| Hypnotic Underworld | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Ghost | ||||
| Released | January 27, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | July 2003[1] | |||
| Genre | Neo-psychedelia Experimental |
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| Length | 69:14 | |||
| Label | Drag City | |||
| Producer | Taishi Takizawa | |||
| Ghost chronology | ||||
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Hypnotic Underworld is an album by the band Ghost, released on January 27, 2004 on Drag City. The album is the first album to feature cellist/bassist Takuyuki Moriya and percussionist Junzo Tatewia, who replaced Hiromichi Sakamoto and Setsuko Furuya respectively.[2]
The album has two cover songs: one of Earth and Fire's "Hazy Paradise" and one of Syd Barrett's "Dominoes".[2]
Contents |
All songs written and composed by Ghost, unless otherwise noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hypnotic Underground Pt. 1: God Took a Picture of His Illness on This Ground" | 13:31 | |
| 2. | "Hypnotic Underground Pt. 2: Escaped and Lost Down in Medina" | 7:09 | |
| 3. | "Hypnotic Underground Pt. 3: Aramaic Barbarous Dawn" | 2:54 | |
| 4. | "Hypnotic Underground Pt. 4: Leave the World!" | 0:22 | |
| 5. | "Hazy Paradise" | Chris Koerts | 4:52 |
| 6. | "Kiseichukan Nite" | 5:03 | |
| 7. | "Piper" | 6:41 | |
| 8. | "Ganagmanag" | 10:04 | |
| 9. | "Feed" | 7:06 | |
| 10. | "Holy High" | 6:09 | |
| 11. | "Dominoes/Celebration for the Gray Days" | Ghost, Syd Barrett | 6:43 |
The following people contributed to Hypnotic Underworld:[1]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [2] |
| Pitchfork Media | (8.7/10) [3] |
| Shaking Through | (3.8/5) [4] |
| Stylus Magazine | (B) [5] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | (3/5) [6] |
Hypnotic Underworld has received mostly positive reviews. On the review aggregate site Metacritic, the album has a score of 78 out of 100, indicating "Generally favorable reviews."[7]
Allmusic's Sean Westergaard gave the album a very positive review, writing "Hypnotic Underworld is a new high-water mark from one of rock's most interesting bands. Highly recommended."[2] Brandon Stosuy of Pitchfork Media also praised the album, writing "Much more could be said, but it's more important to state plainly, in barest terms, that Ghost have emerged as one of the most formidable (and important) rock bands I know. And Hypnotic Underworld is their rollicking masterwork."[3] Shaking Through called the album "another worthy addition to the group's idiosyncratic catalog."[4] Stylus Magazine's Dave Segal, while criticizing the album for meandering too long and Masaki Batoh's vocals, concluded his review with "Still, I’d rather hear Ghost’s overreaching ambition and exploratory excess than the stunted machinations of most current indie rock."[5]
Tiny Mix Tapes, on the other hand, gave the album a more mixed review, writing "The music on Hypnotic World is quite good, and at times a very pleasurable listening experience. Somehow, though, it loses its determination and focus in large increments too many times."[6]