Strawberry Hotel

by Underworld

This is one of my favourite Underworld albums, and I've heard everything they've released to the general public.

For me, Underworld pull off a more dancey version of what Jon Hopkins has recently done with his last two albums, where he hypnotises the listener and makes them go deeply into themselves.

Underworld are able to build on their near-four-decade-long history and yet collaborate with young musicians and create this, an album that dips in and out of tempi, atmospheres, and are able to come up with an astounding album.

My initial feeling, after having listened to the album once, was one of wonder but not amazement. It could be that I'm still in the throes of hyperbole, but subsequent listens to this album have every single time revealed more wonders. This is an album that breathes and carries different rhythms without showing signs that its makers have tried too hard or tried to carry off many ideas at once.

The playfulness that's inherent in everything that Hyde/Smith do, as Underworld, is heightened on this album, even more so than in their last studio albums, the game series of albums, and soundtracks. The day before this album was released, Underworld shared a pre-release link to people on their mailing list and simply asked us not to shuffle songs on the album. The imperative makes sense: the album really is made to listen to as a whole. I've heard the singles and versions of those that have been released, but the album provides a more valuable and wondrous experience than by listening to the tracks in isolation.

This is a very lovely album, danceable, thoughtworthy, one where singers come out, where the human voice is (as nearly always with Underworld) used in exciting and new ways for the band, and actually across musical genres; Underworld have now created a fresh and new album, one that shows that they're still one of the greatest electronic-music bands in the world. They're definitely bigger than the sum of their singles, and this album is an absolute journey.