The trigger for Nitin Sawhneys latest project came from a perception he shared with the singer Natty that the 7/7 bombings and the murder of Jean Charles de Menezes had effected a fundamental shift in the capitals atmosphere. As he put it, "Londons heartbeat has changed". London Undersound attempts to re-emphasise the citys multicultural character through collaborations with singers and musicians from all shades of the cultural spectrum, their contributions linked via found-sound fragments, such as street sounds, spoken commentaries and Tube-train noises. "Days of Fire" opens the album with a skittering shuffle-groove and discreet acoustic guitar behind Nattys claim that "Now its all gone slow motion... Im all out of emotion". Roxanne Tataei contemplates the individual dream-worlds of Tube travellers in the subtle samba "Distant Dreams", the dub groove "Last Train to Midnight" deals with late-night unease, and Imogen Heap offers thoughtful reflections on movement in "Bring It Home". Theres a satisfying congruence between the sound-worlds of Sawhney and Ojos de Brujo in "Shadowland"; less successful is Paul McCartneys stolen-soul fear of the paparazzi in "My Soul", which seems too particular to resonate on a more general level.
Tracklist:
1. Days of Fire (feat. Natty) (3:14)
2. October Daze (feat. Tina Grace) (3:26)
3. Bring It Home (feat. Imogen Heap) (5:09)
4. Interlude 1: Ghost Image (0:25)
5. My Soul (feat. Paul McCartney) (4:03)
6. Interlude 2: Soledad (0:41)
7. Distant Dreams (feat. Roxanne Tataei) (3:12)
8. Interlude 3: Street Sounds (0:08)
9. Shadowland (feat. Ojos de Brujo) (3:31)
10. Daybreak (feat. Faheem Mazhar) (2:34)
11. Interlude 4: Identity (0:12)
12. Ek Jaan (feat. Reena Bhardwaj) (2:13)
13. Transmission (feat. Tina Grace) (3:13)
14. Interlude 5: Tension (0:15)
15. Last Train to Midnight (feat. Aruba Red) (3:46)
16. Interlude 6: Ronald Gray (0:21)
17. Firmament (3:52)
18. Charu Keshi Rain (feat. Anoushka Shankar) (4:01)
