and weird. I loved it. Something very diffrent from the standard guitar drum and base with vocals that is plagueing this website.
When I was a kid I believed this kind of music would be playing in the club. Probably because I really liked the blade movies (still do). Against my expectations I found that most clubs actually play music that was popular when I was a kid, the same music that is played in supermarkets, but then a lot louder. I'd rather have this. Techno is hard to make. It has to walk the edge between entrancing and repetetive. This record I feel walks the line beautifully. It is like an undulating black mass, constantly growing and changing, but continuously progressing forwards. It is a matter of taste of course, lots of people will find it to be too repetetive. Some songs (like parts of Banstyle and blueski) are in my opinion, but for every repetive minute, there are several interesting ones.
Some may call this drum & bass. I personally am looking for jungle.
Did i just like a electronic album? Am i OK? What is wrong with me. Nearly every electronic album on this list has been some weird sci-fi soundtrack drum beat - but this actually used other instrumentation - some melody and some dance-ability. I'm oddly impressed.
Kicked off listening to trip hop all day
Tasapaksua, jännää, ehkä vähän hermostuttavaa ja kiihdyttävää. Outoa mut ei paskaakaan. Jostain laulusta tulee mieleen Jim Morrison ja musasta Lunatic Soul. Hassu kombo.
There are a couple of really good tracks but the rest are a little less interesting. I’ve heard the album many times and in general I’m positive about it, but at times it does seem long and I wouldn’t say boring, but it isn’t very exciting. I think i will need to listen to it for a few more years to get into it more. I’ll give 3.5 for now.
Background music for clubs.
Really cool. I love electronic music like this. Pearl's Girl was probably my favorite but a lot of the songs were good, although a bit repetitive. Helped me focus on my work too lol. 7.4/10
Vieux électro quand même un vibe, je feel underground
God help me I liked it.
𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 sounds polished and immersive, with long, flowing tracks that build gradually and create a strong electronic atmosphere. The production is clearly well-crafted, and the album captures that distinct 90s UK electronic sound. Still, despite its quality, it doesn’t stand out much to me. There are plenty of electronic albums from that era with a similar approach, and this one ends up feeling a bit interchangeable in comparison.
Favourite Songs: Pearl's Girl Stagger
Kinda surprised at how good this was.
This was pretty good. It kinda sounds like a stripped-down techno. Favourite Track(s): Confusion The Waitress Least Favourite Track(s): Rowla
No solo odio a este álbum, sino que también odio a cada persona que afirma disfrutar esta música.
Why is this here? Why am I here? Why?
I didn't hate this, and it was fine to listen to during a workout. But it wasn't really interesting
Absolutely no idea what I’m getting into with this album. I’ve never heard of the group, so I’m guessing it’s electronic from the United Kingdom. The title, Second Toughest in the Infants sounds like an infant named the record. I don’t get a good feeling about this, but I’m diving in. By the by, it turns out the album was named by a preschooler. Track 1, and I can already hear the stupid electronic drums beating out a rhythm only a computer would love. Ugh. The song is called Juanita:Kitless:To Dream of Love. Oh, now a robot is singing. I don’t understand how electronic music with no groove ever became popular. I will admit, as the song plays on for what seems like an eternity, I find myself moving my leg up and down like I’m waiting for test results. It could be that energy shot I took 15 minutes ago, but it's probably the music. Not sure that’s what Underworld was trying to accomplish with their life’s work, but it does make for decent background music while you work. Damn, track 1 is 16 minutes long. The whole album is over an hour long. I knew I had too good a start to the week with Iggy Pop and ZZ Top to keep that streak going. Hmmm, Pop Top. Track 2 is Banstyle/Sappys Curry, and it literally sounds like music you’d hear in the background of a late-night TV ad hawking some Ron Popeil gadget. This music is made for TV show montages and background music. Track 2 is also around 15 minutes long, and midway through the song, it sounds like something that would be played in the movie version of Miami Vice. Maybe Crockett and Tubbs are sneaking up on the Cuban drug dealers in the shipyard as Crockett’s main squeeze is being held hostage. But otherwise, this song has been background music. Track 3 is Confusion the Waitress and to be honest, I didn’t even notice it was a new track until about 4 minutes into the song. Not a good sign. This is just chill music that kind of hypnotizes you. It’s actually making me sleepy. Track 4 is Rowla, and it’s waking me back up. It’s actually starting to annoy me. The bass is pumping constantly. It’s the stereotypical bass pumping that you do when you make fun of dance clubs. This album came out in 1996, maybe they were the kings of boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom. This song sounds like what would be playing in a Mission: Impossible movie as Tom Cruise chases the bad guy across the rooftops of Prague. They parkour and make these long-distance jumps until they finally reach one that's a bit longer than the others. The bad guy tries to make it, falls short, and splats on the ground. Cruise yells out a loud, but short, “NO!” before returning to his team to report the bad guy’s demise, before they got the crucial information from him. Track 5, Pearl’s Girl, sounds very similar to track 4. Though this is more drum and bass, I think. I’m slowly becoming an expert. This annoying bit of trash is slowly winning me over. It’s noise, but in a good way. And now there are vocals, or at least a dude yelling loudly. Track 6 is called, Air Towel, and after a cup of coffee, I’m really starting to bop that leg up and down. Again, I think it may be the caffeine more than the enjoyment of this music. In fact, I’m more tolerating the music than enjoying it at this point. The Tony Kornheiser Show is calling to me more and more. Track 7, Blueski, sounds like it has….guitars? It must be a sample. Back in the day, I loved a band called Tesla. Tesla was a band out of time, as in, they became popular during the hair metal era, but they weren’t really hair metal. They did write some great ballads, but for the most part, they wore no makeup or frilly blouses. They were jeans and a t-shirt and rock and roll, with a twin-guitar attack brought to you by Frank Hannon and Tommy Skeoch. The reason I bring Tesla up is that in the liner notes of their albums, they would always put “No machines!” in there. So, what does that mean? I thought it meant they weren’t using synths or keyboards like some of these other bands were starting to use. I say all that to say this, with Underworld, I think they would have put “All machines!” in their liner notes. That’s a long way around to get here…I don’t think that’s a real guitar being played on Blueski. Track 8 is called Stagger and I LOVE this song. Holy crapballs! Why didn’t they do this the whole album? It is still all machines, but the singing has passion, and the song makes me feel a certain way that doesn’t involve me writing a movie scene. This song is like a real song. I think that’s why I like it. And I’m sure it’s not the greatest song ever written, but Underworld put me through so much robot rock that when they actually deliver a real song, it’s great. This album isn’t for me. I’m sure all the ravers have this on their Mount Rushmore, but if you aren’t into dance music or electronic music, this album won’t bring you over to the dark side. But if you like that sort of thing and you haven't heard this album, you should check it out.
Random British electronica album example 300
Has its moments of greatness but often times it is a bit lackluster. I know this techno/electronic/trance genre well enough to known their doing something artistic here but its not entirely pleasant.
3/12/26. Not a genre I'm familiar with at all but this was a cool listen! I guess this is progressive house? Either way, really engaging beats, buildups, and sounds. Will need to check out more.
This list asked me to spend over an hour listening to this album. Time I won’t be able to get back, but I very much wish I could. What a waste of time. 1/5
I listen to techno or house music while I study anyways and this was amazing. Loved it.
Pretty cool, enjoyed it for the most part
Another boring, British electronica album that is only suitable for hold music
Dope. I think the vocals took away from the songs, but otherwise this album kicks ass.
can this be any longer? i didnt listen all the way through so i don't know if i'm qualified to give it a rating. i'm giving it a 3 to be safe. it wasn't bad
= the Beatles
long techno album. Could be a good background album I guess, but not my speed
Oh boy, another 90's techno dance-club album. At first it seemed like it might rise above some of the others in this lane, but most of the tracks end up stretched far longer than they need to be. What starts as a decent groove gradually turns into repetition, and with the album running well over an hour, it becomes a bit of a chore to get through.
D&B British trash
Not sure how to take this one in. Do we need 15 min+ techno tracks? Weird way to start off the album. Almost didn't make it through which is a shame since the last track was actually really good. Giving some grace here because this isn't really my thing.
My wife told me to turn this album off because it was making her uncomfortable
Next time I’m on a catheter of drugs at a European club I’ll try this one again
una pija aburridisimo
Great ground breaking album and a massive change of direction for Underworld
Pretty mediocre imo tbh. Didn't really vibe with us. Sounds like the menu for a PS1 game.
sounds like messing around with fruityloops for the first time
This one made me Stagger.
Cool looking cover. Unfortunately, the music verges on unpleasant for me. Again, techno with this overlay of vocals intended to give the dry dull skeleton some soul. Buried in an excessively long package - 1 hour 13 minutes! - the CD era did us no favors, as this kind of music was cheap to make and distribute on that medium. And because everything from synth to speaker is digital, it didn't have any pesky issues in engineering. Unimaginative and lifeless.
Electronica doesn't move me and this is no exception. All the stereotypes about the genre being gratingly repetitive? Probably because of this album, with added self-indulgence found in tracks that are about 3x too long. This has a place in a video game or something but that's about it. I was never a rave kiddie so those Jedi powers won't work on me, either. Some charity star power for influence but...
An electronic album I really enjoy. Who’d’ve thought. It’s really good. That first track knocked my socks off. The rest of the album is a little more ambient and slow but still interesting. Really impressed
Great to have it as room sound… until you find yourself nodding at the beat
This album isn't bad at all. I think it's just a little too long honestly, but I can imagine people actually playing this at techno raves (where they actually do the real dancing.) Not my favorite thing, but also not terrible. I do think the inconsistency with the album genre bothered me a little bit.
2.5. Electronic music really isn't my thing anymore, so it was a struggle for me to listen to this one actively. I would've loved something like this when I was a young teenager, staying up late to game and tinker with my pc. The songs are very long and repetitive, and started to become background noise for me. I think if the songs had been about 20% shorter this would've worked better for me.
First time listen Good, hypnotic house music. I think the first two tracks are a little overly long but it kinda comes with the territory I suppose. Wouldn't have expected this album to be from 1996, sounds a few years ahead of its time. Fav Tracks: Juanita / Kiteless / To Dream of Love, Rowla Least Fav: Confusion the Waitress 3.5/5
Surprisingly chill. I really liked the long songs here, and many others. Just very good electronic and it somehow kept my interest for the entire 70 minutes despite not changing much throughout its length
Oh no. My attention span is nowhere near the length of these tracks. And if you are going to repeat the same riff with no payoff, 5 minutes is long enough. Fifteen minutes is approaching agony. I’m looking at you track 2. Fortunately the riffs themselves are usually enjoyable. I think the last track was probably my favorite, which was a nice reward for sticking out some of the others. Overall the sound of this album is more analog than most electronic music. A little bit of cutting back and I’d be adding a star.
2.5 (73:01, 8 tracks (bonus with 2 extra; Born Slippy and Rez, 94:36),4th album,1996) Electronica (techno, breakbeat) Singles "Pearl's Girl" "Rowla" "Juanita" (and "Born Slippy" sort of) Underworld, not to be confused with Undertones (1980, who were punk band also made this list), is British electronica. There’s not a lot to review here – it’s techno, it’s repetitive but that’s techno. It was designed to be dance music and as that it’s good. I’m not 100% it belongs on this list but I think it is important to show the progress of music. I don’t know if in 1996 this was much different from the rave scene I left behind in So. Cal in the early 90s? The name of the album derives from a comment made by Rick Smith's six-year-old nephew when asked on his progress at infant school (the level of schooling attended by four- to seven-year-old children in the United Kingdom). The re-issue featured the band's best-known single, "Born Slippy .NUXX". The album was remastered and re-released in November 2015 with deluxe and super-deluxe expanded editions. The album opens with the multi-song suite "Juanita : Kiteless : To Dream of Love", which features all three parts intersecting each other at various points during the piece; hence, the use of colons instead of slashes in its name. A 16-minute opening track, often interpreted as a suite exploring vulnerability, isolation, and chaotic longing. It features abstract lyrics about broken windows, "thin paper wings," and emotional despair. Explores themes of fragility, isolation, and profound longing, with lyrics depicting scenes of desperation ("Bootleg babies," "Homeless strays") and a sense of being trapped behind glass. "Juanita" refers to Juanita Boxill, a member of the Tomato art collective associated with the band. The opening track for their tours in the late 90s A juxtaposition of urban chaos with personal, fragile emotions. The loungy, drum and bass track "Banstyle" follows, alongside its downtempo, half-speed counterpart "Sappy's Curry". A 15-minute electronic track. The title refers to the specific names of greyhounds. The names "Sappy's Curry," "Pearl's Girl," and "Born Slippy" were all taken from greyhounds that raced at an English stadium during a visit by the band. In that particular race, the greyhounds finished third (Sappy's Curry), second (Pearl's Girl), and first (Born Slippy). The song is an "epic journey" divided into two distinct sonic movements: Banstyle: Influenced by the mid-90s drum 'n' bass and jungle scenes, specifically artists like LTJ Bukem and Goldie. Sappy's Curry: Transitioning at roughly the halfway point, this section shifts into a heavily dub-influenced rhythm. It is characterized as more downtempo and sensual, featuring a prominent synth solo. The lyrics are stream-of-consciousness snippets often inspired by phrases overheard or seen by vocalist Karl Hyde during his walks through London. The rest of the record showcases advancements in the Underworld sound: both "Rowla" and "Pearl's Girl" feature club-ready abrasive beats and basslines, while "Blueski" and "Stagger" incorporate live acoustic guitar and light, melancholic arrangements, respectively. "Pearl's Girl" is one of the few Underworld songs to use breakbeats. Due to the success of the single "Born Slippy .NUXX", Second Toughest was re-issued with a bonus disc containing the single-only tracks "Born Slippy .NUXX" and "Rez"; Japanese editions also featured "Cherry Pie" and the "(Carp Dreams... Koi)" mix of "Pearl's Girl". The song titles "Sappy's Curry", "Pearl's Girl" and "Born Slippy" all come from the names of greyhounds from an English racing stadium. These greyhounds finished third, second, and first during Underworld's visit to the races. Anya Sacharow of Entertainment Weekly described the album as "no dumb-bass dance music", adding that Underworld "know how to expand the frenzy of techno and jungle and then retreat to an ambient cool". In 2015, the album was reissued on vinyl and 2-CD and 4-CD expanded editions. Highlighting alternate mixes, remixes and unreleased songs, the 4-CD version includes a full CD of variations of "Born Slippy .NUXX", from one of the song's earliest versions in 1994, up until its final form a year later (which is included here in its 1996 extended form). Favorite Song: Born Slippy which wasn’t even on the original cut but is the only track I recognized and I did like that song. 1. "Juanita : Kiteless : To Dream of Love" 16:36 2. "Banstyle/Sappy's Curry" 15:22 3. "Confusion the Waitress" 6:47 4. "Rowla" 6:31 5. "Pearl's Girl" 9:36 6. "Air Towel" 7:37 7. "Blueski" 2:55 8. "Stagger" 7:37 Reissue bonus CD 1. "Born Slippy .NUXX" 11:40 2. "Rez" 9:55
Background music to a 90s rave in a bikers' HQ.
this was a very different experience in a good way! still have that thing that the music is too long and when that happens usually the musc strain to be/get annoying and surprise…this wasn’t at all!!
You know the background music that’s playing in every movie fight scene set in a club? You know the one: Collateral, John Wick, Bad Boys, Blade, etc. That’s basically this album. Or at least one hour of its one hour and thirteen minutes. It’s background filler that occasionally pops up to be interesting and then dips back down into dull electronica. Still, it wasn’t inherently bothersome. Just boring. 2.5/5 rounded up to a 3.
A slog. First non-finisher.
The first song was garbage, but at least they set the bar low so I could enjoy the other bad songs a little more
01) Juanita : Kiteless : To Dream of Love - 7,0 02) Banstyle/Sappy's Curry - 7,5 03) Confusion the Waitress - 7,5 04) Rowla - 6,5 05) Pearl's Girl - 7,5 06) Air Towel - 7,5 07) Blueski - 6,5 08) Stagger - 6,5 TOTAL: 7,06 (71/100) Current ranking:
non è il mio genere, però solo perchè hanno fatto born slippy si meritano un 2
I really love Underworld, but this is maybe my third or fourth favorite of theirs. I personally think the album before and the album after are better and should be on the list instead of this one. However, I still think this is a very good album.
The American people are tired of these overly long and repetitive electronica albums
Non ho sentito quasi niente ma non mi aveva colpita
Man there's a lot of electronica on this list. It's a unique feel.
Came to underworld via this album. The best title!! Stayed with this band for four albums. The best for me of this genre.
Really enjoyed this while slightly stoned and lifting weights in the garage
I cannot believe I am writing this but Underground somhow made their 15 minute pieces work for me - or at least I thought I did until I realized their both had distinct breaks in them that signaled a change in the progression. In other words, these aren't really 15 minute long songs so much as a several small songs songs in a trench coat. While I wouldn't listen to this on a daily basis, I can see myself returning to this album. Best songs are Confusion The Waitress and Air Towel. 7/10, a real surprise.
I don’t think I want to know who was the most toughest in the infants. Nor do I want to know who approved that as a standard of measure.
The best thing about these songs is one could leave the room, do some chores, make something to eat, go to work, come back and not have missed anything. I wish I had done that.
The build-ups Underworld does keeps you on the edge of your seat. This is the good shit and reason why I'm trying to do this silly challenge. Best surprise album for me since Teardrop Explodes.
I don’t do ecstasy and my club days at Ultra are behind me.
Not my favorite genre. Some of these dongs are fifteen minutes long. I liked Confusion the Waitress.
I’m sure this was probably groundbreaking at the time but 30 years later it felt like a lot of generic techno idk
This album might as well have been one 1 hour & 13 minute song. #Ass
Weird album, but I liked it. Wish there was no lyrics in any of the songs to be honest but it made for some great night driving music. Weirdly one song wasn't available for me to listen to which was odd.
Generic mediocre electronic music, feels like a lot of it would fit as a soundtrack to a 90s/00s pc cd game, maybe like qbert or frogger. Bland and bleh
Very smooth rhythms and arrangements set by engaging electronic beats. Great progressive sounds among a genre that I find typically boring and repetitive. The runtime was a little lengthy and the tracks after Pearl's Girl struggled to defend their inclusion on the album, but the first half was dynamic and complex enough to elevate the music above most other electronic music I've heard.
It's Underworld, It's a 5! I can't believe how much I love this band and how much of an influence they have had on my music playing and listening. I'm not sure I would ever have found them by myself, I needed the guidance of a work dude (I'll call him Wally) who used to play some of the strangest, challenging and occasionally irritating music in a very small office. Until one day he played 'Everything Everything', and my listening life changed forever. I came back to revisit this and knocked it down to 4 - with the exception of Nux (which does not technically appear on the album) I couldn't find another track to include on my 1001 list! I wish this were ANY of their other albums!
I'm still a little dirty that Underworld canceled when I went to see them at MonaFoma (their replacement PNAU were INCREDIBLE - so not that salty in the end!) but I really loved listening to this album! Apart from Born Slippy which was on one of my Hottest 100 CDs, I'm a bit of a late comer to Underworld and have one of my dearest friends and challenge mate to thank for introducing me to their dark and atmospheric beats! I listened to the original track listing this time around, and Stagger was my fave track from that, but I'm adding Born Slippy Nuxx to the 5 star playlist because its such a vibe and reminds me of when we went down a Trainspotting reading/watching/Irvine Welch rabbithole about 7 years ago - good times. What a banger week of music! I think this must be my highest rated week so far 609 albums into the challenge with 3 x 5s and a 4 this week! I'm anxious to see if my luck can continue!
I saw another electronica album and thought about how much I dislike the author's predilection for Britpop and electronica. How many keyboard-wielding repetitive as hell albums Are There in this damn world!?!? So, I got prepared to hate. When first song started, I felt justified in my worry. Sucks. But, I'm in the game, so I'll bite the bullet and soldier on. Now, after a few listens, I'm happy to report that this is not total shiite! Well, the first song is totally repetitive crap, but the rest of this album is actually pretty good! I'd listen to Banstyle any day. There are only a few annoying moments on the whole thing. Mostly when the singer just repeats a word/phrase a few dozen times. It's Crazee Crazee Crazee Crazee Crazee Crazee Crazee Crazee Crazee Crazee Crazee Crazee Crazee Crazee Crazee Crazee. At least that's what she says she says she says she says she says she says Blueski is fun. Quite different than anything else here and worth popping into a playlist. Even though slightly loop-y, it's not annoying. So I'll keep a couple of these in mind. I might even come back and listen to the whole thing again, except that first song. But I probably won't remember that, and when it starts, I'll be wondering if I was tripping or something when I saved this. Anyway, this might be the first of bit of soul-less electronica that give more than a 2. I'm going all the way in and giving it a 4 though because right now I'm vibing to it.
I like techno but not today
The sound effects and beats carried the whole thing. The lyrics were unnecessary and pretty much meaningless. I wasn't a fan of the psychedelic aspects of the album, but appreciated other parts. 5/10
I warmed up to this music as I listened more. Good electronic music, but purely background music. Not bad.
Decent listen.
Shite
3.75 Repetitive Songstructure Lyrical Feels like a Concept Album
Quite pleasing in places but nothing I’ve not heard elsewhere
Album #64 Underworld: Second Toughest In The Infants Obscure hour-plus British electronic album from the nineties, part 10. Starting to feel like the curator of this list may have had a type, not so much the 1001 albums you need to hear before you die, but rather the 1001 albums this random British guy had heard. This one was probably the best of the batch, bar The Prodigy. Unlike the other electronic albums, which pretty much just do the same thing, I feel like this one tried to push the genre a bit. The vocals in the first track gave me Joy Division vibes, and for some reason, the last track gave me R.E.M vibes. I think Rowla was a really annoying track, but the rest were just dull at worst. Best Tracks: Pearl’s Girl, Banstyle/ Sappy’s Curry, Confusion The Waitress Worst Track: Rowla Score out of 10: 5
Ok. Safe to say I’m not an electronics fan. I just don’t get it.
Would I ever listen again? Probably not. Was I kind of bee-bopping around listening this time? Yep
When the first track came on I thought “oh no, a techno house album”. don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy EDM. But house/techno can get too repetitive and gets on my nerves. I was very pleasantly surprised at the depth and layers this album has to offer. Enjoyed it way more than I thought I would.
Beyond tired of the electronica genre
To be honest, the album got a bit boring. No goor listening if you’re not in a club setting
It's another techno album. Would be fine for background for exercise or certain types of work.
Når det først skal odz'es, så skal det faen meg odz'es!
This is like weird mood background trance stuff kind of cool
I’m surprised at (but not disappointed by) the amount of 90s electronica on this list. This is a classic album and Pearl’s Girl a club hit. Good to be back in these waters, but I don’t imagine I’ll stay here too long.
Achei o álbum medíocre. Eu não tenho o hábito de ouvir música eletrônica, porém quando ouço normalmente gosto das músicas. Este não foi o caso, porque o álbum era bastante parado, não tinha letras, e ele como um todo era muito confuso.
I dont dance and I dont do party drugs. There's nothing for me here.
I've never listened to this kind of music outside of a 90s movie rave scene. Interesting, but the long run time makes it something i don't think I'd actively listen to through headphones. Great fir a 90s movie rave scene though
It's fine, but one paced, only really makes sense in a club in the 90s.
It was good for a 75 minute British electronica album from the 90s. But I just don't think I need to hear any more 75 minute British electronica albums from the 90s.
Some electronica is an exciting discovery, but this just felt like the kind of background music that would be really good at a rave and not anywhere else.
It’s fine, good background music
I don't know what Electronica god I angered to get Kraftwerk then this back-to-back. But honesty, I don't mind it. The next album better be something different, though. 4/5 Highlights: Banstyle/Sappy's Curry
Another one I'm gonna need drugs I don't take anymore to enjoy
Great background music, but mostly just boring techno crap that I really just don’t care for in the slightest.
Masterpiece
Je suis d'accord avec Félix.
Le techno est une métaphore parfaite de tout ce qui va mal avec la société moderne.
J’ai pas tant aimé mais je vais etre moins harsh que mes collègues. Sur la 2e track il y avait de la texture et de l’ambiance intéressante. Quand ils lachent le beat abrutissant poum-poum-poum, y’a peut-etre quelque chose!
Dois álbuns de eletrônica na mesma semana 🥴 Não é meu estilo
Honestly a pretty good electronic album. Varied, interesting, some lyrics. I liked it.
It was alright for what it was and had a few moments that I liked and thought were genuinely interesting. Unfortunately it's just not my cup of tea. My favourite track was the closer, "Stagger". Not a terrible album but not one I will ever seek out again in full. 2/5 stars.
If this is the 2nd toughest, the bar is really low for 1st place
*1996. British electronic. *I oddly liked this - it was great background all day, in the car, at work, right now on my computer... *Long songs with catchy beats. There are some weird electronic noises, but it mostly didn't bother me. RATING - 6.5/10
Давненько не ставил единичек)
A pretty good Underworld album. I probably like Beaucoup Fish more, but this is still very good. High 3s.
Decent EDM that makes you want to join Morpheus
I liked the first song a lot so I was hyped but it was the only one on there with that groovy little guitar note hook.
When it comes to 90s electronic music, Underworld is easily one of the top tier acts of the entire decade. While their sound is rooted in progressive techno and house, what really sets them apart is how progressive and forward thinking they were in the way they approached production overall. This album takes a more slow burning approach compared to a lot of other dance music of the era. Most of the tracks stretch to around eight minutes or more, embracing gradual build ups, hypnotic repetition, and ambient textures that create a deep, trance like atmosphere.
eugh
the best electronic album on the list so far
For me their best album despite the excessive hype for the (still good) debut, this has a more varied organic vibe - especially the second song Banstyle. The second part of this (probably the Sappys Curry) has some incredible spliced use of acoustic guitar loops, it's just ingenious and blissful. Where many people just diss this as techno, repetitive and too long don't get the context and nature of this music. It wasn't just for dancing to but was also music you can immerse and lose yourself in. They got the balance right, there's enough going on tied to emotion and deep atmospherics.
nope.
not for me
Ik kende eigenlijk alleen Born Slippy van Underworld door de film trainspotting. Dit soort rave muziek vind ik altijd moeilijk te beoordelen als je nuchter bent. Een bord pasta beoordelen zonder saus. Denk dat het een hele andere beleving is als je het live meemaakt en wel in een extase kan raken. Soms klinkt de zanger als Erlend Øye van Kings of Convenience/whitestboyalive op nummers zoals barnstyle en daarna zo nasaal als oasis. Voor casual luisteren vind ik confusion the waitress wel relax. Al met al wel goede vide maar zal het niet zo snel overdag opzetten maar daar is het waarschijnlijk ook niet voor bedoeld. Laatste nummer Stagger had niet gehoeven.
Pillenmuziek! Op een nuchtere maag kan het een beetje repetitief en eentonig zijn. Vanmorgen vond ik het niet zo vet, toen ik het vanmiddag nog eens aanzette kon ik het wat meer waarderen. Af en toe werd ik meegenomen door de fijne texturen en warme pads. Confusion the waitress deed me denken aan Faithless, Pearl's girl vond ik het leukst. Al met al niet helemaal mijn smaak maar twas ook wel weer tof. drie sterretjes.
2.
1 - TERRIBLE
Mostly instrumental/ some light vocal, super long tracks, last track ok
This is great, I don't really like house or what ever this is called, but I think Underworld do it in a much more creative way than most, maybe because they've got a singer, which naturally changes the way that the songs are structured. I think he's not necessarily the best singer, but he's got a really interesting style where he just says words with seemingly little correlation. The production is good, and I like how there's some breakbeats rather than just 4 on the floor all the time (which there is SOME of). Synths and stuff are cool obviously. I feel like some of these are too long and just drag on a bit. Favourite songs: first one, confusion the waitress, Pearl's girl (my favourite underworld song). Overall around 7/10
when you listen to this piece you keep checking the song that has been playing for the past 15 minutes and realize that you're not even half way through the song. Why does the song keep changing IN the song. I liked the production so clap clap for that. Thumbs down.
3.5
Normalt sett ikke min kopp med te, men synes dette var overraskende fett. Første sporet overgikk alle de andre.
Ble egentlig positivt overrasket, hadde jeg hatt tilgang på ulovlige rusmidler hadde den nok scoret høyere. Kule sampling muligheter
Den her var perfekt til husvask.
Hørt på tur med Guri til og fra Bukta 17/01/26. Perfekt mix av drum n bass og lofi. Den siste låta er helt forferdelig lol. Inkluderte også born slippy i min lytting (den va med på neste slipp).
Rytme og driv, men aldri interessant.
i think we can all agree that the mark of truly great music is that it's enjoyed almost exclusively by people under the effects of a drug that increases your pleasure and energy, and we are blessed to live in a world where all of England's most insufferable head trauma victims produced an apparently inexhaustible supply of this stuff in the 90s. I'm just curious why these hard working dolts thought they had to make every album 70 excruciating minutes long, when you could just play the first track from any of them on repeat and none of the people rolling in the club would be able to tell the difference anyway, hell I'm sober and I can't tell the difference!
Quintessential British underground electronica.
i think people who enjoy techo should reflect whether they actually like techno or its just the drugs they take at raves that they enjoy
It's fine for 90s electronic music. Not really my style though.
Hard to believe this came out in 1995. I would have believed it was recent, but I don't listen to a lot of electronic music.
Pretty good electronic music album.
The title of this record is pretty funny if you look up its meaning. I recommend doing so because it hints that the members of Underworld don't take themselves too seriously. This is well-constructed techno music from the mid-nineties. If I were listening to dance or hearing it in a DJ set, I'd probably get more out of it. There were many times that a segment of one of their songs would give me the funky stank-face. The production isn't quite as layered as I like electronic music to be, but it's not as overly compressed as much of it either. It's clear that Underworld was trying to make music that we can listen to here, and they largely succeeded. I even had to hit Symfonium's heart button for the second track, "Banstyle / Sappys Curry." I likely won't give this album another deep listen. It just didn't grab me. It might be nice for a late-night drive through the country or in the background at home. Only time will tell if I remember to put it on later, though. Three stars.
Having a lot of fun with this. I've never been a casual electronic listener, but I'm saving this album to return to. I liked the start of the second track sounding like rainbow road music
I’ve been a huge fan of electronic, but I liked this for the most part. It reminded me of music from the Matrix at times. I still don’t know that I’ll ever go back to it, but I enjoyed it more than most of the genre.
This is exactly the type of music I listened to when I studied in college, for that reason it holds a soft spot in my heart (weird, but true). If I didn’t have that experience, this may be a 2, but I have to give it a 3 because it really was enjoyable and easy focus music.
It’s ok.. 2.5
Oh my - EDM with similar beats for 13 minutes and me without any ecstasy or dance floor :(
It's a decent electronica album; just not my genre
Yeah, it's alright 4/10
nice enough
I don’t think any song ever needs to be 15 minutes long. Even if it is tasty techno beats. 6/10
One big and pleasant surprise! I was expecting this to be dull Dance/ DJ, one of my least favourite genres. But the music is very atmospheric, ambient-like and I rather liked this album's spun-out songs. It doesn't move me enough to give it a five, but it's a decent four for me.
Well I don’t have to listen to that again.
Beep boop beep i wanna die
Buen sabosho techno, la verdad que para la época en la que se que lanzó el álbum muy adelantado a la época, fácilmente pueden decirme que se hizo el año pasado y se justifica por los sonidos Rowla me pareció un rowlon Gran álbum
With one of the members coming from my hometown, I was excited to listen to this. I had only heard Born Slippy up until this point and was keen to hear more. Unfortunately I found myself asking ‘how much longer?’ over the course of the first track. But then, as the next 15 minute suite started, the album started to click. It swept me along and by the end of the second track I was a fan. It’s hypnotic music and I will be listening again.
Last two tracks are a little more melodic and tolerable, but generally hated this and it made me feel angry and agitated.
I like Underworld. This was a little too much Underworld.
I was not looking forward to another hour-plus electronic album and now have to admit I enjoyed myself an amount. Inspired beats that sound like they pull from breakbeat, ambient, and rave music. The vocals are a welcome addition. Soothed my soul at the office. I could actually see myself revisiting, thank you and god bless. I’d give this a 3.5 if I could, but I’m going to round up for once because I was so pleasantly surprised.
Some great momentum gathering again as I close in on the 200 milestone. This is one of my favourite electronic albums of all time, and quite simply a game changer for the era. The opener "Juanita: Kiteless: To Dream Of Love" is up there as one of the best songs I've ever heard, particularly so with the remastered version where a greater clarity is afforded to it. A mesmerising journey from start to finish across 16 minutes, it runs with the burgeoning progressive house sound of the early to mid 90s, and evolves it into something which transcends time and oozes class. A masterful exercise of controlled repetition and subtle, layered transitions. The rest of the album isn't too shabby, either, venturing into all manner of territories henceforth. Ethereal, atmospheric drum and bass? You've got that on the following "Banstyle / Sappy's Curry". Minimalist, yet simultaneously ground shudderingly bassy techno? "Confusion The Waitress" has you covered. Dizzying acid trance in the vein of Spicelab / Juno Reactor whilst amplifying it to new heights? There's "Rowla". An early example of hardstyle breakbeat being fused with atmo-trance? "Pearl's Girl". A more chilled out, downtempo, vocal led track to offer some respite and reflection towards the album's conclusion? Yep, you've got that as well with "Stagger". Suffice to say, I think any fan of electronic music simply HAS to have this record in their collection.
Great for a Dance party
I managed thirty seconds of each song and even that was too much
This algorithm for choosing albums definitely is not random. Another EDM album today, and a great one. If you don't know Underworld, you probably know their biggest song Born Slippy NUXX from the movie Trainspotting. Song was and still is HUGE despite being released 30 years ago. 30 years. Jesus. First track is heavily progressive EDM and a combination of 3 tracks. One of the reasons why I like EDM and full on sets is because of the seemless transition from one track to another and Juanita: Kiteless: To Dream of Love is a great example of this. In a club scene, it creates a huge wave of hype hearing the transition to the next song and it's not so stop-and-go like traditional concerts. This album is dated, and is a more mellow than tracks we see today that are more high energy; but it's a great album at a time when the EDM club scene was still kind of developing.
ha zerst denkt ich wirds hasse. ähm? goht kinda hard de ersti track. ok dasch etz im ernst fun gsi de zwei track au! hey bin positiv überrascht, 90s electro selte miis aber isch mega churzwiilig gsi und upbeat aber au dunkelglichzitig. sehr cool. mit de gsungene sache hani wenig chöne aafange aber gstört hends nöd. cools album aber nöd super berauschend.
natürliiich gahts über e stund hards cover UUUH ES GAHT LOS banstyle findi boppt weniger aber isch au easy LANGWIIIILIIIIIIGGGG rowlaaaa findi na geil mit dene herte sounds pearl's girls GAHT DUUUUUMMMMMMMMMM jaa schlussendlich ua vill langwiligs, you know it bi electronica ABER paar mal hets geboppt und das git es 3 vo mier
Cult electronic band. Mostly know them for 'Born Slippy (Nuxx)', so fun to hear a whole album of them. While the two opening tracks were pretty decent 90s dance tracks (especially the first one), they were too minimalistic and especially long. 15-ish minutes each? Come on. For the dancefloor, sure. But not when listening to in an album. If they would've been condensed to 5 minute tracks each it would've been a different story. That's a feeling that keeps following me throughout the whole album. All songs have something (except 'Blueski', that is just garbage), but the length of the tracks make them tedious to listen to when you have to go through a whole album like this. In the end, there were some parts of the songs that I enjoyed, but I can't really say the album as a whole experience blew me away. Shame!
If I could summarize this album in a single word, it would be bloated. I get that 15 min rave tracks are great at raves, but listening to them as an album just gets boring. This was true for multiple tracks and even the album length is way too long. There were parts I really enjoyed. Especially the later songs like “Bluesky” and “Pearl’s Girl” were cool and felt quite trip hoppy. There is a good album in there somewhere, but I can’t give it more than 3 stars as is, I think even that could be a bit of a stretch.
incredibly groovy
Nice
Liked it better than I expected. A bit Cyberpunk. Great for reading DCC
Some cool compositions that build in interesting ways but at the end of the day it is just some thumping techno.
It’s fine
Not a fan
Dreadful
Best of the best underworld will always be my favourite dance act
Their fourth album. Techno / Electronica. Juanita: Kiteless: To Dream Of Love is an epic sixteen minute banger to open with. From there we have New Wave, Drum n Bass, Dance and even Goth vibes. Underworld have better albums, this one was okay.
Meh
Imagine if the album had Born Slippy.NUXX on it though!
Sorry, but I don't want a video game going off in my ear for 45 minutes. That's what this sounds like. Not my thing.
Bleh that sucked
Wow. That was a lot of boring, repetitive, and annoying sounds. They get half a star for not being the absolute worst and half for being Welsh which bumps them up to 2 stars but I will NEVER want to sit down and just listen to this album again.
is it just me or does all electronic music just sound the same?? so many over-dubbed loop tracks, sounds, sampled with maybe a few (lame) vocals dropped in here & there.
6.0/10
I thought this sucked from the start and then the vocalist came in to show me it can be worse
Really not my thing. Just not my style of music. Feels like you're listening to something stuck on repeat. Even the last track STAGGER - which felt more like a song - did nothing for me. Was just getting irritated listening to it. Felt like that episode of Frasier where Daphne has the song 'flesh in burning, na-na-na-na-na-nah' stuck in her head.
This is another "I've heard of them but have never heard them" albums (till I just discovered they had a song in Trainspotting that is). I've enjoyed most of the electronic records on the list, so I figured I'd like this one as well. And that was mostly correct. Unfortunately I had to listen to it in a disjointed way, as I had many plans for the day and it got broken up into four separate pieces while I was driving to and fro. That likely affected the overall vibe of the listen, as it seems this is the kind of album that needed a one time sitting. What I found is that I preferred the first bit I heard (the first two songs) and the last bit I heard (the final three songs) more than the middle. I didn't dislike any of it, but I found those two parts the ones that kept my interest the most. I won't have time to listen to this again today, so I'll just say it was a mostly enjoyable experience and let that be the review.
No private session used for Spotify. Wasn't sure what I was getting into here. Excited by a 90's album, but then heard how electronic it started and that made me nervous. Turns out this wasn't bad, it wasn't the same beats over and making me think I needed pills to get into it, decent ambient background music.
Electric. If I was very drunk and in a club this would be highly rated for sure. It was ok and just about creeps a 3.
Would have been great if I was attending a night club in the Matrix
No electronica album should ever be in a top albums ever list never
Man, I just hate albums like this. The songs are soooo long and uninteresting. Everything is really repetitive. Some of the solos are fun, but that's really it. Favorite Song(s): -
Solid, not an everyday listen type of album, but I liked it
Not the style of music I like.
Have beaucoup fish and dub no bass... Never got into this one. Sounds good.
i will not lie, i absolutely loved this, i thought it was so textured and layered and those long tracks were just hitting, had be bopping my head the whole way through, i did not get bored at all through the hour plus run time, amazing record, i do believe my taste is shifting more towards these electronic records now
I'm floating between a 4 and 3 on this one. It's good, its not their best, it doesn't really have a strong feeling throughout, so I'll be honest and say the final decider is that I've got 2 albums left and have spied my stats don't completely represent what a synth head I am.
The first song was so long, monotonous, and repetitive that I was thining of giving up on this album. The second one was just as long, monotonous, and repetitive, but at least it wasn't too bad from an annoying point of view. At some point, I completely forgot I was listening to this, it sounded like a background soundtrack to either a loading screen in a game, or one of those installers that have music. Overall, pretty meh.
Unce unce unce unce
Good techno
You haven’t heard electronica like this since the last time you heard electronica like this. Or the last time you were shopping at the Limited.
Pretty solid album, liked a lot of the production. It’s hard to do electronic on this list tho, I feel it would be better in a club setting tho. I’ll say 3 stars
This is such an interesting album. Parts of it are like early Autechre, parts are almost funky, and other parts are grating. I like it. I don't love it, mostly because of the most abrasive parts, but man I like it.
I don't have much to say here. This kind of music has limited appeal to me. However this album is quite good. It's interesting enough to keep my attention. And while this music can get a bit repetitive, this album doesn't become monotonous.
Intro: Not sure this is going to be my vibe! But i normally listen to my album while working so this may actually boost some productivity I enjoyed listening to this record more than I expected! Not really my style but something I could potentially circle back to while working or needing an energy boost. Appreciate the art!
I'm getting pretty tired of all the techno albums. Again, this one's fine for background music but doesn't do much for me.
Not mad about this, took me three sittings to get through this electronic album.
Could not find my way into this record if my life depended on it.
59/1001 First listen. I have listened to hundreds of hours of this style of music and have seldom come across the same song twice. So this is just more of the same, somewhat generic music to me. I love it but it doesn’t stand apart from all the rest. I would put Rowla on a playlist though. 5/10
Not worth your time
It was fine enough. I don't remember a damned thing from it a week or so out.
Jesus does this album drag on... I'm not an electronica fan, but as a drummer, I found the opening drum beat to be interesting enough to stick around for a bit. But my god, over 30 minutes in just the first 2 tracks?!? There's some interesting bits beyond there, but the album is honestly just too long.
Not for me
Did a really good job of catching you in a vibe and keeping you there.
Not keen on this, needs to be on a club
Absolutely LOVE LOVE was listening all last night
Hat doch positiv überrascht, aber erneut hören würd ichs net
Ganz geil, chillig und treibend
An hour and a half of hold music on Hell’s phone line
She’s overstimulated
Not bad background music
Very drum 'n bass. Ok for background, nothing too crazy. Did recognize the band from the Trainspotting soundtrack.
This has a really nice tone to it. I'm honestly surprised at myself that I haven't ripped my hair out due to 10 minute long techno songs. The lyrics and the song titles are very cryptic, I could theoretically spent a long time trying to understand what they mean, but I guess sometimes lyrics aren't meant to symbolise anything. The singer kind of sounds like British version of R.E.M.'s singer Michael Stipe. Like I said the tone and ambience is great, just not completely sure if I would want to return to this, perhaps if electronic music is on my mind I would. Highlight Song/s: Confusion The Waitress
bleh. wasn't bothered by this at all. don't even recall anything from it.
Yuck. I didn’t like this at all.
This was tough to get through. Not the worst electronica on this list, but far from the best. The first song was terrible, and most of the songs are too long. The lyrics are ridiculous, and the beats are annoying. I’d rate this a 1.5 if I could but I didn’t quite hate it as much as the others I’ve rated 1 stars. Also the last couple tracks aren’t terrible.
Surely this is for dancing, not listening? I mean, no one sits down to listen to this, right? Right? 2/5
Chill ambient techno dance music. Has some cool indie rock elements to go along with the electronic beats and ear candy, gets real trippy in parts and danceable in others. Pearl's Girl goes pretty hard, but the rest of the album is chill and laid back a bit.
I cannot listen to this. Elevator music at best.
Easy 5. This one was right up my alley!
This album doesn’t belong on this list. 90s club electronica, and a decent example, but there’s nothing eye opening or groundbreaking. The genre doesn’t lend itself to being inspiring
When it comes to 90s electronic music, Underworld is easily one of the top tier acts of the entire decade. While their sound is rooted in progressive techno and house, what really sets them apart is how progressive and forward thinking they were in the way they approached production overall. This album takes a more slow burning approach compared to a lot of other dance music of the era. Most of the tracks stretch to around eight minutes or more, embracing gradual build ups, hypnotic repetition, and ambient textures that create a deep, trance like atmosphere.
Back when Beaucoup Fish (the follow up to Second Toughest) came out, it was in heavy rotation at my store. I grew to love that album. It wasn't until quite a bit later that I realized these were the same guys that had a minor hit with "Underneath the Radar" a decade earlier. Liked that song, too. After many many plays, I got pretty tired of Beaucoup Fish, so I wasn't sure what my reaction to this one would be. This sounded nearly the same as the album I'm more familiar with. I liked it for a while, but as it kept going (it is really long) I started growing tired of it. Thankfully, the album closer, "Stagger" came on and saved it. "Stagger" fits the album well, but it so different from everything leading up to it that the contrast ups the whole affair. This would be a solid 3 1/2 for me, but of course we can't give 1/2 stars, so I'll be nice and up it to 4.
Only 774 albums to go to get through this list and get to the user picks, where I hope we will get some more interesting albums.
I really enjoyed the harsher and more aggressive songs on this album. Could do without the slow, laid back ones.
I don't listen to much electronic stuff, so this is highly subjective: This was horrible, I couldn't bring myself to finish it. To me it sounds boring an uninspired.
I very much enjoyed this album from Underworld! I’d never listened to music by them so that was an exciting experience. I loved the house/EDM vibes of this album and it made for great workout music. I would definitely listen to this album again!
WOw bEtTeR tHaN i ExpEcTed
6/10
Sounds like a classic, and I'm glad to have discovered it.
Mid
Day686 - i got a headache about pearls girl and it didn’t go away
Just from an album sequencing perspective why couldn’t they have split up the 15 minute songs instead of putting them back to back? I thought the song Stagger was quite interesting, but I had to wade through an hour of music before it to get there. Pearl’s Girl is pretty good too.
Not Good in my Ears
More interesting than I thought at first, pleasant overall and probably deserves repeat listens.
I had never heard of Underworld until I was given this record. And I can say upon my research that I will now assume that every 90s UK dance record is super fucking long. I've already dealt with William Orbit, who though talented as a producer for others, left me crawling to the finish line. However, Everything But The Girl astonished me with their take on club classics. So the score is 1/1 if I am correct. Underworld goes up to bat and the first thing I notice is the length. This record's length can be attributed to how they included 6 more songs after the first two's 31 combined minutes. While both well done, I don't know how a regular listener would want to check out the rest without feeling drained. Though they might feel intrigued since the first two songs are again quite good (those guitar bursts in Juanita, ooo). I find something to enjoy in how the group arranges their more progressive tracks, but out of 8 songs, only 4 take me by pure impression. If this album was just Tracks 1 and 2 plus Pearl's Girl (my favorite) and Stagger to close: it would be a great 49 minute release. Instead, there's 24 more minutes of often repetitive, uninspiring sounds, that while engaging in a club setting, pass through an ordinary listen. I'm sure Rowla goes harder when the bass is right in front of you, but you get the point already. Underworld has me in some way, but not entirely. The score is gonna go to 2/1; could've been better though (6/10, 3/5 on this scale)
oh yea I don't miss this musical era at all.
I'm out on the continuous stream of techno and fusion instrumental pieces on this list.
Doll
I enjoyed this both for what it is and for being a rare example of a dance/electronic album. First track is fantastic and is a masterful demonstration of how to keep building a track. I will revisit other later as time pressures meant I wasn’t really concentrating on the later tracks.
In my opinion, not the best example of what they can do (‘dubnobasswithmyheadman’ probably edges it) though ‘Pearl’s Girl’ is probably the best introduction to them. A somewhat frenetic, clustered, relentless series of driving beats with additional urgency from the vocals and melodies over the top. Fairly solid from front to back but otherwise nothing that necessarily blows you away. Suspect part of its reason for inclusion is the deluxe/reissued version which includes ‘born slippy (nuxx)’ which, although propelled them into the mainstream, I don’t particularly like.
I actually enjoyed this. I think my music taste is cooked
There's a lot of british electronica on here, it can't all be special. I vibed with this more than I expected event though it's repetitive AF. Highlights: banstyle/sappys curry
Why would anyone chose to listen to this... Under the influence of drugs?? Underground goth techo rave?? Brain has turned to mush?? Diet of Mountain Dew and Cheetos?? Grok is their main news feed?? Background music to a Rocket League montage with 14 views?? Trying to be edgy and ragebait people with your music views?? If you enjoy this, you need to sort your life out. Dodging the predator register like Trumps dodging the Epstein files....
bosh bosh boom clap
peak 90s rave culture
Second toughest 90s British electronica album to listen to
Not for me.
Some interesting beats and melodies, but I'm not a big electronica person, so wasn't for me.
More background music
When the first song was 16 minutes long I knew I was in for some trouble. This band, I assume, came from a time when techno was becoming a thing. Hate to tell you this hoss, but it was never a thing for me. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it.
I’m not a techno listener but this has solid layers of sounds and I appreciate the production. Would be a good listen while gaming.
It's not what I would sit around and listen to… But it is what the cool underground kids in college would sit around and listen to.
The dream of the 90s is still alive in the Underworld. Although many tracks captured the repeitition of electronic music of that era, others flashed the promise of a post-Trainspotting world of music.
Ugh
Never heard Underworld before this but I like it!
Love love love this album. Underworld is a big part of my musical upbringing. Solid 5 stars.
Really enjoyed this. I haven't listened to techno in a while but this was a great listen and felt like a bit of a journey.
Ganske nice jobbemusikk
Synes mange av sangene var litt kjedelig å høre aktivt på, men var helt OK som bakgunnsmusikk når jeg shoppet lamper i går (kjøpte 2 små, vi prøver å bli flinkere på å ha flere lyskilder for koselig stemning). Favorittsang er Banstyle eller Rowla.
så lang men ikke det værste vi har haft af den her slags
Meget lækkert, både når det var kæmpestort og når det var mere ambient. Fed plade.
Decent, mellow, minimalistic and stuff
Like 90s Europe
Every song is 12 minutes. Idk it was cool and all and I don’t hate electronic. I’m torn between 2 and 3. Like I truly have no desire to listen to ts again. It’s very YouTube compilation coded but it’s like needlessly long. I don’t think I ever felt it and towards the middle I was itching for it to be over. I had a debate with myself over what degree I have to listen to all this shit for. Idk man, 2.
I’m just so not the demographic for this. It’s fine I guess but 15-minute electronic songs are just not interesting enough for me to listen to 7 of them in a row and enjoy them
This is #day458 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… ah, '90s techno. I get the influence and all that, but it's hard to make myself enjoy something this repetitive. Maybe I'm not that into techno, after all. The whole thing is just way too long to boot. Had "Born Slippy. NUXX" been on the original tracklist, I might've gone with a 3. Otherwise, this is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day459.
Classic. This will probably get a lot of low ratings from people that don't understand techno, but its a glorious combination of relentless beats, gorgeous chord progressions (Pearls Girl in particular is a highlight) and Karl's stream of consciousness lyrics. They make such a difference, creating vivid emotional landscapes beyond the obvious "Put your hands up" style of dance music lyrics. This, but more of it, more often, all of the time.
Overall Album Review: •8 songs •1 hour and 13 minutes •Fav song - Pearl’s Girl •One sentence review - The songs could be quite groovy at times but i would lose interest quickly as the songs were too long. Album rating: A High 2
I really liked this Ambient Techno album. Loved "Banstyle/Sappy's Curry".