Track Listing

1. Momove
2. Two Months Off
3. Twist
4. Sola Sistim
5. Little Speaker
6. Trim
7. Ess Gee
8. Dinosaur Adventure 3d
9. Ballet Lane
10. Luetin

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48579 in Music
• Released on: 2002-09-24
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Unlike the Chemical Brothers--their longstanding U.K. brothers in electronica--Underworld have been allowed to grow (relatively) old without being accused of stagnating. A Hundred Days Off, Underworld's first studio release since the departure of member Darren Emerson, demonstrates why. An ecstatic headrush of percolating beats, swirling synth, and shape-shifting melodies, A Hundred Days Off drags everything from Delta blues to space-age pop onto the dance floor. Because the pair takes their cues in part from the real world, filtering each idea through the prism of a rave record, we get wonky faux church bells chiming in one especially frenzied passage of the nine-minute epic "Two Months Off." Elsewhere, as on the curiously named "Trim," straightforward vocal phrasings are set against (what might be) twangy, scotch-soaked guitar while a static drum beat clicks in the distance. On the towering centerpiece track, "Dinosaur Adventure 3D," a vicious cymbal guts an otherwise unassuming house track, albeit one built on an increasingly complex (and speedy) palette of sounds, before a tribal vocal goosesteps over top. Clubby, dubby, and positively smokin'. --Kim Hughes

From URB Magazine
"Earth to Scott — hello? Green still means go on this planet."

I blink and look up. I'm behind the wheel of a car next to a stunningly beautiful brunette who looks oddly familiar. OK, this must be a dream. Or maybe it was the handful of mushrooms I ate last night. A car behind us honks, so I drive.

We're somewhere on the Pacific Coast Highway, heading north toward Malibu. At least that what a sign says as we whiz past it. As far as dreams go, this one was shaping up quite nicely.

"No, you're not dreaming," laughed my mysterious companion. "Don't you recognize your own world?"

Taking off my sunglasses and squinting at the rich blue of the sky crashing into the ocean's paleness and the quiet majesty of the mountains, this was definitely Southern California. But something still wasn't right.

"Here, look at this." Miss Mystery holds up a copy of URB magazine. On the cover is a picture of her, riding in a car just like the one we're in. The headline screamed: "DANCING QUEEN: Is This the Most Influential Face in Electronic Music?"

That's when I realized who she was — the girl from the infamous Mitsubishi commercial. The hottie in the white hat who pops and locks to Dirty Vegas' "Days Gone By" to sell cars to young Americans with money (or at least decent credit). The same car I realize that I'm driving.

"My name's Dusty," she said. "I'm definitely real."

"I get it now," I realize aloud. "This is just a big metaphor on how 'future music culture' and commerce have collided to create a surreal universe where Basement Jaxx soundtrack Pringles and Coca-Cola adverts and Dirty Vegas debuts in the Billboard Top 10 thanks to a hot car commercial starring you dancing around to their song. Rather creative, if I do say so myself."

"Maybe, but how does the new Underworld album fit into all of this?" she yelled over it blasting from the stereo.

"Oh, that's the easy part," I replied. "What's always set Underworld apart is the fact that their music has consistently transcended the pop culture world around them, the dogmatic use of "Born Slippy" in Trainspotting be damned. From the menacing pulse of 'Dinosaur Adventure 3D' to the glacial funk of 'Little Speaker,' A Hundred Days Off is akin to classic Detroit techno in the way it delves deeper into the machines and technology to find the humanity at their core. Like Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder at their prime, Underworld makes genuine soul music brimming with emotion and meaning."

"So what are you trying to say?" Dusty asked with a wry smile.

"I'm saying that in 2002, Underworld has outpaced the competition and released the electronic album to beat. Timo Maas' Loud is still up there, but it's safe to say that A Hundred Days Off is right at the top of the techno-pop heap."

Dusty just laughed and turned the stereo up as I hit the gas, racing into the Technicolor sunset.

Scott Sterling

Customer Reviews

*pop*
A surprised looking monochrome lightbulb headed man. While that may be typical of the symbolism they layer into their music, unfortunately it mostly works against them here. My guess is that Hyde and uh... Smith took 100 days off of their dayjobs to make this album. I was quite psyched about it, remembering fun dancy days circa Beaucoup Fish, a great live show... etc. For better or worse, Underworld introduced me to `the Rave,' which I have many fond memories of. But, by 2002, the party was pretty much over.

What's better about this album: well, the instrumentation seems very complicated in places, although not necessarily melodious. Although, in other places, it is melodious. Karl Hyde's vocals are as surreal as ever, although that effect isn't put to much use in very many places. Unfortunately, their ahem, pop sensibilites seem to have gone out the door with emerson, although you wouldn't know it from his Mix CD. Also... I dunno, several of the songs seem rather mean-spirited. Maybe they're bitter about their waning fame. Overall, it's about half the album the previous three are, although it's occasionally better. But not often.

Two months of thumbs up
Underworld have an uncanny ability of bringing unparalleled creativity and inventiveness to their listeners. There's no one I can think of that keeps it this fresh, this real, this imaginative. They pour their souls into it, and it's so obvious. It's palpable.

If you've ever seen them live, you know this. They have a true care for their craft, and this is the latest installment. You owe it to yourself and your friends to support a band that laid the foundation and continues to bring the love.

Probably the Best Album, they could have made...(Given the Circumstances!!!)
A strange one this.....I've had this album when it first came out in 2002, then I sold my copy a couple of years later, after thinking that it lacked the momentum and progression, or even ideas of previous albums, only to pick it up very recently having stumbled across the rare Australian 2-Cd tour edition. This is the album that will be forever associated with the departure of one of it's members, DJ Darren Emerson. And although his presence is missed, with this release, routinely sounding more relaxed and less tightly focused then previous albums, with far more of the softly spoken stream-of-consciousness vocalised house blues of Karl Hyde vocals, and less of the pulsating tracks that broke up other albums.

Initially this was one of the reasons, why I've never quite fully engaged with "A Hundred Days off"....seemingly comparing it with the long dense hypnotic eclectic fusion songs of "Second Toughest in the Infants", the distant, detached melancholic minimal ambience of "Dubnobasswithmyheadman", and progressive, energetic, tough breakbeats of "Beaucoup Fish". The problem I had with "A Hundred Days off" was that it seemed to be a slightly untidy mish-mash of areas explored in previous albums, but with diminishing returns. There was nothing that grabbed in on this album, in quite the same way as "Push Downstairs/Blueski/Dirty Epic/Moaner/Juanita/Dark & Long", and although this album had it's moments "Two Months off/Bullet Lane/Trim/Luetin", I found myself mostly neglecting what is essentially a good/great album, but compared to past glories, it didn't seem to engage in quite the same way. Don't get me wrong, I did/do like the album, but it was arguably the album that I listened to by far the least, and begin to gather dust in my Cd collection.

So I ended up selling my (1-cd) edition of this album.....only to find a really cheap copy of the limited 2-Cd edition, which featured Live tracks from previous albums, and remixes of tracks of this album, as well as a couple of videos. And having gone back and listened to this album after having not heard it, for a least 2 years, and without the comparison issue not looming large over my impression of the album. And having said that...and listening to this without any preconceived notions of their previous work (and the realisation of Darren Emerson, not contributing, here), its actually a great record, and considering that this was the best album that could have made, given the circumstances...which referenced their past, without being completely tied by it. Yet, not diversifying from what they'd become widely known for. Its an album the mixes a brilliant succession of harmonies and basslines, tone's down the arrangements, and made them more accessible, a little self-indulgent, a little more nuanced and subtle, with the majority of the tracks moving less intensely, with any rough edges smoothed off, as it flows along with nice BPM's and smooth beats, and although the album glides along without much in the way of any particularly innovative or unexpected twists, this is Underworld, creating an album with one less member, and thus playing to their strengths. Which is melodic, relatively subdued, mood music, with the occasional concessions to the dancefloor, a heavily augmented sound framed around the ubiquitous vocals of Hyde, punctuating atmospherically detached tracks, which highlight Underworld's trait for songs which have an elegance and a recognizable stamp.

Ultimately, though this is probably Underworlds weakest album, compared to "Second Toughest in the Infants", Dubnobasswithmyheadman", "Beaucoup Fish". It doesn't quite have the legs to feature as prominently as those albums, which (for me) tip on the right side of classic albums. But not to take nothing away from Underworld...as they could have called it quits, with the departure of Darren Emerson, and his absence is felt on this album. But to not recognise the achievement of Karl Hyde & Rick Smith on this album would be foolish, as they've created a great and very solid album, and providing you can be prepared to listen to this without prejudice for their previous albums, this is definitely recommended.