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Review
Of course, Nitin's a supreme musician, so the highlights are plenty. Imogen heap's Bring It Home is a delicate foray into drum and bass, Distant Dreams with Roxanne Tataei is a luxuriously laid back jazzy trip, and in keeping with the subject alluded to in the album's conception there's latin flavour provided by Ojos De Brujo. The requisite Asian flavas come courtesy of people as diverse as classical sitarist Anoushka Shankar (on the gorgeous closing Charu keshi rain) and regular co-worker, singer Reena Bhardwaj (Ek Jaan).
Yet, despite the proficiency on display, the phrase that springs to mind here is 'curate's egg'. For younger Londoners certainly one gets the feeling that this cultural smorgasbord may be a little too smooth to really 'represent'. You won't find grime creeping in here. Musically, Sawhney is a polymath, but his brew sometimes seems too safe for such times. Such a huge city contains far more than his blend of flamenco, beats and Asian signifiers. The production is bejewelled and intricate but one longs for some grit; the album's first half in particular leaving a lot to be desired. Natty's opening commentary on the shooting is impassioned but his Marley-lite voice can't convey the true horror. Likewise Tina Grace's October Daze is too coffee table friendly to push the message of alienation. Worst of all, Paul Mccartney, with whom Sawhney worked on his experimental The Fireman project, turns in the anti-tabloid My Soul; something so saccharine as to make one's teeth ache.
Too often London Undersound is too polite to convey the anger, tension, sense of betrayal and essentially contradictory nature of living in the nation's capital in 2008. It's an album with its heart firmly in the right place, but lacking in bite. --Chris Jones
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CD Description
A special Limited Edition Box set limited to 1000 copies worldwide.
Contents
- London Undersound CD
- Second CD of London Undersound instrumental album, remixes and alt versions
- Video/Data DVD containing Antony Gormley/Nitin Sawhney commentary with moving picture gallery; Distant Dreams video and multi-track session files for October Daze and Last Train to Midnight.
- 2 x 12" 160gsm audiophile quality 12" vinyl of London Undersound.
- 36 page perfect bound catalogue containing all Antony Gormley drawings supplied for London Undersound
- 610mm x 610mm poster of front cover image.
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Customer Reviews
October Daze features Tina Grace, who I admit I had not heard of prior to this release. She has a good, dulcet voice. The track reminds me of Portishead in its sound.
Bring It Home includes vocals from the talented Imogen Heap, and starts off very dreamy, slow and ambient but then changes tempo and becomes upbeat and funky, like a track you'd hear in a funky, upmarket wine bar in the city.
Interlude 1 includes spoken vocals by Paul McCartney and it's overall a great introduction to the following track, My Soul which features Paul McCartney himself.
My Soul was written as Paul's first real public expression of emotions regarding what transpired with his ex wife. Very moving and poignant piece with beautiful, subtle female vocals in the background which sound very classical Indian.
Interlude II is comprised of spoken Spanish in a sensual tone, speaking of the mountains. The wood instrument at the end is haunting and again, flows effortlessly into the next track.
Distant Dreams has gorgeous jazz instrumentals and the vocallist sounds very familiar, despite me not being familiar with her by name (Roxanne Tataei).
Interlude III is the most Nitin-Sawhney-esque piece so far; classic funky Indian music and vocals.
Shadowland is much the same as Interlude, although the female vocallist there has been replaced in this track by a male.
Daybreak....The song would not be out of place in some fancy Indian restaurant or on Brick Lane. Gorgeous.
Ek Taan contains mind-blowingly beautiful female vocals and a very relaxing piano instrumental, and it melds into an easy, relaxed next track.
Transmission is relaxed but for me not a track I like because it sounds a bit too monotonous in terms of the vocal register used.
Last Train To Midnight is much the same as Transmission.
Firmament is a gorgeous instrumental, classic Nitin Sawhney. Simple, moving, understated and beautiful.
The album closes with Charu Keshi Rain in collaboration with Anoushkar Shankar, and this, along with My Soul, is my favourite track on the album. Beautiful sitars and relaxing, effortless grace.
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