Impressions: Dummy is of those albums that somehow made a stir with both DJ electronic music types and regular civilians when it first came out twenty years ago(!) Not an easy trick to pull off. Let’s put it on and see what all the fuss was about… Opens in typically spooky fashion with “Mysterions.” Everything is there from the drop: Geoff Barrow’s muted, tasteful hip-hop beats, Adrian Utley’s retro spy guitar, Beth Gibbon’s ethereal torch crooning, all served with a dash of minimalist samples. Toss in a theramin and they achieve something retro and forward-thinking all at once. “Sour Times” is easily the masterpiece on the album. While it’s cliché to call trip-hop music “cinematic,” this song honestly fits the bill, with its ringing Lalo Schifrin soundtrack sample and the short film they put out with the album (see below.) Sometimes, the production gets a bit too clausterphobic on a few songs, (“Strangers” or “Wandering Star,”) but I think that adds to the cumulative moodiness of the album which finishes on the slow-burning, Issac Hayes inspired “Glory Box.” This mix of elements was kind of refreshing at the time and spawned armies of knock-offs, but I won’t hold this against them. Robert Christgau reviewed this album in three words: “Sade for androids” and while I enjoyed this more than he did, he’s not wrong.

Starred Songs:  “Sour Times,” “Wandering Star,” “Glory Box”
Sneaky Track: “Mysterons,” “Roads”
Should this album be on the list? Yes
Will you listen to this again? Yes