Reviews (page 5 of 8)
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
Hypnotic and greatly produced but long
Underworld falls prey to a common failing of 90s British electronic albums: good ideas are present, but stretched beyond the point where they seem fresh or interesting. Seek out the rerelease which features Born Slippy. NUXX, their signature song.
Lovely techno beats but I couldn't get into it...
3.4/5 90s electronic music ok for background
Good album but I wish the 16 minute songs were 3-4 separate ones. Clearly this is an electronic group so makes sense as to why the songs are longer, akin to a dj set with each flowing into the next, but as an album I think it's a missed opportunity.
A couple good grooves but too much of real club music for me. Not offensive but not really interesting.
Very wide departure from my typical listening fare, and it's good. It suffers through no fault of its own from my having been in far too many big-city hotel lobbies in the past decade or two from a lot of work travel: the group didn't intend this, of course, but, dang, so much hotel lobby music sounds like this. Setting aside that prejudice as best I can and just listening to this album, it's actually quite good. Curse you, hotel lobbies!
Sucesión de canciones con un cierto carácter mezcla industrial y electrónica. No excesivamente intenso. Se puede escuchar tranquilamente. Pocas voces en el disco
Not bad, some cool vibes and nice long songs to zone out to. I had fun but it didn't blow me away.
Idk how to feel about this one. It's nothing too crazy, and I usually dislike long albums, but this one was kind of different. I wouldn't sit down to listen to this, but I could play it in the background while doing something else and I would enjoy well enough. It also helped me fall asleep lol. Album cover: 2/5 nothing crazy
A good listen, though I have to say I find the intro track to be the most underwhelming one. I did enjoy the album more with passive listening. Great music to concentrate, quite atmospheric.
Freur / Underworld (with or without Darren Emerson) is a great electronic band of course. But why this album and not Dubnobasswithmyheadman? Maybe the latter is on the list too, but once again you get the impression that the composers of the 1001 list lost grip on the list at some point during the nineties.. (go for the big canonic albums from the previous decades, but pick arbitrary albums from later decades) Anyways: played loud on a decent hi-fi set, this album still sounds as great as ever. Really tried to like it at the time. However, it misses the synth-pop influences that its predecessor still had, and when not played very loud, the album becomes a bit boring.
I don't really go in for this dancey electronic house stuff, but I found this tolerable, even enjoyable at times. However, 70+ minutes of it is way too much, count me out.
Mid 90s Techno/House, sokay. I always think this is a boring listen at home, but at a club I'm sure it's a lot more interesting.
I knew Underwolrd primarily from their hit Born Slippy and 8-ball, which I both always liked a lot. Never took a chance to listen to anything else. Although my enjoyment went a bit down further down the album I definitely want to give it another listen later
i was not expecting this to be on the list, as to be honest i'd forgotten it existed which is bad form on my part as i used to have this on CD. i had also forgotten how long it is (giggidy). nowhere near as good as i remember, there are better underworld albums.
I was the first toughest in the infants, because I am Nigel Spackman and I'm fuckin' solid
16 minute songs - behave.
Pretty enjoyable, but not for everyone. I think I saw them at my first Big Day Out. Enough BPM to make you want to cede a fishnet’s stunning tooth.
This is a real late 90s throwback. I'd only heard Born Slippy before, so this was nice to fill out my knowledge a bit. But overall I found it a bit repetitive and slow.
One of the better albums I've listened here that goes for too long. Got a bit tired after Pearl Girl was finished. Great album otherwise.
Mid 90s electronic. I remember them from the Trainspotting soundtrack but never listened to anything else from them. Couple of bangers on there.
Yes
+++
Mumble core underworld with another album with a mixture of good instrumental driven and not so good vocal driven tracks.
Stagger tem umas ideias meio Neo
This is a tough album to rate as much of it is meant to be consumed on the dance floor.
Exactly how I would expect an underworld album to sound. I remember liking Pearl's Girl in my youth but not familiar now.
This reminds me of hanging out at truck stops and buying a bunch of ephedrine in the 90's then going to raves in Austin. Also, about that same time I thought Trainspotting was just about the best movie ever made. Though the music is dated and the tempo slides to the elevated mondo-ephedra side of the scale, there is still some good stuff in this. Though I'm sad to say that too much raving in the 90's has taken a toll and my heart only take this in 20 min. increments.
Who’s the toughest in the infants? Why are we bothering with the second toughest? I bet the toughest kid in infant school didn’t mess things up with over-long albums and annoying vocals that distract from some decent beats.
With this being the only Underworld album, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Born Slippy…the only track I’ve ever known by them. Born Slippy is incredible for 105 seconds. Once the synths go away and it becomes drum and bass dominated, I lose interest. Those 105 seconds were magnificent enough to get me semi-interested in Trainspotting, which is a feat. On to the album at hand: Banstyle / Sappys Curry has a pleasant atmosphere then ends with a flurry of quick, energetic synth runs. Rowla is a howla. Pearl’s Girl is a step back for me while the last three tracks come back around. The relevant conclusion is that I’m a sucker for well crafted synths. I’m very much on the fence and it comes down to the genre. This album is more of a house/trance vibe, and it’s a very good album in that genre, which 20…even 10 years ago, I would have been more into. Today, I can appreciate the quality of this album, but I’m not that into the genre. So I round down.
This was creative, interesting, and unique, but WAY TOO REPETITIVE. It made it feel like each song was 10 minutes long. Worth a listen, not worth a return.
Solid electronica. I find it interesting that most of Underworlds drums/backbeat all sounds the same. 3.5/5
honestly I forgot all of it
Nice progressive house/techno from the nineties. Not sure I have much to say about this, though. The thing is, I can't help feeling the writers of this 1001 albums list are a little misguided when it comes to niche genres or anything outside the realm of mainstream pop/rock. It's not that Underworld was an act unworthy of notice. It's just that, if you take into consideration the IDM scene of the last three decades, stuff from the Warp roster--to take one precise example--is criminally underrepresented by Dimery and the likes. I've seen the whole list of those 1001 albums. Where are the great records by Boards Of Canada, LFO, Aphex Twin or Oneohtrix Point Never? And even if you go beyond the realm of dance music for a broader take on electronica, there's still bands like Broadcast, PVT or Flying Lotus to take into account. And this is just from one label here. In my view, some of the earliest acts I've just quoted are sounding less dated than Underworld, and I'm pretty sure they were far more influent. The problem with forward-looking genres such as techno or house music is that, ironically, they quickly become a thing of the past. It takes a very indiosyncratic vision and a keen sense of originality to escape such a trap. Not everyone can be as prophetic as Kraftwerk, with their layers of self-irony, gracious minimalistic arrangements, and songwriting chops infused here and there. As I said, Underworld was a very decent act. "Pearl's Gate", for example, is a well-crafted drum'n'bass cut. "Blueski" is interesting as an ambient experimental loop. "Stagger", with its pop inclinations, is a nice closer. And in expanded editions, you have the iconic keyboard-riff-meets-boom-boom-extravaganza of "Born Slippy" (of *Trainspotting* fame). But where would I listen to any of these songs now? In a club? Nah, not groovy enough. In a dance music festival or a rave party? Nope, those "steady beats"--as one reviewer named them to describe half of those tracks--sound *way too steady* for both today. And here's the most important question: would you listen to this in your living room? No way for me, and I'm pretty sure that's the same answer for 90% of y'all. I can listen to groundbreaking electronic acts from 808 State to Jlin from an armchair and not feel ridiculous at all. But I'd feel a little daft having my speakers blare Underworld in my living room to be honest. Maybe in 1996 I wouldn't have. But in 2022? On a sidenote: Karl Hyde's daughter is playing in the amazing Black Country New Road these days. It's nice to see that one of the Underworld founders has passed the torch of his passion for music to his offspring, even if said daughter is using such passion for a radically different genre. The British scene has always been a great place for talented musicians, and since the last five years or so, it's been incredibly lively (especially now that we're finally out of that awful "landfill indie" era). But the last edition of *1001 Albums To Listen To Before You Die* was published in 2017 and it direly needs to be updated now, in my humble opinion. If I had a say, I guess I would take out Underworld to make room for the next generation. And I'm pretty sure Karl Hyde himself wouldn't hold too much of a grudge against me considering *some* of my choices. :) [Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 977 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 9 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 6 Albums from the list I will *not* include in mine (as I think many others are more important): 8 (including this one). Albums I might not be able to judge (some might end up on my final list if they're culturally important): 1]
Electro qui sonne pas pore mais 1h20, je me suis pas rendu a la fin. 3*
Buen disco!
good driving techno
Meh
Välillä rytmit veti hyvin mukaan ja sopi hyvin päivän tunnelmaan. Ei ihan huono
Meni mukavasti huomaamatta töitä tehdessä. Pitäis ehkä kuunnella vielä pari kertaa läpi, mut ei sit kuitenkaan ku levyjä rästissä ja ei se nyt niin mieleen kuitenkaan jääny
It was fine
The combination of existential mood and imaginative melodic collage is taken up here. (6/10) FT: Stagger
Rave on
Yeah not bad as far as electronic music goes. 3 🌟
pure edm each song is like 12 min not bad though
Underworld zou er goed aan hebben gedaan hun naam te wijzigen in Background; Perfecte achtergrond muziek om bij te werken.
Heel bezwerend album, waar je wel je aandacht voor moet hebben. Het is dance maar toch ook weer niet. Eerste paar nummers vond ik goed, daarna kakte het wel wat in.
Van een nummer kreeg ik fysieke verschijnselen :). Werd er gestresst van. Verder prima.
There are definitely times that the groove is infectious and you are thumping along with it, though it is strangely disappointing that the vocals are as uninteresting as they are. They seem to hold it back as opposed to elevating it. Overall an enjoyable listen.
Funcionou para ter mais referências de tecno/eletro.
Actually really enjoyed this - and enjoyed the resulting Spotify recommended playlist too!
I feel like this album might have been better if there were no vocals on it at all.
3, it was fine. To be honest I don't remember a thing about it a couple days later though...
I'm sure this album would score at least 1 spot higher if I still had a DJ set up to play it on. Pearl's Girl always sounded great in the clubs, but listening at home alone just doesn't have the same effect. Having said that, it still has me dancing around the place. It's impossible to keep your feet still to some of this.
makes me feel like a cyborg, actually i quite like it (juanita / kiteless / to dream of love)
Decent electronica album, not something i would mind listen to again, nor would it be something i actively searched for.
A grand ride! It really feels like proto-techno (and might be if I looked into the history). It seems purposefully inaccessible, but if given enough listen it sticks. Perfect for studying or gaming. Doesn't move me emotionally at all though.
if this didn't happen for me in 1996 it isn't going to magic itself now
Some nice techno house, not much else to say
The first song inspired me to work out, but the thrill faded fast.
interesting, but didnt feel a lot of cohesion in the album and fell off near the beginning
"Homeless trees gathering Outside your window bootleg babies call to you and lie among the mosquitoes That summers fever coming Cats are gathering outside your window" (Juanita/Kiteless/To dream of love) Fui a mirar cuánto del disco llevaba pensando que sería más o menos la mitad y estaba por la mitad pero de la segunda canción.
I like house music but it's not my favorite to listen to in album form. I like Underworld but I've never listened to a whole album by them. This album was good background music, though I would say it's my favorite :)
It's fine, but I don't remember much about it, here on Monday.
slorgggggh
Honestly all the EDM sounds the same to me. Maybe this is again particularly foundational but to me it probably could have been most anything in the genre.
Some really nice instrumental vibes here. Will return.
Electronic music, eh? Wants to be Moby? it was good, didn't get me excited though.
A few interesting moments but too techno for me.
6/10 FT: Pearl's Girl
This album makes me want to do pills
Not bad grooves but way too long
Don't like that
1996 electronic, it was ok.
Sorry but drum and bass music will always just sound like the Smash Bros Melee menu theme
..
Underworld made a major splash in the music world with Born Slippy, so here is an album that doesn't contain it. If my criticism of electronic music/techno/whatever genre this really is boils down to “repetitive,” “soulless,” and “robotic”, Underworld does not do a whole lot to argue on “Juanita”, with very obviously looped beats and cyborgified, one-note vocals. By the 4 minute mark, there begins to be a bit more movement, which is an improvement, but the drone is still the heart of the beast. This isn't music for thinking, and every “riff” feels as inorganic as the last. There's a different flow when someone is playing a riff live and when someone is looping one, and this is so loop coded that I would actually be surprised if any human could play this with such consistency and lack of interest. But this is a 16 minute track. It makes up more than a full 20% of the album. Do other tracks also fade into the background as easily? Well, it takes a second, because we get another 15 minute song immediately after. It does lean a bit more into a pleasant ambiance, it does have a quirky guitar line in the second movement that feels a little more human. But this is pulse music largely. “confusion the waitress” throbs banal-ly. It layers like someone experimenting with fruityloops. Ooh, that synth hi-hat. “Rowla” just luxuriates in repetitive buzz saw. Every spoken word anywhere on the album makes it worse. Unexpectedly those longer tracks are where a few decent, shorter pieces could have been born, if any electronic club producer knew anything about editing. Now, I don't even hate background music. There's definitely a lot of ambient music that lives and dies by its movement, stuff you could listen to actively but is made to work passively. And honestly, this is probably above the median when it comes to this sort of thing. But it doesn't make a strong argument against this sort of music being the slippery slope that allowed AI to flourish 30 years later. If club music ever has no haters I'm dead. ⭐️⭐️
This was a tough listen. I feel like at times they overindulged in making the music they wanted to make - this is easily reflected in the overall album length and some of the tracks' length. I felt a a lot of filler was on here throughout. Some interesting sounds, but even more sounds that didn't fall well onto my ears.
I enjoyed this much more than I expected. Or, rather, after it had mostly faded into the background, I found myself enjoying Stagger, the last track, and went back in the hope of finding more actual songs to enjoy. There were certainly bits of songs throughout. But not much of a record. 2 ‚Cook Little Pot, Cook!‘ (The Magic Porridge Pot) Suppose you go to a restaurant and the menu dazzles you with a variety of colourful and imaginative garnishes and exotic dressings; this ‚reduction’ and that ‚drizzle‘ - a ‚coulis‘ here and an ‚emulsion‘ there. Then you notice that everything is served on porridge. For all the expense of creativity there is still only one thing on the menu. Underworld will do you a nice wobbly synth riff here, and a distinctive acoustic sample there. There‘ll be inaudible spoken word, and audible spoken word and they’ll even sing a note or two. Surely their variety of hi-hat and ride sounds is second to none? Underneath these probable delights, however, is harmonic and structural stasis - sometimes just one chord for minutes on end. This over even phrases of 4/4 at about 130bpm. For an hour. And thirteen minutes. Who are these unfortunates, like the poverty stricken family in the Brothers Grimm‘s Magic Porridge Pot story, who eat porridge all day long and are thankful? I‘m not knocking porridge, which is very nice. However, I will take the ‚Born Slippy .NUXX‘ and no starter or dessert, thank you. 1.5/5
It's possible I could be more bored.
good lord, not another one of these
Well. those songs were way too long....say repetitive a lot. I'm not sure why a lot of electronic music has the same characteristic of going on and on and on, but I've found that in a lot of the groups that perform electronic music. It is possible that there are groups out there that don't, but this was not one of them. I found this album to be repetitive and boring, but it wasn't really offensive, it just became background noise after a short period of listening to it.
That's what I call mechanical music. A strong rhythm line that goes on forever, with a minimal jingle repeating ad nauseam, some slight variations every now and then, sometimes voice over. Good for repetitive tasks that don't need chatty music but just beats.
Favourite Track(s):
Soundtrack to a rave organized by your dad? Corporate chic? I don’t know what to make of this beyond the fact that I don’t like it much. It’s not objectionable though.
Not my thing - electronic sounds - compelling, but boring. Could play in the background. Enjoyed Banstyle/Sappy's Curry and Blueski the most. 2/5
Second Toughest in the Infants by Underworld only has eight tracks, but somehow it seemed to take me forever to get through this listen today. I went into this fully expecting to hate it, and I absolutely did not. That said, it’s definitely not an easy listen. It’s repetitive, but then a lot of techno is. In small doses, though, this is really good. The music is complex, layered and incredibly well produced, and I can imagine it working perfectly as background music. As a full album, however, it’s just a little too long and started to drag towards the end. I could definitely see myself listening to this again; I just can’t quite work out what situation I’d choose to put it on in. Favourite track: “Pearl’s Girl” is easily the highlight for me. Least favourite track: “Rowla” is the weakest track on the album. Album artwork: Cool album cover.
Not for me on the regular but I’m sure this is good if you’re into house music.
This is good club music (the repetitiveness is good for dancing). It's mostly instrumental with minimal vocals. However, I don't like techno on its own because it just fades into the background and it doesn't keep my interest.
Probably didn’t have the right drugs for this at 7am, so this album (especially the first two tracks) could have been an email. Technically impressive, though.
Es tan repetitivo que te hacen entrar en un estado mental que podría funcionar para trabajar o concentrarse
Not my genre, but it was ok. The album seemed to get better the more I listened.
What is it with these nineties electronic albums and being so ridiculously drawn out to the point that I'm spitefully taking points away from them for it? Born Slippy isn't even on this one, and while it is pretty chill, I feel as if this was a waste of my time.
Mediocre at best. Come on brits!
no es para mi pero lo aprecio como arte
I mean, it really wasn't my vibe today, and it was too long, but there's good sections rather
Too long. Definitely need to be on drugs to get into this
Too much electronica
My knowledge of electronic music is extremely sub-par, but I do enjoy it as background noise when something else has my attention. Because of this, dedicated listening to this album didn't really help. Its enjoyable, but the repetition of beats and sounds are very pronounced. Not my favorite, but I'm not mad at it.
Listened all the way through. Didn't like it. Boring repetition.
This was like the 3rd straight 90s British electronic album I listened to so I feel like the genre lost its luster by this one
Its alright. Not really my bag! Would be great live.
Trash
⭐⭐ Techno. Inte dåligt men för mig funkar det bäst som bakgrundsmusik och inget jag aktivt skulle välja att lyssna på. Det får bli en 2a. Bäst är Junita: Kiteless: to dream of love
A techno rave album from the UK is exactly what I wanted to listen to on 4.5 hours of sleep. It’s 80 minutes long, not very good, and should only be listened to at a rave by people tripping on drugs. I would barely consider it music because no one would listen to this outside that aforementioned context. It’s a low 2/5 because it’s not as bad as that Shamen album, but still pretty bad.
It sounds like an alien trying to communicate in the first one overall it have good potential but feels raw now 3.8/10
Boring
I really wish I could've rated this one higher. The beats on the tracks themselves are generally pretty good, but the repetitive nature of the album was among the worst I've heard so far. I'd enjoy myself for about 2-3 minutes, only to realize I'm not even halfway through the song.
Its fine, but it gets repetitive by the end. And it is indeed, incredibly long.
este si es un album que podria escuchar aunque no sea mi estilo de música (obvio en un ámbito mas de fiesta y bajo efectos jaja)
An interesting mix of high energy, ambient, and jungle techno styles. I'm no expert and I was today years old when I first heard this album, but I'm enjoying myself so far. As it goes on it gets less appealing to me. It started out all "Ooh, techno finally!" and ended with me skipping forward in songs to see if the musical weather had changed (spoiler, it had not changed).
Might be great, but I find it impossible to listen to
Thoughts before listening: Pretty sure this is techno. Review: Yeah...this is techno. The first 2 tracks are 32 minutes of repetitive beats. I'm sure this slaps on a headful of drugs at 2am at a rave, but at 1:30pm at my desk its kinda giving me a headache. I think I give the same review for all techno albums on here, but it remains how I feel. I wasn't into this music in the 90s and 00s when I was the target demographic, and I'm not into it now in my mid-40s. 2-stars
Pas fan de ce genre pour l'instant ou en tout cas pas dans le mood mais à réécouter pour sur.
Just can't relate
Same feeling as yesterday, although I like this one more because of its immersive dimension. It is less blank and I found myself tripping on tracks like Air Towels or Cherrie pie. Still, every track sounds like it could be on a Café del Mar beach bar compilation and I’ll propably never come back to it :)
Uk industrial is not for the faint of heart. I can’t do this. I had to run errands and ran the farthest I have in a while 6 miles yikes man it’s not terrible but it’s definitely not anything that is engaging for over an hour. It’s perfect club music meant to be mixed with other music. Long periods of silence it expects a lot of the listeners. While interesting doesn’t make me excited to revisit or have more. Where is the cool stuff. Does he know? I do like this a lot tho fun and chill
como eu disse na minha review anterior: msuica eletrônica só é boa quando tem influencia disco, ou seja, odiei esse album aqui. chatão.
It's......bad? But also very of its time and kinda good?
Punishingly long, the slog just grinds out any good I found to be honest. Why is everything so long, its not hitting some great build to something at the 8 minute mark, I could just repeat a 2 minute version 6 times and get the same song if I HAD to listen to it longer.
Not really for me..
Buena música para salir corriendo y escuchar otra cosa. Bien grabado.
It’s cool and moody, but I don’t think it’s something I’ll revisit much.
There were parts I genuinely liked but then they just dragged on and on and on.
2 / 5 Best: Banstyle / Sappys Curry Worst: Blueski Weirdest: Pearl's Girl Honorable Mentions: N/A Good music for hacking databases and saying "I'm in" after 30 seconds of typing. Maybe new and refreshing for electronic music at the time, but the lyrics are strange and it's a bit boring and repetitive.
#25 Repetetive and drawn out techno album. There are some good parts and sounds, but it is best used as background music.
Some of the better electronic music I've listened to. There's some really good beats. But sometimes it hangs out on the most annoying sounds known to man for minutes at a time and I have to skip to the next song. Was almost good to listen to.
Fave track: Pearl's Girl Born Slippy vibes
Interesting. Cool vibe don’t know if I would play it again
Never listened to Underworld before not gonna change after that
C'est long! J'ai pas écouté jusqu'au bout, pas trop mon délire et trop répétitif
Triple platinum at Dimery Laser Tag
I don’t want to listen to club/rave music when I’m not at a club or dance scene. These folks sound competent at what they do, but it’s just hard to consider this kind of album in the context of albums of songs and other music designed for critical listening. A 2.
i wish i could've liked this more but it was such a chore to get thru even as background music :/
I think that for any genre, albums of this length can get incredibly tedious if the tracks are also quite long. 'Dangerous' by Michael Jackson, for example, is of a similar length, but has many more tracks, which means variety and variation. With an album, especially one of this genre, having longer songs can become repetitive with no interesting features throughout. I can appreciate the sound they were going for in this, with the first track being quite enjoyable for me, but as enjoyable as it was, it started to become boring after around 5 minutes. The instrumental parts themselves were really nice to listen to in bits, and I suppose that the introduction of some vocals added some slight interest. Looking from another perspective, I can see why people would enjoy this, but I think it just isn't really for me. Favourite lyric: 'Your thin paper wings, in the wind, dangling.' ('Juanita: Kiteless: To Dream Of Love') Standouts: Juanita: Kiteless: To Dream Of Love Stagger Banstyle / Sappys Curry
Relatively tasteful for what it is, doesn't make me want to rip my ears off, but does nothing for me otherwise.
Dissappointing
No idea? Could be really fun, could be a horror show - some days I am there for the roulette, some days it makes me nervous, honestly. Feeling a little fragile today… so we’ll have to see… Um… why is this here? I mean I do like a dj compilation here and there, I like background tacks… in the background. Why is this album being given to me as a foreground listen? I wanted to give it a 3 for some interesting moments, but I am not feeling it today. 2 Boolean: no. Hell no. I did not need to hear this before my death. Maybe if I went back in time I could hear bits at a club while I was out with my “mates” but otherwise, no. NO
Way too long for being this repetitive.
I just don't get it. Like it's kind of cool if I was high as a kite dancing my tits off. But I'm high as a worm and my tits are very much attached.
It was moderately interesting, but nothing I will return to. Occasionally interesting, otherwise repetitive. I'm not sure how dancy it is... I don't have the experience to know how I might feel hearing this in its intended environment.
No me gustó, pero le voy a poner 2 estrellas porque me vino bien que sea tranqui y con poca letra para poder estudiar con el disco de fondo.
Atmospheric Techno. This was good for the a session at the gym but that’s about it.
Pretty long, repetitive and overstayed it's welcome.
2/5
Relentless sameness. If I were dancing at a club, this would be my expectation. What a slog.
ill give it 2 only if I never hear you again
I think that if it takes you until 3 minutes and 40 seconds into your opening track before you add a second musical note to either the instrumental or vocal tracks then you're moving at the wrong pace. Like, what are we doing here. Why did this album have to be 73 minutes long. I don't know actually I didn't mind having it just as background/ambient while I was working today—it wasn't, like, outright unpleasant or anything—but I am just never going to put this kind of thing on to pay attention to/feel inspired by
Did I hate this? yes
For me, having 2 15+ minute songs to start off an album is an abomination, especially when the music is of as low quality and taste as this. I also found it difficult to discern whether the banging and other distasteful noises were coming from the builders next door or this album.
"Great background music" is not the high praise that some people seem to think it is, and in this case I don't even believe it is accurate. This really isn't my kind of music. Aggravatingly repetitive, it either distracts me in the worst way possible, or I completely tune it out, so what is the point? There were some good bits towards the end of the second track, but by that point you are well over 20 minutes into the album. It's a waste of time. Blueski and Stagger have something interesting going on but again, it's not worth the time it took to get there. A generous two stars, because it only annoyed me rather than actually making me angry.
I like the break beats and the ambience, then the vocals ruin it.
I listened to this on the way home from Sunn O))) and it was way better than Mariah Carey’s bullshit.
„…nobody listens to techno.“ -Eminem
I wanted to like this but there's something fundamentally boring about the entire album that I can't quite place. Even the parts that made me move a bit felt hollow somehow.
4.5/10
4/10… electronica / 90s edm / *1996
Not my scene. Good for movie dance club fight scenes. Top track: "Juanita : Kiteless : To Dream of Love"
Not for me.
123. fine for background music
Nåede ikke helt igennem - En 16 minutters dronene åbner som ikke fanger mig.. Efterfulgt af en 15 minutters lang slasker som peaker det første minut. - Albummet kommer aldrig rigtig videre fra sin uendelige opbygning.
Eh not my favourite. Some cool sounds probably not heard a lot back in 95 but today it doesn't feel as revolutionary
Pearl's Girl
Techno just ain't really my thing. It had its moments, but 15 minute songs shouldn't be this repetitive.
NFM
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.
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
Tasapaksua, jännää, ehkä vähän hermostuttavaa ja kiihdyttävää. Outoa mut ei paskaakaan. Jostain laulusta tulee mieleen Jim Morrison ja musasta Lunatic Soul. Hassu kombo.
Background music for clubs.
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.
I didn't hate this, and it was fine to listen to during a workout. But it wasn't really interesting
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.
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
Next time I’m on a catheter of drugs at a European club I’ll try this one again
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
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...
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.
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.
Background music to a 90s rave in a bikers' HQ.
The first song was garbage, but at least they set the bar low so I could enjoy the other bad songs a little more
non è il mio genere, però solo perchè hanno fatto born slippy si meritano un 2
Non ho sentito quasi niente ma non mi aveva colpita
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.
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
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
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
To be honest, the album got a bit boring. No goor listening if you’re not in a club setting
I dont dance and I dont do party drugs. There's nothing for me here.
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
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!
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.
nope.
not for me
2.
Mostly instrumental/ some light vocal, super long tracks, last track ok
Rytme og driv, men aldri interessant.
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.
It’s ok.. 2.5