Underworld is far from oblivion

Underworld has a new album out this week. I like it quite a bit.

Rewind for a second back to 1996 when a friend of mine suggested I might like a little record called Second Toughest in the Infants by a relatively unknown group called Underworld.

This was right around when Trainspotting was coming out and, at least abroad, you couldn't escape their single from the movie, Born Slippy.

To this day, Second Toughest in the Infants is one the best albums I own. It blew me away then, and it still does now. It has been a constant companion through the best and worst times.

While much of the the other harder techno stuff I collected back in my European club days now gathers dust at home, Underworld has grown up with me. Their hypnotic play of words and sounds has managed to keep up with me in my post-trance world.

Through the years I have stuck with them.

So it was with some excitement that I downloaded their new release Oblivion with Bells last night. I grabbed my sound-isolating heaphones, turned down the lights, laid back and experienced the album from start to finish.

My first impression after one listen: It's amazing.

The band has clearly mellowed a bit with age. This may not be hardcore dancefloor material anymore, but, then again, neither am I. It a solid evolution for Underworld that doesn't forget where it came from.

I can't wait to hear it again later today.

Here's the video for the lead single, Crocodile: