Reviews (page 4 of 7)
So repetitive. Your thin paper wings Your thin paper wings Your thin paper wings Your thin paper wings Your thin paper wings Your thin paper wings Your thin paper wings Your thin paper wings That said, it had me grooving a few times. Not as bad as I expected after that first track.
Good old school trance album but not like blow my socks off lol
I feel like I've heard all these sounds before, just in slightly different configurations. I zoned out at certain points, but I guess it was OK.
Club techno vibes. Honestly better than I expected and locked me into a work trance almost.
Too much percussion, Bluesky was OK though
Obviously, I was dreading this one! It's 75 minutes long, British electronica, and starts with two songs longer than 15 minutes! But actually, I ended up sort of enjoying it somehow! Still too long for me, but it did way more in that time than I expected it to.
Likte det egentlig ganske bra. Kan putte på listen og høre mer. Bra å jobbe til
Fun album. Really long though.
Decent.
Not sure it's my thing and probably too long but honestly don't mind it. A little burnt out on 90s UK electronica after two Chemical Brothers albums in quick succession so maybe a little harsh.
3,5
Some of these songs were cool, but it was also very long. I would have liked it more if it was just drum and bass without the vocals.
Elektro aus den 90s. Teilweise ganz cool, teilweise naja. Viel nebenbei gehört, dazu ist es cool. Vllt mal zum Laufen.
I don't have any strong opinions on techno. I use it to drown out the neighbour's screaming kid when I'm trying to work from home. In that sense, it is the most useful music in the world.
Sometimes it feels like this list was made exclusively by Brits who were 20 in 1996
Not a genre I’m familiar with nor really listen to, but this was nice. Kinda trance-y and vibe-y. Favorite track: Pearl’s Girl
Better than I thought it would be for a techno album, still not my cup of tea. There were parts of each song that I found genuinely pleasant though.
There were moments I locked in with this that I enjoyed, but also large sections that just passed me by, and the whole thing could've been edited down by about 30mins.
Sitting at home in the middle of the day probably isn’t the desired environment for an album like this. I love underworld, think they are one of the best electronic live acts going but I don’t really enjoy listening to dance music outside of a gig environment. A generous 3
If I could put a gif here, it would be the one of the blond mullet kid at the computer giving an enthusiastic thumbs up.
This is fine.
I didn't hate this. It made me want to go a '90s rave.
Good album
Put me in a warehouse immediately
Inte lika "dålig" som mycket av den elektroniska musiken på denna lista. Det är dock långt ifrån ett.mästerverk. På sin höjd, meh.
Not really my type of music, but decent enough for what it is. Really can't judge if this one is relevant enough to deserve a spot on this list. 3.5 rounded down.
Perfectly fine techno beats. Yes, the first two tracks alone equal 30 minutes of an 8-track album, but so what. Press play and focus on the task in front of you. It fueled my workout today. Thanks Underworld.
I quite like it, though not as much as the grade I'm going to give it - I'm grading very much on a curve. You see, this album should be 3.5 stars. It's good, maybe bordering on very good with the caveat that it's boilerplate BOOTSandHATS techno and should be listened to primarily while taking drugs or in the background while working in an office or cubicle well after your drug-taking days have concluded. But we don't get half stars in this project, so that's out. So this album should be 3 stars. It's good, but (prior caveats notwithstanding), it's not *very* good, you know? So then why am I rating it 4 stars? Because I have massively fucked up my own personal ratings. I've had some halfway shitty albums that I've rated 3 stars, because I didn't hate them enough to rate them 2 stars. but now I like this album way, WAY more than those albums, so is it fair to give it the same rating? I gave Tim fucking Buckley 3 stars, FFS, and now I'm supposed to give *this* 3 stars? yesterday's album was Let's Get Killed by David Holmes, a very pedestrian, albeit listenable, album of the same genre, and this one is way better. So how do I give it 3 stars? I don't know, but this is taking up too much space in my life. It's pretty good if you like techno. The end.
It's okay. 90s dance music. A bit of a hard edge at points which I like but felt like there was little variation. Around halfway through I couldn't see how anything was going to change and most songs had sounded the same to that point.
Like a mellower Prodigy.
2.5
I've never listened to a full techno album and this did not fully change my mind on the genre. While entrancing in the moment, there wasn't really a moment that stuck with me after listening at all. It is also quite daunting to relisten considering the 1 hour 20 minute runtime and consistently around 10 minute tracks.
Nice.
I was fully expecting to hate this since I despise this techno stuff, but this is actually pretty decent.
An audiophile’s delight. These guys are trailblazers in the electronica genre. Reminiscent of earlier bands like The Art of Noise and Depeche Mode.
Hell yeah! Let me in the drum circle! Oh. Oh no. Why is this song so long? It’s cool, but gets a little out of control.
I liked elements but I skipped through it. Too long baby
Def sounded like a synth album
It’s the Get Slippy band! I love that song. Some of this album reaches that peak, I think the first track in its entirety would have been a 10/10 LP. Even though I don’t necessarily have negative thoughts on it, hour plus is overstaying its welcome. I can see listening to this again & just jumping in at the halfway point to give the second half a more fair shot.
Kinda weird. Decent background music though. So 2.5 but I will round up.
This was surprisingly decent techno. Just a bit long.
One of the people in my group listens to video game music a lot. It's pretty common for him to point out that it's why he's so predisposed to liking electronica — it's the soundscapes and all that, y'know? And while I haven't listened to nearly as much as he has (and even then, I mostly only listen to the SONIC HEROES OST), I'll tell you, I can pretty often see where he's coming from. Most of the electronica my group's come across doesn't seem to be asking for much of your attention: there's enough going on to keep some level of engagement, but more often than not, it's not something you're supposed to be focusing too closely on. Y'know, it's supposed to be scoring whatever thing you're doing instead of the singular thing all by itself. It's the same purpose all video game music is supposed to serve, no matter how good it is. So thus we come across this album by Underworld, who, fittingly, has been named by some video game composers as a direct influence. Believe me, I can absolutely hear it. While I was listening to this album I was playing MARIO KART WORLD, but the entire time, I couldn't help but think that I should be playing, like... A puzzle game, y'know? This all sounds like music from a futurism-themed puzzle game, like... I'unno, HEXIC? Or ZUMA, or some releases of TETRIS or BEJEWELED... Those kinds of games, y'know? This is concentratin', thinkin' music, meant for deep focus on what your next move is gonna be. Alternatively, I suppose it could be music for some cyberpunk-style'd PS1 game, but I kept picturing puzzle games more in my mind, so... And I suppose this music would be fine for playing TETRIS DX or whatever to,'coz on its own... Y'know, just like I said, it's really not much of anything. I figure there's someone in the Discord server my group spawned who'd fill me in on all the deep intricacies of Underworld, but to my ears, it... Sure is jus' kinda wallpaper alright. I'll tell you for a fact, opening this album with two songs over 15 minutes is a bold as hell move, though maybe not the one I would have played? This track is only eight tracks long, but runs for over an hour — that's a nine minute average per song. Starting on the two longest songs, back to back, even listened to separately as "record sides" as I did, isn't exactly the best first impression. I mean, from what I did hear as I cruised the intermission routes... Well, I'm lucky I have the video game thing to talk about, because it's not like the actual music is giving me anything. Hard thumping techno with some vocals babbling about Colonel Sanders or something... Yeeeep. Mmffph... Y'know, I feel like I'm able to give most electronica music a pass. Even if it does end up largely being wallpaper (which, so you know, I will never rate an album lowly for), there's usually a couple melodies floating around where I can go, "Yeah, I really dug that part." A good synth line can do a **lot**. However, this album just... Doesn't have anything like that? At all? I'm struggling to even remember how any of it went, besides a general blob of "Yeah, that's some ambient-ass techno alright." It's only by the virtue of viewing this as video game music that I don't feel like being harsher on it. If that's the kind of stuff you're into, like my group buddy, you'd probably enjoy this a lot. Me, though... Well, I'll tell you this about most video game music: I tend to put it on mute so I can listen to other stuff. And this is no exception.
Pretty interesting. Under the right circumstances I’m sure it’s awesome!
Futuristic cyberpunk ambient music - for running
Great to listen to while working.
Good as background techno but nothing to lift it up beyond that
Second Toughest in the Infants? What does that even mean? First track comes out swinging and I fucking loved it. Wish the whole thing was that uptempo/creative - love the upbeat stuff, but the lulls are too low for me. 3.5 stars
Weird album lol 3/5
It was fine
yeah ok whatever man.
This has got to be some high quality Electronica/Techno/Rave/EDM shit. I managed to listen to all of it, felt teleported into the most underground illegal rave in some abandoned Berlin subway tunnel, and didn't hate it nearly as much as I thought I would.
3.3 - It was good, did drag a little though
Liked some parts, hated some parts. 3 overall. 3/5
"Second Toughest in The Infants" is the fourth studio album by British electronic music group Underworld and their second album in their "MK2" lineup with DJ and keyboardist Darren Emerson. Electronic, techno, progressive house, breakbeat, ambient, downtempo and experimental are the Wiki-listed genres. They do cover a lot in the electronic world. A description of this album is that it "expands their progressive palette, while developing their signature sound of abrasive beats and anthemic melodies." Alright! In addition to Emerson, the core bandmembers are Karl Hyde (vocals, guitars) and Rick Smith (keyboards, mixing, backing vocals). The album did receive critical acclaim. The first song "Juanita: Kiteless: To Dream of Love" is a 16-minute three-song suite. The first song is layered electronic beats, distorted vocals and very much in the techno realm. The second song adds guitar slashes and is more bouncy. The third song is sort of a combo of the first and second with swirling synths and beats, still maintaining that hypnotic vibe. The band slows it down on the next song, another multi-song song, "Banstyle/Sappy's Curry. Lounge bass and drums, more in the downbeat and ambient areas. There are vocals and I'm starting to realize that the only intent of these lyrics is random thoughts, if that. The louder, more aggressive beats really get going in "Rowla," the second single. Synth and layered beats. We are in clubland. The first single "Pearl's Girl" starts out with an ambient synth and distorted vocals. More of the layered beats and stream of conscious lyrics. I think I hear a breakbeat somewhere. Synths that sound like helicopters. The last song "Stagger" has a light beat, an organ, a bass and a dreamy synth. Worth mentioning since it reminded me a lot of latter-day Radiohead. The only song that I had heard from Underworld was "Born Slippery" from the movie "Trainspotting." I liked that song quite a bit but had no idea what to expect on this album. And, as advertised in the Wiki-listed genres, they do cover a lot of ground: techno, ambient/chill, club and experimental. The songs are generally layers of beats and synth melodies which build and change throughout the songs. The stream of conscious vocals/lyrics work well with the hypnotic/chill/ambient atmospheres. Overall, this is a decent album and if you're any sort of electronic or EDM fan, there's plenty here to enjoy.
Is this Yello? When I started to listen I thought I would only like it on a rave event, but it is actually quite soothing and relaxing stuff
6/10
Not bad background music, I would put it on for a party. My daughter thought it didn’t suck… high praise
Didn’t mind it
I'm sure they made the exact album they tried to make. It's supposed to be entrancing. I can imagine it works perfectly when played loud in a dark club and you're drunk. It's just not what I'm looking for in music at all.
Nice and upbeat. Liked it but not my kind of music.
Don't have much t o say, but I did find it very compelling. Felt like a precursor to the aphex twin sound that I love.
Decent electronic I guess. As we get closer to the end though all these repeat sounds are even more questionable.
I listened to the first third of this on a flight and it was weirdly hitting during the landing. This has some okay moments and it's fairly easy to get lost in but that didn't make it feel important in any way. I didn't dislike it and the plane vibe was cool. Two to a three.
Like that music from 90’s movies when people went to underground clubs
Decent EDM
в принципе дальное приятно на фоне, но сознательно не повторю
3.4
Had some good jams, and some bad ones as well. I enjoyed it though
First listen
This was a throwback. Really good but eventually wore out its welcome. Kind of got tired of the vocals which is Underworld's "thing"
Surprisingly enjoyable
Good to chill out and as background but not my genre. Appreciated it, like another review said multi-layered.
Gear: Grado Hemp Artwork: 🦑🔮⬜ Production: 🎧✨🔥 Music: 💊😵💫🌃 Rating: 💿💿💿/5
It's so funny how music originally meant for getting off your tits on e at rave is also so good for drowning out the world to really zoom in on a couple of fuck off spreadsheets.
3.4 Leans closer to the Earls lounges of 2006 than Berghain but I enjoyed the listen
Kreativ melodisk elektronisk musik som är skön att lyssna på, men inte tillräckligt spännande för att få mig engagerad. Trea.
A solid walkthrough of the mid 90s underground techno scene.
Pretty good
Not my cuppa, but respect the cultural impact Underworld have had on music and film
Not bad as background. Can't imagine listening to with intention.
Nicely atmospheric in parts though overall too proggy for my electronic tastes - but that is the inevitable outcome of inviting a musician named Emerson to join your band...
Solid, yet underwhelming and not offering a huge amount of variety. Sounds exactly like I’d expect an underworld album to sound. The last two tracks broke the pattern but were not strong. This badly needs Born Slippy to justify its place on the list
Some really nice electronic grooves & some other stuff.
This is the type of music that robot guy from Grandma’s Boy listens to
Surprisingly long songs. Surprisingly I did enjoy them. Not the style I listen to regularly, but they developed a lovely sound for this album. 3 stars, would recommend it to people who are into this genre.
2ter Song gut Rest zu techno
Some nice tunes on here
Hat seine Höhen, hat seine Tiefen. 3 Sterne
Music is OK. Don't like the lyrics.
Mostly EDM that didn't suck entirely.
Gar nicht mal schlecht.
Erfrischendes Techno-Trance Album mit guten Sounds , die aber alle ein wenig zu oberflächlich klingen. Nett zu hören.
It's a good sample of the techno dance music scene in the UK in 1996. It's OK and I can appreciate it's inclusion due to the cultural impact but it's not really my thing.
I'd started listening to this with headphones, found myself getting irritated, so switched to a speaker, much better listening experience. Still not really something for a typical Wednesday morning, would be better in a late night setting.
3.3 good listen but nothing insane faves: pearl's girl, juanita
Enjoyed this more than I thought I would, last track was great. 3.5 stars
I listened to this while walking around the center of a major European city - it made for a good soundtrack. I had a friend who used music like this to accompany abstract films he made - lots of time lapse, that sort of thing. It's what the genre is best for, although this is more "listenable" than most of its more robotic incarnations.
3.5 Biased review because I was in the mood for this.
Cool sounds, but not something I’d listen to every day
Honestly liked this one, but I feel like there's a time and place for this genre and I can't see myself putting it back on in most instances.
Dated techno that is also a bit contemporary in vibe. Well recorded and extremely explorative, it hits a stride occasionally and can be pleasing. The quality is good and the blend flows well with interesting musicality. However, it is long and not particularly applicable in modern listening digest. May it be buried in the strata and persevered in a museum as a fossilized version of itself for educational purposes, leading people to debate whether or not it ever actually existed or was placed there by a supreme being to have us question our existence.
Some of it not my jam but some bangers too
Eletronic beat. Nice to listen.
Alright, like a flimsy 9 inch nails
Little long
Reading about this made me nervous, but I ended up liking a decent amount of it (long track #2, Air Towel, Blueski, and Stagger). Luckily those last three tracks came through, or else this would’ve been a 2.
Goodish.
Perfect music for an elliptical exercise session; fast paced and very repetitive. And that’s a 73 minute workout. Sassys Curry was the best tune, but they’re all pretty similar (and long.) I did listen to some of their other tunes while doing some mindless activities at work. All about the same. (2.8*s)
This album is a bit hard to rate, there's things I like and things that could be better. "Juanita" is a weak and confusing track to open with and it seems a little bloated to start with two back to back 15+ minute songs. However "Sappys Curry" actually gets pretty engaging about halfway in, this one should be cut down. I also like "Pearl's Girl" and the stream of consciousness lyrics throughout. There's something about the Underworld's sound that has you really paying attention and trying to listen/decipher which is in contrast to my approach to most techno which usually just serves as background music. Overall, the album is a tad too long but it's layered, complex, and very pensive at times. I listened to it several times and enjoyed it but the right time and place will really serve this play. For the issues aforementioned, it goes middle of the pack at 2.5.
I know Underworld only from their best known hit "Born Slippy" featured in Trainspotting and some appearances on electronica mixes I would pick up on cd. Going into this, I was apprehensive because I do not like Slippy. Started out not great but by "Sappys Curry", I was digging the spice. Album stayed pretty rhythmic for a commute from then on. Some tracks too drawn out but I really like the guitar introduction. Lyrics are wild, some deep weird shit..need to really pay attention.These guys earned a place in the genre and without the list I would have skipped over them. I'll be checking more out...3.09.
I feel like Second Toughest In The Infants is going to be pretty polarizing. It's got a pretty high barrier for entry as not everyone is open to multiple 15+ minute songs. At the same time its one of the best examples of various electronic sub-genres. While a lot of the tracks are long I was personally drawn in by them. I got lost in a couple of the beats and melodic backgrounds. I found it overall very approachable but would fully understand if someone dismissed as repetitive junk. This album is the definition of Certain Time/Certain Place. When applied correctly in the right setting Underworld scratches an itch so effectively. I wouldn't fault someone for requesting a skip or "poker stick" if this came on in the wild in the wrong place. I didn't realize that the original release didn't include Born Slippy which is the best and most well known song by Underworld. While it might knock the album down a peg to not include Born Slippy it was still a good listen (maybe a bit too long at 70+ minutes). 3.03
Not really my bag but there’s a couple of bangers on here
I've heard of this artist and may have seen them accidentally at a festival recently. Pretty classic 90's rave music.
I feel I am not able to offer critical insight or analysis. Love drummy beats, odd vocals, odd noises. Came to the right place.
I did recognise some of this album especially Confusion the Waitress and Banstyle has popped up in popular culture for the past 30 years. Some of it is tedious and I wasn’t sure it would rate more than a 2 but at times it was perfectly listenable if not earth-shattering.
Fairly run of the mill electronica. Not bad for the gym though.
Only know born slippy by underworld.... This was much more techno than I was expecting. Not sure I've ever listened to a techno album before. Very repetitive, which I suppose most techno is, but it was fine with to have on in the background while working. Not bad "Pearls girl" was very reminiscent of born slippy. Think 3 is fair
Don't usually like electric/techno, but this was good. Definitely has a time and place in my spotify library, will revisit in future.
Abrasive beats and anthemic melodies; a solid formula. I’m not versed enough in electronic music to tell if this is a classic, but I did enjoy it.
Decent, but wayyy too long.
I liked this, surprisingly. I don't usually do electronica, but this had me grooving.
Half of this was nice ambience, half was club music. These do not mix well together. Stand-out: Banstyle/Sappy's Curry
There was vibin going on here on a few tracks. 3/5
Liked this a lot more than I expected to
Although I enjoy various forms of electronica, and this album is an occasionally interesting/enjoyable flavor, I'll admit that as a genre it's harder to succeed in the context of the "1001 Albums" project, largely because the albums tend to be much longer than in other genres, and there's a *lot* of iterative and repetitive music with each track. Some groups/artists in this collection have such a distinctive sound that their albums are easy to rate and compare to other albums in the collection -- Moby, Chemical Brothers, Air, Fatboy Slim, Bjork, to name a few. But this album (and I suspect Underworld in general) isn't one of those, and seems mired in a sort of rave/dancehall morass of beats and sampled/synth effects (and some very dated feeling drum-n-bass), which is great as background music in some situations, but kind of annoying as part of this collection. (When I read the Wikipedia entry for the album, I laughed at the apparently unironic statement in the "Mojo" appraisal of the album: "never has the introduction of a hi-hat seemed quite so exciting." Indeed.) The only tracks that stood out for me were "Confusion the waitress" and "Stagger", both reminiscent of Moby, but definitely more foregrounded than most of the album and with a story of sorts to tell. Both the Wikipedia and "1001 albums" entries for this album seem to suggest that this is a very cerebral and sophisticated form of experimental electronica. I remain unconvinced, I'll admit, and I'm sorry we didn't get their breakout "Trainspotting" (movie) single on this album ("Born slippy"), as that would have likely boosted their rating (for me); "Pearl's Girl" comes close, but sounds more derivative than complementary. But thankfully this is the only Underworld album in the collection, so that helps with a small rating boost of appreciation.
Ravey memories!
It's oddly not as bad as it should be. A combination of looping spa music and call center hold music with random vocals thrown in. It does drift into laser tag music territory sometimes and is probably a bit too long. Still a bit of a surprise though. 5.5/10 (2.75/5)
This has been playing away in the background without ever really grabbing my attention. Nothing wrong with it, nothing to write home about either
Not listened to this before and was quite hesitant about giving this a go. I found that I enjoyed this more and more as the album progressed.
Last song is incred
Bought this album when it came out, but sold it on very quickly. Listening back for the first time in years it is better than I remembered. Very hypnotic 3/5
I normally don't enjoy the electronic instrumental-heavy albums, but this one had a good vibe to it. Nailed it without trying to hard
Good background noise.
Decent songs, but this being an hour long is a bit much.
I think my 20 year old self danced to some of these songs.
I liked this but would have rather been in a club than commuting while listening.
Listening to this in my office probably wasn't what was intended. This was ok, but I don't see listening to it again.
It's fine techno, if that's what you're looking for. I may listen to this again if I'm in the right mood.
5.5/10. It's a decent electronica album. However, its songs are far too long. It's not exactly remarkable, and I've been caught off-guard while listening to it.
House progresivo. Ni fu ni fa.
Electronic, techno, progressive, house,break, beat, ambient, down, tempo, experimental.
I mean it’s techno. It’s good. It’s repetitive. I don’t normally take much away from 90s techno albums. They all feel like the artists knew they had something new and great, and they drove it into the fucking ground.
I like it but it does not deserve to be on this list
rowla is fire
It was fine but nothing to write here about (2.5/5)
90s electronica from the UK, it's a very long album with two songs in the beginning that are over 15 minutes long. The more I listened to it the more I got into this album, though because of the length it didn't feel like a very cohesive 'album's album', rather than different songs thrown together. I think I prefer other 90s electronica over this album but it may grow on me more if I listened to it a few more times.
Listening to this album felt like a chore.
This album makes some decent background music for going about my work day. Nothing exceptional, but I still dug it.
This isn't really my thing, and the fact that it came out in 1996 but still makes me feel old and out of touch makes me feel even older and out of toucher...but I guess it's alright...3
Different
Not bad at all. I found this a lot more tolerable that most techno in this list.
Decent background electronic music.
Ganske nice jobbemusikk
bum bum tss
Pretty neat, I like the break-beats but I could have done without the vocals.
I mean, it’s not bad, but it’s still standard British electronica.
bridging danceable beats to pop songs, too much words filled for my taste
Good ambient music, the vocals weren't my favorite but cool sounds
Older techno. I know them from Born Slippy on the Trainspotting soundtrack. Overall this isn't a bad listen even though I'm not as into it.
Like a lot of electronic music, this would be better if it were shorter. Still a decent enough album. I think that I have overcome my bias towards electronic music on this rating. Favorite track: "Pearl's Girl."
Electronic, techno, progressive, house,break, beat, ambient, down, tempo, experimental.
One the one hand, every single track is a banger... On the downside everysong is at a minimum of twice as long as it needs to be.
Nice chill electronic music. I wish there were fewer vocal parts on the album though. Favorite track was probably the last one
Correcto
Cool story behind the name - otherwise it was just techo playing behind me while I worked, with the odd catchy chorus.
Pretty good electronic stuff, reminds me of Aphex Twin in places. Sometimes it’s easy to forget the vocals. Solid album, but it got a little repetitive for me in places. 5.5/10
Good beats, enjoyed. I could work to this music. Not sure why techno artists insist on their songs being crazy long though.
Good background music
C'était un album plutôt intéressant. Pas vraiment mon genre d'electro, mais ça valait la peine d'essayer un album qui semble avoir contribué à rendre le style plus populaire. 6.5/10
This isn't bad. It's a slow, digestible techno. Almost downtempo-breakbeat at times. Plus the techno community seems to rate this highly
Nawet ciekawe. Takie EDM z dawnych czasów do lecenia w tle. Ale raczej bez wyróżniających się kawałków. 3/5
Actually really enjoyed this. Makes me think of the matrix and this sort of grimey 90s sound/ feel.
not big on electronic but this is decent
Loved the first two tracks.
Interesting but too long
I'd probably enjoy this more if I was higher just sayin
3,5
Really enjoyed it. Would be better in the right environment...
Feel like I'm at a 90's rave a few minutes in. This was excellent background music for working today. Don't think I would put it on just to hang and listen to, mostly only if I'm working or in a warehouse on ecstasy. High 3
3 maybe 3.5
Second Toughest In The Infants is a brilliant title for a band that delivers crushing riffs and face melting guitar solos. It's also pretty good for an outfit that crafts nifty electronic music. I am not in a position to declare how remarkable this release is for the genre and its development at the time it was released but I like the vibe. Most of the music has good lift and flow, I'm certain it was a hit in the warehouse.
The title comes from a schoolyard fight ranking, which might be the most concrete thing on the whole album. It’s fine background music—like a rave remembered through half-closed eyes and tube station echoes.
I’m not well versed in techno/house music at all, but it’s nice to vibe and zone out to
Stemming, stuð, fílidda.
Not my style- makes me think of "trendy" hotel lobbies. Rhythms are good, but just can't get into it.
Sure. Why not put this album on the list? Surely there aren't any other albums that deserve to be on this list more (there are). Whatever, at least this album is okay. I was really worried that this would be another Haunted Dancehall situation. I mean, these are both mid-1990s British techno albums that last over 70 minutes each. Can you blame me for thinking this would be garbage? Fortunately, even before listening to Second Toughest in the Infants (what?) I saw that the wikipedia article was longer, so clearly this album is more deserving of being on the list. Fortunately, this album's actually not garbage. It's far from my favorite album, but I don't hate it. The sound is actually good. It's not the most interesting, but it's not bad either. There are definitely other albums that do this sound better though (Violater, my beloved). The singing is alright. The sound variety is decent. The writing is certainly unique. My biggest problem, of course, is how long this thing is. Did it really need to be 73 minutes long? I don't think so. Still, this is solid background music. If you ever have some work to do for 73 minutes, maybe put this on in the background. You might like it more than I did. Low 3/5.
With the first track, Juanita,I can totally imagine a sea of bouncing humans vibing to this techno feast and then everything gets turned on its head with the second track, Banstyle, so cool and easy. Quite the eclectic mix of sounds although I found the repetitive nature of the rhythms tiresome after the first few minutes.
This one came up for me when I was doing the solo challenge; rated it a 4. I didn’t enjoy it as much this time, but I’m sure it’s because I wasn’t in the right context, listening while on a business trip. Clearly, I’d enjoy it more in a Vegas nightclub with some mixture of pharmaceuticals and booze in me.
This album is a vibe. Songs are way too long though.
Another techno album! Again nice, not actively my thing but I didn’t hate it. Honestly could put this on in the background while I work or workout and enjoy it enough.
I have a hard time listening to electronic albums like this critically, because they are fatiguing to listen to in normal settings. That being said, can tell there’s a lot here (literally and figuratively) - and I really enjoyed the more low key tracks. Overall, my takeaway is that it’s good electronic, but a bit long and not for every day listening.
Seemed like a standard 90s electronic album. Pretty good but nothing made me want to go back to it.
Nice sound
4 hours and 48 minutes!? My god. I actually like creating this kind of stuff, but do people go listen to this in clubs? Surely there is another element needed.
House progresivo. Ni fu ni fa.
It's alright. It's quite nice and chill and lo-fi.
I liked this and I’m not even fully sure why. While it was a little too long for my taste, I did like the production. It’s almost as if it takes the listener to a place you’ve never been before while simultaneously asking the question: did you ever leave in the first place?
I’m not the biggest fan of electronic music, but I think this is enjoyable in the right setting. A bit long for my taste (both the songs and album) but overall an above average album. 2.75/5
3.5 if I could. Solid but two snoozers
Better than Daft Punk
brits and their 16 minutes electronic tracks
3.7 - A surprising range of moods here — it’s got hard rave beats, a couple lounge-y background fillers and darker and more introspective explorations. I much prefer the harder beats that remind me of their one song on the “Trainspotting”, which is an absolute banger.
Regular album, a few great standpoints.
Listened to this in the background at work. Thought it was alright but maybe that's because I wasn't really paying close attention, so the repetitive nature and long running time didn't grate so much. Sounds like it was probably quite influential on some electronic stuff I enjoy like Daft Punk and Four Tet
Pounding
3.0
electronica. possibly just filler. mostly innocuous.
J’ai aucun souvenir concret de l’album, mais je me souviens que j’ai pas haïs ça, messemble
Lite långtråkigt men coolt sound
When this first came on, I thought it was kind of dumb. But then I started to enjoy it. Although it's not something I'd listen to on my own, this was pretty good for what it is.
Underworld produce some wonderful moments of musical brilliance. They are often fleeting but glorious, hidden inside gorroves, beats and bleeps. This an album of the grooves, but not so much of the glorious stuff. Lots to like, but not much to adore.
A strong 3. I like the electronic instrumentals
Just an average electronic music album. Nothing exceptional, but also not that bad, interesting songs for a chilled party. But not really noteworthy otherwise.
I could see myself enjoying this as background music while i work.
Cool experimental techno album. Classic 90s techno sound. Good concentration music.
Pretty much the definition of okay. Some highs and some lows, mostly the lows were the droning vocals that annoyingly distract from the instrumentals.
Pretty decent, and good background music.
Some cool sounding bits, but ultimately feels like background music if you aren't dancing. Maybe a good fit for playing while doing a Cyberpunk RPG.
Electronic, techno, progressive, house,break, beat, ambient, down, tempo, experimental.
Better than expected but the vocals on Stagger are horribly flat. Reminds me of a middle schooler recording their own singing voice for the first time and singing about the random objects they see with an artsy flair.
enjoyable but repetitive
Perfectly fine. Nice electronic background sounds. The tracks are almost all too long. "Stagger" is nice.
Early British electronic band. Paved the way for a lot of today’s EMI bands. Good sound.
Aluksi liian hektistä, mutta sitten muuttui jotenkin tasapainoisemmaksi. Kiva kuunnella taas muuta kun vanhaa rokkia. 3/5
Ihan cool levy ja hyvää keskittymismusaa. 3.5/5
I am not going to listen to 4.75 hours of electronica. I had high hopes that this would turn me into an electronica fan. That did not happen. This was fine to have in the background while driving. My six year old said it sounded like a guy running and every time there was a cymbal, the guy jumped. I felt like I was playing a video game. Which isn't bad. But I'm not signing up for 4.75 hours. No.
Over 30 minutes in the first two tracks makes me think maybe we don't need any more tracks. But then I remember this is just ambience for 90s Vampire Sex Raves™, which is totally my jam.
Reminds me of Tangerine Dream. Basically, Electronica for movie sound tracks.
Fine as a "Beats to study to" album, and can appreciate the experimental stuff they do, but overall not super interesting
Man, those longer tracks hit hard. The ambiance, the progressions - it just works. I’m more reluctant when it comes to some of the shorter tracks, where Underworld don’t get around to fully immerse the listener in their world building. When this works, it really works though.
Better than expected 3 Gets stale though
i do not have the stamina for a 90s style rave but if i did i’d want this album to be playing
This is one of a few albums that required me to listen twice before I felt confident giving it a rating. I appreciate it more on a second listen now that I'm settling in to the vibe. The listening mode is more Boards of Canada than Kraftwerk. I'm listening as if it's a live DJ set and not an album as a collection of pop tunes. That approach gives a look into a time and place and a scene. Second Toughest In The Infants is not timeless but a touchstone to its era of electronic music.
Junita/Kiteless/To Dream of Love - 8/10 Banstyle/Sappys Curry - 7.5/10 Confusion the Waitress - 7.5/10 Rowla - 7/10 Pearl's Girl - 8.5/10 Air Towel - 8/10 Blueski - 7.5/10 Stagger - 7.5/10 TOTAL - 61.5/80
Genre: Electronic techno progressive house break beat ambient downtempo experimental 1996 Definitely just some decent background music. 3.5
Shine through the grime
Second electronica album in three days...other than the standout track Banstyle/Sappy's Curry, it was good, not great. Liked them better than Orbital ( my previous electronica album artist) but ill say what i said in my other review: Kraftwerk did it 10x better.
Highs and lows.
schon vibey, aber viel zu lang
Bij dit soort elektronische albums merk ik altijd een beetje tegenzin om het aan te zetten, zeker als je ziet dat dit album een uur en een kwartier duurt. De goeie albums slokken je echter toch een beetje op en vallen dan qua gevoelslengte meestal wel mee. Dit album wist me uiteindelijk nooit echt te grijpen en al met al was het toch een lange zit. Zeker niet slecht, maar nooit wauw. (Born Slippy staat niet op de originele versie van dit album)
More electronic dance music. It seemed to be more varied than some of the other stuff that I have listened to on the list. Drum tracks varied. Synths varied. Some songs seemed awfully long. Blueski was different (which is why I looked to see what the name is) and short. It was okay. Extra credit for variety.
Not bad, but long and not that great.....
Cool album but the songs are too long and repetitive. A year later Prodigy released their album and I can hear the influence. Could easily be released today and be successful. Interesting mix of different electronic music styles.
Not a bad electronica album. Listened only once though as I didn't really find it engaging.
Good, but not really my kind of music.
Vox on Air Towel kind of sound like Ben Shemie too long
Video game soundtrack music from one of those channels on GTA 1. It’s fine.
Got it on the wrong day. At the right time is a brilliant slab of deep dance classics with a few more layers than the usual dance / electro fare
Fine. Not bad. I imagine it sounded a lot more groundbreaking and interesting back when it was originally released.
Another album not really for me, at least there was a little more to this dance/house album than a repetitive beat and a handful of lyrics.
I’ve done the math. We’re on track for 71.5 electronica albums, 0 country, and 0 blues. When I complained to Mark about another electronica album, he agreed, but mentioned this one had more substance. I wanted to give this a 2 so hard, but he’s right. This deserves at least a 3.
I liked, or rather, didn't object, to some of it.
Bom. A batida é bem gostosa de ouvir e as partes com vozes entram para não deixar o álbum muito monótono.
Electro. Yes, I like it it's very fine, 3,5 stars? 4 maybe too much. Also really like the last volcal son "Stagger" with its imperfections and all..
Bass-thumping techno alongside more textured, atmospheric electronica. All of it is impressive and well-produced, though I gravitate towards the less clubby songs. “Banstyle / Sappy’s Curry” is resonating with me. The music sounds like it’s submerged underwater. There’s some blips and bloops but also some organic-sounding instrumentation as well as guitars.
A little bird told me that when you download cracked music software, it usually contains re-coded installers and things like keygenerators. When you open these little installers and cracked files, they often play music on them automatically and this is exactly the sort of music they play. I've always wondered what that genre would be called because it is pretty unique and this is the first time I've heard a professional band have an albums worth of this style. Wonderfully minimalist yet still exciting and overall to me it's giving (lol) "effervescent". I was really happy to hear vocals in the second song after the long 16 minute album opener. I dug this! Nice 3/5.
"Second Toughest in the Infants" by Underworld is a testament to the band's mastery of electronic music, even though it might not fully resonate with all listeners. Released in 1996, it's a blend of techno, trance, and ambient elements that showcases the band's innovation. Tracks like "Pearl's Girl" and "Rowla" capture the pulsating energy and intricate soundscapes that define the album. The production is polished and immersive, creating a sonic journey. However, the album's immersive style could also be a drawback for some, occasionally making it feel like a background experience rather than a captivating one. While the album's uniqueness and innovation are commendable, "Second Toughest in the Infants" might not fully capture the attention of those seeking more dynamic and varied electronic offerings.
Definitely would need to be in the right headspace for an album like this cuz I actually like the instrumentals and there’s a lot of cool shit going on but the tracks are just so long and it’s not necessarily my style. The tone of the piano is dope and very jazzy sounding and I like some of the guitar riffs like the multi guitar part on Blueski. Was ready to give this place one a shitty rating after the first two but the last couple grew on me
Didn’t care for this at first, but after a second listen, through earphones, I'm gonna bump it up an extra star. There's nothing as memorable as Born Slippy (the only non-Olympic Games affiliated Underworld track I knew previously), but Pearl's Girl does a reasonable job of matching its pounding, disorientating beats, albeit without the euphoric release. The more rave-y tracks have enough punch to keep my feet tapping and the chilled cuts like Blueski are also pretty hypnotic in their own way.
Maybe I was in the mood for this. Enjoyed it and didn't expect to enjoy it.
I've never heard of Underworld before and all of the music on Second Toughest In The Infants was new to me. I am less knowledgeable with whatever the genre of music this is. Is this just "electronic"?, ¿"house music"?, ¿did someone say anything about "drum and base"? I don't know. For most of the album, the music settled in as a comfortable experience. "Rowla" was the only track that pulled me out of the listening experience, with extended repetition that tried my patience. In contrast, "Air Towel" got me participating with the music as I got caught up in the sounds and beat. I'm not sure I would recognize music from Underworld if I heard something else from the band. I may never re-visit, but Second Toughest In The Infants was okay.
I tend to find this kind of music really grating (when the beats are a bit too strong and there's less complexity in the layering) or that it completely washes over me. This is closer to washing over me - I couldn't listen to it without doing something else at the same time, there's not enough energy and it's all a bit elongated. That said, there are some interesting bits, I particularly liked the end bit of the second track (both of the first two are over 15 minutes long). There are definitely a lot worse albums of this kind of music, but it's not blowing me away. Another 3.
meh
Boring
Dance music with aspirations of greatness - an attempt to be bold and meaningful which ultimately flops.
Pretty cool electronic-type album, lots of long tracks. Never heard of this group or artist but they've got a pretty good sound going here. Undeniably '90s. Favorite tracks: Air Towel, Juanita, Blueski. Album art: Not much of anything, is it? A splotch or splatter or whatever the hell word you wanna use. 3/5
Shrug emoji
3/5. I want to say I love most of this album but it feels a little too long. If the album was just the first 5 songs it would be perfect. The extra filler keeps me waiting until the album is over. But otherwise it was one of the more enjoyable heavy dance records I’ve listened to.
I expected to dismiss this as repetetive and derivative and whilst it's not the most original album it's hypnotic and very well put together. I like it.
meh, a bit too techno for me
This was enjoyable, but felt very repetitive.
I don't know, maybe...
The electronic/club music scene from the 90s is something I am aware of but haven't any real experience with. Listening to this isn't unpleasant. It's very hypnotic in the sense that it's repetitive and the songs are long. Sometimes too long. I don't hate it but there are other long form types of music that I prefer over this. 5/10
Una buena electrónica, me gustaron varios temas. Para recomendar.
Ugh, it's fine I guess.
Chilled out drum n bass vibes. I'm into heavier stuff in general but could definitely chill to this in the sun with a few wines
Interesting, cool, I lost track of time when listening to this walking
Nice blend of genres
It was pretty good, but the first couple of songs were far too long.
I think you hear shades of the 00s EDM boom in this record. However, it definitely sounds a bit more of it's time: very late 90s/early 00s "futuristic" sounding music. Favorite tracks: "Air Towel", "Rowla"
Not terrible but not really my cup of tea
Pretty typical 90's electronica. It was pretty chill for the most part, something I could definitely see as background music or something. A little repetitive for my tastes, but decent overall.
If Underworld don't stray too far from their template, it's a pretty good one. Nothing as irresistible as Born Slippy but some good tunes, topped by the banging Rowla
Not really my kind of thing.why are the songs 16 minutes long.
Best Song: Rowla. Like I'm running through the Matrix. Worst Song: Banstyle / Sappys Curry. The drum beat got really fatiguing after a while. Overall: The first two songs were so overly long that I found I had grown tired of the concept after those first two. It's a bit of a shame, because I think the artist showed some interesting rhythms on their shorter tracks, but are just in desperate need of some self-editing.
Makes me feel like I’m in the movie ‘Run Lola Run’
Not really my kind of thing, but oddly hypnotic after a while. No real stand out tracks, but pleasant enough
Dope beats by Underworld. It's not their best album, but tracks like "Pearls Girl" make a great case for it.
des moments un peu cata mais des passages plutôt jolis parfois
Some bangers without doubt
I liked some of the songs and really liked the fast dnb on "Pearl's Girl". It almost sounded like breakcore. I just didn't care enough about any one of them to actually add any to my liked songs. It could do without the random, meaningless lyrics, in my opinion. Or perhaps they do have meaning, and I'm just too dumb to understand. Either way, I mainly liked the instrumentals, and the vocals/lyrics kind of ruined it for me.
This album worked well as background work music. I found myself just jamming along.
Not bad
When I saw the album had less than 10 songs and over an hour long I thought it was gonna drag with 10 minutes songs. I gave it a chance and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Interesting instrumentals. Good background music.
it wasn’t bad, i just wouldn’t sit down and listen to techno
I think that I was less than thrilled with this album because of the volume of electronica we have already had in the project. I mean, I like electronica, but it was challenging for me to hear what might be so extraordinary for this album.
I listened twice today and both times this flew under my radar for the most part. I didn't hate it but nothing stood out.
It was okay
Immersive :)
Great chore album. I cleaned my fridge out while rocking out