Underworld
Oblivion With Bells
Underworld were always the coolest of the '90s triumvirate of dance music for indie people (see also: Chemical Bros, Prodigy), as their tunes actually sounded better in clubs and they only made records when they needed to. So their first in five years feels like an event, even if relevance has long since departed. 'Oblivion With Bells' is less the comedown than the sound of the party still going 10 years on, dancers so monged that they're still flailing about, and comes as further proof that the limbs-aloft euphoria departed with Darren Emerson. Lead single 'Crocodile' does the low-slung techno thing they patented, and Karl Hyde's vocals make the woozy melancholy of 'Boy Boy Boy' and the artsy 'Ring Road' the most impressive tracks here. Instead of "lager, lager", it seems they want some good red wine and a pile of ketamine, and are none the worse for it.
Daniel Martin