Strawberry Hotel - critics' reviews

[TheBang]

First critic review I've seen, in the Dec. issue of Classic Pop magazine.

WARNING: includes spoilers

[dubman]

That was... not what I was expecting to read. Chaos? Rampaging? Brutal? Head-melting?? Alright, yeah, let's. haha.

[potatobroth]

so a few of the final tracks are akin to Denver Luna a capella?

[evwhitton16]

Well given what it says, I think it'll be Denver Luna (Acapella), Oh Thorn! and Stick Man Test as the short interstitial tracks, because Iron Bones has a separate additional writing credit and is a bit long to be an interlude type track. It is a bit weird to put 3 reprise type things (if that is what's happening) at the end, then again, I'm sure there's a reason re "Please don't shuffle." It's probably the album I've looked forward to most all year, so I'm very excited to hear it all. Some of these other track descriptions are very cool sounding

[34958hq439-qjw9v5jq298v5j]

right and Gene Pool is obviously its own thing, we've heard it live and it rules. maybe that section was just clumsily worded.

[TheBang]

Uncut Magazine, Dec. 2024 issue.
9/10, a lot more detail about some of the tracks (SPOILERS)

[taotsu]

That was very interesting. Looking forward to see how the bonus track factors in.

[TheBang]

Mojo magazine, Dec. 2024 issue:

[TheBang]

musicOMH (4.5/5)
https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/underworld-strawberry-hotel

It makes sense, for Strawberry Hotel has a very satisfying ebb and flow, its variety of musical styles greater than any Underworld album up to this point. [. . .] Little has changed with the Underworld formula in recent years, the euphoric chord shifts and slowly oscillating, atmospheric chords still working their magic. denver luna is a beauty, its central breakdown like a superimposed chant from the back of a church. Techno Shinkansen channels 1999’s King Of Snake, with a typically airy synth riff to work its magic, while Hilo Sky is a younger cousin of Always Loved A Film.

[TheBang]

The Observer - 4/5
Underworld: Strawberry Hotel review – sweet bangers and sad laments (https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/oct/25/underworld-strawberry-hotel-review-sweet-bangers-and-sad-laments)

theartsdesk.com - 4/5
"Contagiously joyous rollercoaster from Smith and Hyde"
https://theartsdesk.com/new-music/album-underworld-strawberry-hotel

Sputnik Music - 3.7/5
"Sonic exploration resumes."
https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/89152/Underworld-Strawberry-Hotel/

[TheBang]

AllMusic - 3.5/5
https://www.allmusic.com/album/strawberry-hotel-mw0004354591#review
"Strawberry Hotel returns to the ebb-and-flow sequencing of their proper albums, balancing introspective tone poems with progressive club-stormers."

The Quietus
https://thequietus.com/quietus-reviews/underworld-strawberry-hotel-review/
"If 2016’s Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future was a shift towards a warmer sound, then in 2024 we can count ourselves lucky to be enjoying a vintage and masterful Underworld. Here they present us with the full gamut, from the cinematic to the euphoric, with the situations going from the eccentric and daft to the enjoyably baffling."

[TheBang]

A couple reviews from Down Under:

https://www.bernardzuel.net/post/underworld-strawberry-hotel-review
https://justmight.com.au/2024/10/album-review-strawberry-hotel-by-underworld/

[TheBang]

Record Collector, Dec. 2024 issue - 4/5

[TheBang]

Maxazine - 6/10
https://maxazine.com/2024/11/01/underworld-strawberry-hotel/
"While the album might gain some ground with multiple listens, it lacks the urgency and innovative spirit that define Underworld’s best work. For fans of the genre, there is enough to enjoy, but those looking for the groundbreaking electronic music that earned the group its reputation may be better off revisiting their earlier work."

Stereoboard.com - 4/5
https://www.stereoboard.com/content/view/245643/9
"‘Strawberry Hotel’ is a welcome return for one of the UK’s most iconic dance acts, showing how they have grown as the years have passed. This is another accomplished LP that will rank among their best, packed full of experiments and sense of effortlessness."

[purlieu]

A review saying it lacks innovative spirit, followed by one saying it's packed full of experiments. Nothing sums up the silliness of music reviews better than that post!

[TheBang]

Still Listening - 67/100
https://www.stilllisteningmagazine.com/reviews/underworld-strawberry-hotel-review
"As it turns out, Strawberry Hotel has some stretches that are as good as anything Underworld have ever done; and more than a few moments that feel like bizarre choices for an album. "

The Wonky Angle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK_TkVB_gpU

[potatobroth]

Still Listening - 67/100
https://www.stilllisteningmagazine.com/reviews/underworld-strawberry-hotel-review

"Disc two opens with King of Haarlem, a track that doesn?t really go anywhere and Hyde?s nonsense vocals just sound irritating."

Its Boy Boy Boy bad for me.

RE: Ottavia... "the inscrutable lyrical content bears no relation to the rest of the album. Given her fantastic contribution to Lewis in Pomona, her talents seemed wasted on this track."

wait, that wailing/bad-orgasm-trill is Esme? No way. If it is, Rick manipulated the vocals WAY too much. Sounds so off to me.

[TheBang]

wait, that wailing/bad-orgasm-trill is Esme? No way. If it is, Rick manipulated the vocals WAY too much. Sounds so off to me.
Esme has backing/harmonizing vocals on Lewis in Pomona. "Follow the light..." etc. I don't think the wailing is her, but I'm really curious as to who it is.

[TheBang]

Beats Per Minute - 73%
https://beatsperminute.com/album-review-underworld-strawberry-hotel/
"As always with Underworld, time becomes a stream that whirls the present into the past. It’s not as precise as Beaucoup Fish and often feels like a kaleidoscope more than a cohesive statement. The two divergent halves of the album never intermingle and propose two very opposite visions for what Underworld aim to achieve, yet there’s not really a single bad track here. Still, the tension remains, and can never quite dissolve."