Down to the duo of Karl Hyde and Rick Smith (alas Darren Emerson), Underworld's fourth album is more relaxed and their approach is restrained, rather than full speed ahead.
But trademark Underworld features haven't been entirely buried. The thundering beats, subdued vocals of indecipherable lyrics, and power packed riffs are all still there, but they've mellowed and everything is a bit softer around the edges. It's like a warm, hazy reflection.
As expected, the cryptic kicks in right from the start. The beats jack and the bass rolls as Karl warbles in his lazy, out-of-it fashion "I dreamed that I'm chemical, I'd become chemical" on 'Mo Move'. It may be a bit obvious, but this trippy sort of nonsense fuelled Underworld's success in the early Nineties and the appeal is still there ready to inspire the next chemical generation.
Much of the album covers familiar Underworld territory, then spikes it with a new twist. 'Little Speaker' builds on a jazzy rhythm and flows into a breakdown of spangly arpeggios. 'Dinosaur Adventure 3D' kicks with their trademark techy groove, the muted vocal comes in, and it's almost as if time has stood still.
Then, there are the occasional forays into other territories. Washes of chilled, slightly abstract grooves provide calm interludes.
Tracks like 'Ballet Lane' and 'Ess Gee' leave the lyrics behind, and focus on downtempo electronics, wrapping it all up in soft fuzziness.
'Sola Sistim' pairs a funky sub-bass with muted melancholy lyrics. The view may be from a different angle, but the world is still seen through Underworld's slightly warped glasses.
It's not all hazy bliss though. 'Twist' fails to take off, even when the percussion kicks in, leaving it sounding somewhat unfinished. Things really go into weird overdrive on 'Trim'. Just try to decipher the lyrical laughs surrounding the drab electro-folk (yes, folk, not funk). "Barbecue chicken oil in a drum, double strong rum" and "Hey classic coca-cola" are pure Hyde material, but even that can't rescue the track from dreariness.
The high points of the album are classic Underworld. What's amazing is that their music still inspires and still blows it all away on the dancefloor. Their sound simply hasn't dated. Underworld have proved that, however they reinvent their style, the music still stands the test of time.
