Hypnotic Underworld

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]

Hypnotic Underworld
Studio album by
Ghost
ReleasedJanuary 27, 2004
RecordedJuly 2003[1]
GenreNeo-psychedelia
Experimental
Length69:14
LabelDrag City
ProducerTaishi Takizawa
Ghost chronology
Turn In, Turn On, Free Tibet
(1999)		 Hypnotic Underworld
(2004)		 In Stormy Nights
(2007)

The album has two cover songs: one of Earth and Fire's "Hazy Paradise" and one of Syd Barrett's "Dominoes".[2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ghost, unless otherwise noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Hypnotic Underworld"

  • I. "God Took a Picture of His Illness on This Ground" (13:31)
  • II. "Escaped and Lost Down in Medina" (7:09)
  • III. "Aramaic Barbarous Dawn" (2:54)
    •
  • IV. "Leave the World!" (0:22)"
 23:56
2."Hazy Paradise"Chris Koerts4:52
3."Kiseichukan Nite" 5:03
4."Piper" 6:41
5."Ganagmanag" 10:04
6."Feed" 7:06
7."Holy High" 6:09
8."Dominoes/Celebration for the Gray Days"Ghost, Syd Barrett6:43

Personnel

The following people contributed to Hypnotic Underworld:[1]

Ghost

Additional personnel
  • Masaki Hayashi - Engineer
  • Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi - Artwork
  • Kazuo Ogino - Photography
  • Dan Osborn - Cover layout
  • Keiko Yoshida - Photography

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Pitchfork(8.7/10)[3]
Shaking Through(3.8/5)[4]
Stylus Magazine(B)[5]

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."[6]

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 from Pitchfork 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]

References
  1. Ghost (2) - Hypnotic Underworld (CD, Album. Discogs. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  2. Westergaard, Sean. Hypnotic Underworld - Ghost. AllMusic. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
  3. Stosuy, Brandon. Album Reviews: Ghost: Hypnotic Underworld. Pitchfork. 28 January 2004. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
  4. Station, Laurence. Ghost: Hypnotic Underworld. Shaking Through. 2 March 2004. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
  5. Segal, Dave. Ghost - Hypnotic Underworld. Stylus Magazine. 3 February 2004. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
  6. Critic Reviews for Hypnotic Underworld. Metacritic Retrieved 19 July 2011.
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