I got exposed to U.K. digital wonderboychiks Underworld via a recent Uncut® Magazine free CD where they featured a track from the band’s 1990s heyday. It sounded okay and when this sparkling new “U-World” disc hit the review “do-you-wanna?” list I jumped at the chance to hear a full release from this talented duo. Karl Hyde and Rick Smith connected with a bevy of producers to create this, only their sixth album in their thirty-year existence. And at first listen it sounds pretty much like a techno album should. Most every track strikes a groove early on and fans of the genre will respect the urgent boom-thuwap as being as authentic as it gets. The trouble is, techno is an extremely limited style and if you don’t have a dance club and a wigful of ecstasy outside your back door then the tunes here do definitely become a little boring. There are a couple of tracks (song names are irrelevant for this music, really) that edge into a beatcentric, Pink Floyd-y vibe but so many as that one would notice the advance or even pay extra attention to what comes after them. Search this out if you were ever a fan. If not, swerve to the left and move on. (Cooking Vinyl, www.underworldlive.com) Jeff Monk
Winnipeg music & culture since 1989