Being a very large fan of Underworld for quite some time now I was initially curious to discover what these two Essex boys were really on about.  Needless to say they have not let us down. Athens, titled from the accompanying painting that adorns the album, is a beautiful jazz offering of the highest caliber from the musical minds of Lemonworld Studios.  The feel of this album actually falls right in line with the classicism that has become the modern Underworld with its emphasis on the art of music, sound, voice, and graphic design.

The very moody and worldly Journey In Satchidananda by Alice Coltrain brings you in and sets a serious jazz tone, truly a lady who needs no introduction.  From that moment you know you are setting out on a journey with its distinctive Indian feel.  From there it is a forward movement taking you through many forms of improvisational jazz.  The melancholy appears with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, uptempo progressive sounds from Squarepusher, and even the heroin induced sound jazz is known for comes through courtesy of Soft Machine.  But, this is a progressive album and leads you further into the unknown with Roxy Music’s 2HB giving you that transitional sound into the 70’s feel of the jazz band.  You’re half way home now and people like Moodyman and The Detroit Expirement show you just how alive and well the jazz roots are in modern electronic sounds.  If it were not for the crisp vocals of Rectify you could almost believe you were sitting in Harlem circa 1942.

But wait this is Underworld vs. The Misterons is it not and 3/4 of the way through the Essex lads deliver in true Underworld style.  Their choice? Oh, a track that while not previously released has an easily recognizable sound to true UW fans.  You could almost mistake it for a Dubno…/Pearl’s Girl B-side that you were never lucky enough to hear.  Early Mk-II really shines through in this track and a must for the more serious UW fans.

Laurent Ganier and Miroslav Vitous seal the deal toward the end proving that jazz in its many forms is still in heavy rotation for the more plump downtempo sounds.  Beautiful organ laced tracks abound that you would not be shocked to hear lounging at your favorite beach side spot on a Sunday session.  The finale though is definitely a piece of music to behold.  For those who do not know, earlier this year Brian Eno did a beautiful experimental music show in Sydney Opera House and invited Karl Hyde along.  It was a night most Sydney-siders who went will never forget, I was there but not able to attend.  Beebop Hurry is a small sum of what occurred that night, beautifully improvised sound with Karl’s notorious spoken words accompanying.  It is well worth waiting through the 11 previous tracks for.

All in all this has to be one of the best downtempo compilations I have heard this year and you would do well to add it to your musical library.

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