Underworld: Second Toughest in the Infants

I’ve just rediscovered one of my all-time favourite albums. Playing it now slides a dizzying whirl of memories into my mind.

Back in the summer of 1996 Underworld could do no wrong. The success of the film Trainspotting (which stands as a masterpiece ode to the chemical generation) had been firmly ingrained into the growing popular culture of electronic music. With it came Underworld’s Anthemic ‘Born Slippy .Nuxx’. Underworld were firmly wedged at the forefront of the scene with Leftfield. But Underworld had been around the block before this and their track ‘Born Slippy’ wasn’t even appearing on the first run of their new album ‘Second Toughest in the Infants’.

I’m glad it wasn’t on that album. Partly becasue that track ended up being played in shitty bars and appeared on grubby dance compilations for £5.99 in HMV. Instead, what Underworld put into ‘Second Toughest in the Infants’ was hard-earned talent and a touch of sublime tenderness that electronic music has rarely seen since. Coupled with the enigmatic artwork of art collective, Tomato, the album broke the dam walls for many – and it still does. I’m still in awe of the way that I can listen to this album now and be be struck by the complexity and freshness of the sounds in the multi-suite ‘Juanita : Kiteless : To Dream of Love’. Then there’s the cold-hearted, rhythmic swagger of ‘Air Towel’ or the skippy hopefulness of ‘Banstyle/Sappy’s Curry’ – A tune I once reveled in under a warm apricot sun when Underworld played live at Glastonbury in 1999.

Unfortunately, I can’t give the same praise for Underworld’s more recent work. Karl Hyde’s solemnly infectious and occasionally pacey lyrics are still there, but when Darren Emmerson left after the release of ‘Everything, Everything’, the bright spark that was Underworld (and perhaps their time too) became dimmer somehow. In many ways this makes ‘Second Toughest in the Infants’ more of an heirloom – a prized legacy of electronic music to be loved when the soul runs dry.

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