Why is Ursula 1000’s The Now Sound of Ursula 1000 on my best 1,000 albums ever list?
Hip length and hip swinging breakbeats and super stylish swinging samples.
What does Ursula 1000’s The Now Sound of Ursula 1000 mean to me? What does it make me feel? Why is it exciting or compelling?
When I listen to “Hip Length,” I tend to put it on a loop and go at it multiple times in a row. It’s somehow modern and retro all at once, hip and chic and swinging. Like all of The Now Sound of Ursula 1000, it’s also got a great sense of fun in addition to its seemingly effortless style. If I walked into a lounge and “Hip Length” happened to be playing, I’d be incapable of saying anything except, “Oh hell yeah,” in that moment, I can tell you.
“I’m Gonna Shock You, Daddy” is an upbeat electro lounge number with wild drum beats.
“Funky Bikini” is a step more avant-garde or even arguably experimental, beginning with a sample of a woman perhaps leading out some kind of breathing exercise. The organ then kicks in as multiple drums kick in, setting something of a Caribbean rhythm with electronic beats and blurts chiming in for good effect.
Personal stuff that’s somehow related to Ursula 1000’s The Now Sound of Ursula
After I graduated from college, I lived and worked in England for six months. For part of that time I was alone, and then my good friend Nirav – who held dual citizenship in the U.S. and UK – moved over and we rented an apartment about an hour east of London in the city of Rochester. Several months later, our good pal (and my future best man) Adam joined us, and we felt like we had our band – our Power Trio if you will – together for our proper European adventure.
At the time, Rochester was kind of a working-class city, and certainly not a working class one. In fact, I was told many times while living there that I should head up to the north of England, “where the people are friendlier.”
Our luck and social life fortunes took a turn for the better when we stumbled upon a pub called The Nag’s Head. It was the hang out spot for the local art college, and we quickly made it our local. It turned out there was a pretty cool assortment of scenes to check out, in fact, once we had a little orientation.
One that stands out to me to this day was a lounge called Gravy that was only open on Sunday nights. The DJ played great and eclectic lounge music that would pivot wildly from spirited 1950s jazz to classic cartoon theme songs to bossa nova and then over to scraps of dialog from a ‘70s detective show. Film taken by handheld camera of someone walking around New York City would be displayed on one wall, while trippy lightning effects would adorn the others. Meanwhile there were little low sofas that almost gave the effect of being at a Moroccan feast. This was the hipster slice of English life that I was seeking out at the time, and it was really great.
I mention all of this because ever since that experience, I’ve messed around plenty with music playlists that try to emulate the experience of being at Gravy. And when I hear music, I’ll automatically catalog something that might make the cut for such a playlist. I’m sure you’re not surprised to learn that The Sound of Ursula 1000 is exactly the kind of music that would work perfectly at Gravy.
Some stats & info about Ursula 1000 – The Now Sound of Ursula 1000
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Electronic Music, Martini Lounge, Lounge Music, Dance Music, Break Beats, Electro Lounge
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 3.5 out of 5 stars
- When was The Now Sound of Ursula 1000 released? 1999
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #912 out of 1,000
Ursula 1000’s The Now Sound of Ursula 1000 on Spotify
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective take on what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.