As if they didn't have to prove they're still viable as a commercial and artistic outfit,
Underworld's
Rick Smith and
Karl Hyde faced an additional challenge for
A Hundred Days Off -- prove to the dance cognoscenti they could withstand the loss of
Darren Emerson, the producer who kick-started the band when he joined in 1992. Unfortunately, the results prove only that
Emerson most likely did contribute a certain something, now lacking, to the three LPs he graced.
Underworld's trademarked sound, however, is mostly a creation of
Smith and
Hyde, and present from the opener,
"Mo Move," wherein a dizzying cycle of gurgling bass, crepe paper percussion, and sequencers set off
Hyde's lonely, adrift vocals. The album also reaches an early peak on
"Two Months Off," with a repeated synthesizer riff playing off a brilliant succession of harmonies and basslines, with a hypnotizing performance by
Hyde over the top. From there, the album heads off into a succession of overly familiar tracks, either po-mo
acid house blues a la
Dubnobasswithmyheadman (
"Sola Sistim," "Trim," "Ballet Lane") or
minimalist, pinpoint
techno (
"Dinosaur Adventure 3D," "Luetin"). Surprisingly, counter to expectations after the brash youngster leaves the fold,
A Hundred Days Off doesn't suffer from the oldster syndrome; the production is edgy and up-to-date as usual, but the songs lack the energy, the feeling, and even the melody of
Underworld's classic records. ~ John Bush
