This review covers the house track Underworld – Mmm… Skyscraper I Love You.
This track was released in 1994 on the album dubnobasswithmyheadman.
The track starts with a wind sample. Some synths then come in. An electric guitar also comes in. Another synth also makes an appearance. There are some vocal elements that are non-lyrical as well. A drum kit then comes in.
A voice sample then comes in. Some more of the drum kit then comes in. After a while, the drum kit more closely resembles a house type structure. From there, the drum kit drops out for the most part as a bassline then comes in. An additional synth comes in as the rest of the drum kit returns. Some vocals then come in for a bit. After that, the voice sample then comes in.
Several elements then drop out, leaving just the bassline. The vocals then come in as the drum kit returns. It’s a but hard to understand at this stage, but they do drop out. There is only a synth effect left, but the drum kit then makes a return. After that, the vocals come back in. They end with a delay effect. After that, the vocals then return again. Several elements then drop out again and chopped synth vocals make an appearance.
After that, the vocals make a return for a moment. The voice sample then returns. After that, it’s just a drum kit and a bassline. Some synth effects come in before the track reverts to the bassline and drum kit. The vocals then make a return and repeat the lyrics. A vocoding effect comes in part way through. When they end, there is more delay effect added to those vocals. A synth comes in. After that, the vocals then return. A violin comes in.
From there, the vocals then continue on. The voice sample then makes a return. Several elements then fade out, leaving just a synth effect. The synth hits an extended note as if to end the track.
Some elements of a drum kit then come back. A guitar comes in. Some female vocals make a subtle appearance. The male vocals then come in as well. The male vocals and female vocal sample ping pongs back and forth for a while. A synth then comes in. A synth effect then comes in. It has a very delay-like effect added to it. Several elements then fade out. The vocals then follow suit.
One thing that stuck out to me is that this is basically two tracks. For whatever reason, both are basically slapped together and put into one track. While there are some similarities between the two tracks, it is probably a better idea to have split them. So, that decision to fuse both together is just strange to me.
The track has a lot of ambient elements. To some degree, it succeeds in giving atmosphere and a mood. Unfortunately, this is hampered by the fact that this is also a very long track. This is one of those tracks that have an unfortunate habit of stretching things out for as long as possible. So, while it can sell itself as a more laid back track, it is laced with being, well, boring.
Overall, this is a pretty average track. While the atmosphere and laid back mood does show through, there are some flaws to go along with this. For one, the track is basically two different tracks fused together for whatever reason. It’s stretched out and can be a bit of a bore after a while. So, a fairly average track if you ask me.
Score
6.5/10
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Facebook.
