Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
Underworld
A Hundred Days Off
(Junior Boys Own/V2)
Sometimes a single track will justify an uneven album. This hypnotic collection by the trio-turned-duo, Karl Hyde and Rick Smith (with the departure of longtime deejay Darren Emerson), has two such gems. The wonderful “Two Months Off” features Hyde’s languid vocals, mesmerizing percussion and big techno beats.
The surreal “Sola Sistim” really does transport you to another time and place with its ambient, lethargic sound. Although acoustic instruments such as piano and guitar give the other tracks a sophisticated jazzy quality, the rest of the album doesn’t enthrall quite like these two — but they’re enough.