Oblivion With Bells

Performer: Underworld
Distributor: RED Distribution

Notes: In the faceless, club-driven, one-track world of techno, Underworld is one of the few groups to have achieved name recognition and serious album sales. The peak of their success came in the 1990s with their acclaimed release DUBNOBASSWITHMYHEADMAN, and the appearance of the single "Born Slippy" on the TRAINSPOTTING soundtrack. Underworld's driving, trippy acid house techno was emblematic of the rave culture and sensibility, and the band continued in this stylistic vein through the '90s and into the 2000s. OBLIVION WITH BELLS (2007) traverses the same territory. Reflexively, one might criticize Underworld's lack of musical evolution, but the sounds here are as hypnotic as ever, mixing metronomic precision with elements of electro, industrial, tribal, hip-hop, and classic new wave influences. Karl Hyde steadies the swirling brew with his deadpan, often processed recitations, giving the whole the feel of a feverish, pulsing dream in which someone is trying to communicate from the beyond. The resonant opener, "Crocodile," and rhythmically explosive "Beautiful Burnout" are cases in point. While not a crucial release, it is sure to please devotees of the genre.

Spin (p.126) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[With] beats that loop below cooing guitar and/or keyboards, or are submerged into the muted synth-pulse." Uncut (p.129) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Hyde sounds like the missing link between JG Ballard and Mike Skinner. This is a finely polished album..." Alternative Press (p.176) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[This album] showcases a more refined approach....They're more preoccupied with moving listeners to sob with melancholy mood pieces and heart-tugging melodies."

Underworld rose from the semi-successful '80s synth-pop outfit known as Freur to become one of the great innovators in electronica. While the group's sound can easily be whittled down to its core elements--trance, dub, ambient, and a certain punkish fervor--the sum of Underworld's parts adds up to something more. Underworld's X factor may be Karl Hyde's vocals. With his half-spoken, half-shouted incantations, Hyde sings like a twisted gospel ranter gone mad in the DJ booth.

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