London Undersound

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.