Barking: The Reviews

[Bargo]

Edit: to try and make the first post useful I'll keep it updated with all the links posted.

The Metacritic review summary (http://www.metacritic.com/music/barking/critic-reviews)

Web/Blog Reviews


InTheMix (http://www.inthemix.com.au/music/47797/Underworld_Barking)
TheArtsDesk (http://www.theartsdesk.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=2101:nmru12-copy&Itemid=27)
AllMusic (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:hxfexzqrldse)
BBC Music (http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/fhd3)
Pop Culture Beast (http://www.popculturebeast.com/2010/09/music-review-underworld-barking.html)
The Untz (http://www.theuntz.com/Underworld-Barking)
RecordCollector (http://www.recordcollectormag.com/reviews/review-detail/6136) (4 / 5)
Spin Magazine (http://www.spinmagazine.com/reviews/underworld-barking-cooking-vinylom) (7 / 10)
Drowned in Sound (http://drownedinsound.com/releases/15648/reviews/4140993?ticker) (6 / 10)
Pitchfork (http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14655-barking/) (5.9 / 10)
Urb (http://www.urb.com/2010/09/20/underworld-barking/) (4 / 5)
Cokemachineglow (http://www.cokemachineglow.com/record_review/5625/underworld-barking-2010)(76%)
MusicOMH (http://www.musicomh.com/albums/underworld-4_0910.htm) (3 / 5)
Filter Magazine (http://filtermagazine.com/index.php/reviews/entry/underworld) (83%)

Press Reviews


Uncut Magazine (http://www.darktrain.org/dirty/forums/showpost.php?p=143322&postcount=3) (4 / 5)
News of the world (http://www.borndirty.org/forums/showpost.php?p=144905&postcount=23)
DJ Mag (http://www.borndirty.org/forums/showpost.php?p=145044&postcount=27) (6 / 10)
Telemoustique (http://www.borndirty.org/forums/showpost.php?p=145292&postcount=30) (2 / 4)

[TheBang]

Let's put links to professional reviews in here. But individual fan reviews are welcome in here too.

[Spooky Shoes]

There is a review in the latest issue of Uncut Magazine...


4/5

Arty techno duo rediscover beats - and catchy tunes!

Karl Hyde and Rick Smith have worked together for 30 years yet Barking is only the sixth Underworld studio album. It's also the first to employ outside producers. So while the opening trio of collaborations with Dubfire ("Bird 1"), Mark Knight and D Ramirez ("Always Loved A Film") and High Contrast ("Scribble") are melodic hands-in-the-air club anthems the pair would normally avoid, the closing "Louisiana" is a dreamy ballad, and dance-rock roots re-emerge gloriously on the almost Stones-like "Diamond Jigsaw". With experiments in disco, dubstep and drum 'n' bass all unmistakably Underworld, Barking is the sound of veterans re-energised.

[the mongoose]

http://www.theartsdesk.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=2006:new-music-cd-round-up-12&Itemid=29

New link: https://theartsdesk.com/new-music/new-music-cds-round-12

[lectoid]

I can't confirm this minute, but the September issue of Spin magazine looks to have a review of Barking. I checked the website and only that Underworld photo diary thing comes up. But some magazines don't post stuff from the paper copy right away so people will still buy the mag.

[ThingInABook]

more reviews:

http://www.recordcollectormag.com/reviews/review-detail/6136
http://www.spinmagazine.com/reviews/underworld-barking-cooking-vinylom

New link: https://www.spin.com/2010/08/underworld-barking-cooking-vinylom/

[razorpilot]

A small review in Q magazine gives Barking 3/5.
All positive comments, with ALAF mentioned as the standout dance anthem.

[ThingInABook]

another review, from the BBC this time:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/fhd3

[big screen satellite]

another review, from the BBC this time:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/fhd3

one of the best and most honest reviews of an album i've seen....

[Dirty0900]

NME gave it 5/10 but whoever lisented to it couldn't have been that arsed getting things right seeing "Moon In Water" was printed as "Move In Water".

Short article listing Bird 1 and ALAF as highlights, Diamond Jigsaw compared to a Doves festival anthem which to me ain't so bad.

[whatmakesustick]

http://drownedinsound.com/releases/15648/reviews/4140993?ticker

This article gave 6/10 but had a real dig at the 'pop' sound of the album.

[testudo]

http://drownedinsound.com/releases/15648/reviews/4140993?ticker

This article gave 6/10 but had a real dig at the 'pop' sound of the album.

Now that was an honest review.

[bas_I_am]

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:hxfexzqrldse

[GoatSucker]

Resident Advisor - http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=7902

They give it 4/5
Great quote - "As always, Underworld make perfect music for travelling—if you're somewhere you can't dance, you should at least be in a car or train or bus, anything moving forward and fast."

Some of the comments on the review are quite funny:
"I'm a huge fan of Underworld, but I'm so disappointed... Hamburg hotel is OK, but it doesn't have this feeling I used to love, this underworld atmosphere... And listening to tracks like 'between stars' feels just like being in a nightmare where Underworld makes crappy eurodance. And you can't wake up."

[big screen satellite]

reviewed in Playlist - the saturday version of the Times, entertainment magazine (will transcribe when i get the chance)

best review yet they gave it 5/5 and said...

If you like this album you will also like: New Order - Technique / Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman

made me lol, as these are my two fav albums of all time...

and i think i've said elsewhere that this is the best album since dubno, and i think i mentioned somewhere else that this was akin to being Underworld's 'Technique'.

i didn't write the review - but the reviewer is coming from the same place i am - made me happy :)

rock on.. Heaven! Heaven!....

[34958hq439-qjw9v5jq298v5j]

If you like this album you will also like: New Order - Technique / Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman

made me lol, as these are my two fav albums of all time...


doesn't like 75% of this board feel that way?

[big screen satellite]

doesn't like 75% of this board feel that way?

not sure? thought there was a big moby / chems following... not sure everyone is New Order made as me and BLD

[dubman]

lol moby following.

[m.g.]

If you like this album you will also like: New Order - Technique / Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman (...) as these are my two fav albums of all time...You're not alone on this one, Matt ;)

[ThingInABook]

lol moby following.

i was thinking about the same... :rolleyes:

and it seems i'm also jumping into the new order fan pile.

EDIT: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/cdreviews/8000722/Underworld-Barking-CD-review.html

[unwound floors]

http://www.cokemachineglow.com/record_review/5625/underworld-barking-2010

A pretty entertaining review, though I don't know whether I agree very much...

[darktrain]

http://www.popculturebeast.com/2010/09/music-review-underworld-barking.html

A review I did for my friend's site. I do not claim to be a writer, so be gentle! :o

[ThingInABook]

news of the world said:

Underworld - Barking ****
THE rave veterans go in for slick, minimal beats these days - but urgent vocals mean they're still barking mad for it.

A lesson in how to grow old gracefully on the dancefloor, it's smart, funky and dog-gone brilliant.

going to fly a kite, laters ;)

[ThingInABook]

more reviews:

http://www.musicomh.com/albums/underworld-4_0910.htm

http://filtermagazine.com/index.php/reviews/entry/underworld

[TheBang]

http://www.theuntz.com/Underworld-Barking

Barking is diversified but cohesive. Pleasing but memorable. Nostalgic but still refreshing. It’s a very ambitious medley of different subgenres that you would never expect to find on a single record together, yet isn’t the slightest bit dissonant. Instead, Underworld takes advantage of its highs and lows and the fluctuating tonality to tell a story. Here is a group that truly stands out from its contemporaries. They are uncategorizable, just a couple of big big time boys

[ThingInABook]

http://www.theuntz.com/Underworld-Barking

that 'marking their territory' dog reference was funny :p

[gaborez]

djmag 6/10:

http://www.effingood.com/underworld/barking-djmag.JPG

[//\/\/]

i agree 100% with the final sentence there.

[dubman]

http://www.cokemachineglow.com/record_review/5625/underworld-barking-2010

A pretty entertaining review, though I don't know whether I agree very much...

haha i like this part

Any serious artist needs to evolve to survive; I get that, I do, I promise. But if someone handed you a sparrow and said, “This used to be a velociraptor,” you’d need some thinking time too.

some good points in that review, although his bit about 'scribble' is a mess. i remember the 'barking' mix being the only good edit to a song too

[Jafs]

From Telemoustique (belgian magazine, in french, 8th sept.): 2 stars out of 4

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/2010/uwbarkingintmzoom1.jpg

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/8971/uwbarkingintmzoom2.jpg

[dubman]

that didnt seem particularly negative....

[m.g.]

Well... after reading it, it should be more 3 out of 4, if not 4. The note is not reflecting what they're writing.

[stimpee]

I have reviews from The Independent on Friday and from this months The Word. I'll try to get them scanned in. Grace is also on the CD on the front of The Word mag.
http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/now-hear

6. Underworld - Grace
Few acts from the 1988 dance explosion managed to turn their craft into such affecting, grown-up music as Underworld did. But how did it take these Essex boys so long to call an album Barking?
From the album Barking

[purlieu]

Pitchfork seem to be describing an entirely different album:
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14655-barking/

[TheBang]

URB
http://www.urb.com/2010/09/20/underworld-barking/

For their first album in three years, Underworld has decided to shake things up a bit. By reaching out to some of electronic music’s most compelling artists in several genres they have created an album that simultaneously returns to their rave roots while also pushing their sound into exciting new territories. Barking, Underworld’s sixth studio album, is nothing short of brilliant, awe-inspiring dance music at its finest.

[TheBang]

Pitchfork seem to be describing an entirely different album:
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14655-barking/
I'm trying to read the review objectively, but it reads like a pretty crap review. A lot of bullshit statements and inconsistencies.

[purlieu]

My favourite part is the description of Scribble. " It features the same rush-rush-rush drum programming of heyday Underworld".
Errr

[joethelion]

I'm trying to read the review objectively, but it reads like a pretty crap review. A lot of bullshit statements and inconsistencies.

totally agree...

I have never read a review that I couldn't follow from beginning to the end. I kept having to go back and re-read sentences and be like "wait... what did he just say"

[34958hq439-qjw9v5jq298v5j]

totally agree...

I have never read a review that I couldn't follow from beginning to the end. I kept having to go back and re-read sentences and be like "wait... what did he just say"

Welcome to Pitchfork...

All it gripes about is that Underworld are old, their 90's albums were so good, and that Louisiana wasn't powerful enough (???) I don't think the song was supposed to be sung with "real strength"...it's not a power ballad! What an awful review...he didn't really have anything bad to say about the other tracks, in fact it seemed like he did like the album quite a bit. In the old days Pitchfork actually used to make me mad, now I'm just confused, don't they have like, an editor??

[unwound floors]

Lol, Pitchfork.

[big screen satellite]

Barking - Review (the Times Playlist Magazine) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigscreensatellite/5012179342/in/photostream/)

Beautiful Burnout (play) - Review (Metro) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigscreensatellite/5011578439/)

Forum Gig - Review (the Times) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigscreensatellite/5011576817/in/photostream/)

all scans of newspaper articles

[//\/\/]

pitchfork? wtf?!

"a recent, leaked live set/mix from the Privilege club in Ibiza"

strange way to describe a 'broadcast'

"Hyde may well be the same drug-addled crazyman he was during the 1990s"

jayneee! legal dept!!!

[bryantm3]

Well... after reading it, it should be more 3 out of 4, if not 4. The note is not reflecting what they're writing.

yeah, i don't really see a reason they gave it 2/4 instead. they said they were constantly reinventing themselves like famous artists like david bowie and miles davis, talking about them keeping musical dialogue open, etc. maybe my french isn't top notch but the review seemed very positive.

[Strawman]

There is a review in the latest issue of Uncut Magazine...


What do they mean only 6 albums???


Underneath the Radar
Change the Weather
Dubnobasswithmyheadman
second toughest in the infants
BF
A Hundred days off
Oblivion with Bells
BARKING :p

[Caprice]

Welcome to Pitchfork...

All it gripes about is that Underworld are old, their 90's albums were so good, and that Louisiana wasn't powerful enough (???) I don't think the song was supposed to be sung with "real strength"...it's not a power ballad! What an awful review...he didn't really have anything bad to say about the other tracks, in fact it seemed like he did like the album quite a bit. In the old days Pitchfork actually used to make me mad, now I'm just confused, don't they have like, an editor??


I read this review at work, so happy im not the only one who thinks its bullshit. the only reason pitchfork even reviews Underworld's material is because Thom Yorke gave his little "they've been a big influence on us". fuck them!

(on a side note, i like Radiohead pretty good, but they're fans are laughable)
[and sorry y'all don't mean to spread hate]

[Sappys Curry]

Wait...Underworld was a big influence to Radiohead? If so, that is cool. Or maybe I misunderstood what ya said.

Btw, I like Radiohead too, but not too much (I think half their albums are only so-so) and I do dislike their diehard fans too. It's like, Radioheadache, right? :D

[khouri]

Wait...Underworld was a big influence to Radiohead? If so, that is cool. Or maybe I misunderstood what ya said.

When they played after Underworld at the All Points West festival in New York (actually New Jersey), Radiohead told the crowd that Underworld are a big influence on them before playing a sort of Underworldy version of "Everything in its Right Place".

[purlieu]

I remember Kid A got compared to Dubnobass in a few reviews when it came out.

[Caprice]

Wait...Underworld was a big influence to Radiohead? If so, that is cool. Or maybe I misunderstood what ya said.

Btw, I like Radiohead too, but not too much (I think half their albums are only so-so) and I do dislike their diehard fans too. It's like, Radioheadache, right? :D

ha yes exactly! I'm using that term next time!

[ThingInABook]

ed o'brien mentioned that the band were listening to underworld while making ok computer (the extensive sound layering in that album is based on STITI) and colin greenwood loves OwB. also, around 1999, they stoped recording sessions to attend to a uw gig and when they got out, pyramid song was recorded.

dun dun dun! and i don't think it's because of radiohead that uw is getting reviews in pitchfork. i think labels send records to reviewers to get some sort of promotion.

also, that score has nothing to do with the actual review.

[mark3]

I saw Underworld in the Grey Hall in Copenhagen in 1999. I was told later that Radiohead had also been in the crowd. So they must be fans true fans :-)

[TheBang]

NYU's Washington Square News:

http://nyunews.com/arts/2010/09/15/16underworld/

[Underworld] have teamed up with numerous co-producers to create an album heavy on uplift, if lacking in overall emotional payoff. The music is warm and welcoming, all sun and moon and gentle waves — far removed from the seedy, drug-and-debauchery-fueled scene of Underworld's older catalogue.

Herald Scotland

http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts-ents/music-reviews/underworld-barking-cooking-vinyl-1.1056313

The sum total is neither cohesive nor astounding, but Barking is still much more enjoyable and interesting than we probably had any right to expect.

PLAYBACK:stl

http://www.playbackstl.com/music-reviews/9878-underworld-barking-om

I fell in love with this album from the first beat and have had it on repeat ever since. I’ve long been a fan of London duo Karl Hyde and Rick Smith, way back from their initial 1980s releases (back when the band was—gasp!—an indie rock act). Admittedly, they lost me a bit with the overly techno stuff (basically much of the intervening years since then), but when they’re on, they’re on.

CHARTattack

http://www.chartattack.com/reviews/2010/sep/29/underworld-—-barking

But make no mistake: Barking is undeniably an Underworld album. And it's one of their best albums in years . . . Fans of Underworld won't find many surprises on Barking, especially if they got to watch the band road-test much of the new material during their last North American tour. What they will find is Underworld doing what they do best — and in many ways, doing it better than ever.

[froopy seal]

But make no mistake: Barking is undeniably an Underworld album. And it's one of their best albums in years . . . Fans of Underworld won't find many surprises on Barking, especially if they got to watch the band road-test much of the new material during their last North American tour. What they will find is Underworld doing what they do best — and in many ways, doing it better than ever.If you're aiming at being a music journalist, maybe you should at least try to do a little research on the matter at hand. Regarding the discussions that are going on here, I wouldn't claim that "fans of Underworld" do not exactly "not find many surprises on Barking". And what, exactly, is it that Underworld "do best" and "better than ever"?

Review rating: "utter void of significance".

[stimpee]

I saw Underworld in the Grey Hall in Copenhagen in 1999. I was told later that Radiohead had also been in the crowd. So they must be fans true fans :-)"In February 1999, the five members convened in Paris for a month during which almost nothing was achieved. The same thing happened in Copenhagen later, during which time each individual member had begun to have doubts as to whether the less traditional, less methodical approach the singer was trying to foist on them could ever work - and even if it did, whether there would be a place for them within it. " Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2000/oct/01/life1.lifemagazine

"In early 1999, Radiohead began work on a follow-up to OK Computer. Although there was no longer any pressure or even a deadline from their record label, tension during this period was high. Band members all had different visions for Radiohead's future, and Yorke was experiencing writer's block, influencing him toward a more abstract, fragmented form of songwriting.[36] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiohead#cite_note-ECCLES-35) Radiohead secluded themselves with producer Nigel Godrich in studios in Paris, Copenhagen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen), and Gloucester (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloucester), and in their newly completed studio in Oxford (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford)." Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiohead#Kid_A.2C_Amnesiac_and_a_change_in_sound_ .281999.E2.80.932001.29

So they were in the city around that time. The Gray/Grey Hall gig was 17/03/1999 so it fits the exact time that Radiohead were in the city. http://uwlive.rowla.com/gigs/view/142

[ThingInABook]

i've some scans of an article from The Word magazine - it seems that the greenwood bros. are big fans of underworld. will post them later.

[TheBang]

The Washington Post with a timely review:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/20/AR2010102007367.html

The experiment didn't yield music as experimental as the surging, sprawling compositions of the group's finest period. In fact, "Barking" is surprisingly conventional. But it compensates by being Underworld's most consistent album in more than a decade.