Underworld ‎– Oblivion With Bells

Japanese edition has a bonus track "Loads Of Birds".

At first, you may feel Underworld has finally gone off the mainstream pop deep end. And is that indie rock I hear in Boy, Boy, Boy? Where have the masters of tech-house from Second Toughest gone? You'll be forgiven for thinking such blasphemies. You just need a few more listens...

Oblivion will grow on you. Fans of any previous album will find a familiar style, and something to like, on at least one track here. Fans of all previous albums will be pleased with most tracks: just keep listening.

Crocodile opens with some very typical Underworld. It would have been at home on Beaucoup Fish. Slightly processed vocals and a funky groove. A great start. Beautiful Burnout comes in like the mix between the parts of tracks 1 & 2 on Second Toughest: very smooth. This track is a perfect homage to that album. The beat steams along like the Dark Train mix of Dark & Long. A trippy vocoder accompanies you on your ride. Simple long-sustain synth notes provide substance. Stellar!

Next up, Holding The Moth is housey bouncer that you could easily mistake for Push Upstairs. Early listens may bore you. But wait, at 2:00 a beautiful piano comes in and the track morphs into perhaps the most beautiful track on the album. Superb funky downtempo. Love the final processing of the vocals.

After the brief To Heal interlude we get a Bruce Lee style track called Ring Road. Since I never much liked Bruce Lee, I'll remain neutral on this one. Then we get Glam Bucket, probably the worst track on the album. Not offensive, but very simplistic by today's standards and it doesn't really go anywhere. It's vocal-less but that's not usually a problem for me as virtually all the music I enjoy has no vocals. Take out the repetitive persistent string stabs and it might be better.

Buckle in for the most out-of-genre track Underworld has done since 1990. If anyone else made this indie rock-esque track, I'd skip it and never look back. Come on, a real drummer? However, Underworld's raison d'etre is fusing genres, so let's give it a chance. It's actually quite good by the third listen, once the tunes worm into your cranium. So a hesitant but deserved thumbs up for Boy, Boy, Boy.

After the dark ambient interlude you get a pleasant, mellow Faxed Invitation. Has a Dubnobass minimalism to it. OK, but pales compared to the better tracks. Another slow piano track next. Reminds me of Winjer & Skym from Beaucoup Fish, but better: a very nice way to wind down an album. So you think you'll get another slow track next, or filler...

But you'd be wrong! One of the best Underworld tracks ever awaits in Best Mamgu. Even dyed-in-the-wool 90's Underworld fans will instantly realize they have a new classic track here. The Steve Reich-esque piano riff grooves as good as in Juanita/Kiteless and Dirty Epic, as does the uber-catchy bass. Completely indecipherable strobe-light vocals work wonderfully here: a superb, fresh effect choice! At 3:43 a gorgeous, long-sustain guitar strum starts up a la Tongue from Dubnobass. Floating processed vocals and sparkling ambiance reveal the cathartic final layer after 4:30. Clear vocals pierce through a deconstruction and finale. Best Mamgu Ever indeed!

Bottom line: I'd call this the 3rd best album after Second Toughest and Dubnobass. After the first listen I would have called it the worst. They've struck the perfect balance between the tried and true and the new; a very difficult achievement. So pick it up, and stick with it!

I thought the same on first listen, but now I LOVE this album. Its a real grower. There's also a ton of other stuff they put out during this period - singles, MP3s, remixes, live tracks, mini-albums - all worth checking. Esp. "020202", "Peggy Sussed" and "Play pig"

Underworld live on. And they're evolving. I don't want another Cowgirl or Born Slippy thanks. And "Trim" & "Luetin" from One Hundred Days Off are simply stunning. They speak to those who listen. Keep the faith and remember, its 2009 not 1996 for f*** sake.

What has happened to Underworld?

IMHO it has been a slow decline begining with '100 Days Off' and culminating in the sad state that is 'Oblivion With Bells'. Only 'Crocodile' and at moments 'Beautiful Burnout' shine on this meandering affair that seems more like a watered down and uninspired version of earlier offerings. The punch and frenetic energy of tracks like 'Cowgirl' and 'Rez' or 'Pearls Girl' are replaced with wandering and (dare I say) somewhat boring tracks like 'Boy, Boy, Boy' or the dreadful 'Glam Bucket'.

Darren Emerson left the group in 2000 to pursue his DJing career and it appears he took a big piece of the Underworld mojo with him.