OWB....best yet?

[Rog]

i am loving this album sooooooo much and ther are tracks that can bring tears to my eyes..... i am thinking that this could be their best album evr.....am i wrong or just blissed out?:D :D or just bolloxed:o

[cacophony]

i don't know that i think it's their best yet, but it'd rank it already as one of my faves. it's really the (disappointing) second half of the album that's keeping me from regarding it as the best. if i'm just looking at the first half up through glam bucket i'd say it was the best. definitely a hundred times better than a hundred days off.

[Jan]

A Hundred Days Off is ace. Why do people say shit about AHDO all the time?

Second half of OWB is best. Faxed Invitation owns.
But Pizza for Eggs owns OWB. Vanilla Monkey is the better Ring Road.

I don't know why people don't see the RiverRuns as proper albums... For me they are! Okay, maybe EPs.

[Jan]

Didn't they say that they see OWB as part of the Riverrun, but have put it out it as a 'physical' release, because their download only EPs haven't got that same attention?
I'm sure nobody would make a thread: "Pizza for Eggs - best yet?" :)

[holden]

My opinion:

Beaucoup>Dubno>OWB=STITI>AHDO.

But then, i go through moods with how i feel about albums. They each encapsulate certain periods of my life, which brings a certain fondness beyond just the music. And i still discover new bits in each. All i know is, i can always enjoy hearing Beaucoup Fish. OWB is very strong, but perhaps not the best yet. It doesn't grab as strong as the earlier LPs.
Also, by placing AHDO last by no means suggests i think it is a crap LP. It was certainly in heavy rotation for a while in 2002-03. It just doesn't hold up as well for me as the others.

[bryantm3]

nah... although it might rise higher in my rankings, i think dubno will always take the cake.

[Future Proof]

It's a very strong release but STITI will always be tops.

[dubman]

not on the same block, neighborhood, district, country, planet, or galaxy as their best album, personally. it's like a great placeholder in the distance between AHDO and their other albums. it great, but not beaucoup fish great, and not even approaching dubnobass and STITI, but it's clearly better than that shell-shocked AHDO.
while their position is much more sure than it was with their last album, and their sound is a pretty big step in a different direction, it still sounds like a band trying to shake off the possibility of attrition rather than having a completely sure hand at what they're doing. even the tune 'beautiful burnout', a well written track that justifiably gets chills going, is still reaching back about ten years into what makes a dance tune, and it's supposed to be the penultimate highlight of the album. underworld's excursions and internet distractions seem to be more rewarding than when they get serious and start making "album" songs. i always keep thinking that this album is much better than i'm giving it credit for until i remember that yes, if 'vanilla monkey' had replaced ring road or JAL to Tokyo would have bumped off boy boy boy this album would be so much better and more interesting.
i still love it to peices and feel that most of my excitement for it was well justified, because i still think it's a great album, but time enough with it has made it clear that there's still problems that inevitably come with an aging band that i hope they can defy the rule of thumb of and confront to really throw us on our ass again.

[Cadevil]

Hmm...

After multiple, multiple, multiple listenings this week I think I rank them this way...

STITI>dubno>OwB=BF>or=AHDO

OwB is a great album. What makes BF so strong are the singles. They are quite strong...and AHDO has some very strong moments that weren't exploited at all (no Luetin single?)

Every listen of OwB gets better for me...and I don't feel that the second half is weak in the slightest. The last three tracks are a perfect epic ending.

IMO

[matt]

am i wrong or just blissed out?:D :D or just bolloxed:oi'm guessing bolloxed ;)

it's nowhere near their best but it is a return to some sort of form

for what it's worth, imo:

dubno > STITI > (small gap) > BF > (big gap) > OWB > (absolutely huge fucking chasm of galactic proportions) > AHDO

[Blueski]

I think 'Beacoup Fish' is their best work. But 'OWB' is still a brilliant album.

And 'AHDO' was a good album -- maybe not great, but good.

[King of Snake]

BF has a lot of great individual tunes, but never felt very cohesive as an album. OWB succeeds in conveying some sort of over-arching mood and vibe that harks back to the STITI and Dubno days. I'm really really enjoying OWB, and I think the only thing that's kinda holding it back is the fact that it's so short (meaning, some of the tracks are too short and could have been worked into even better things, and I think it would have benefited from at least one more "big" track (like Darc :))

[//\/\/]

on listening to the first half of the album, i was thinking 'brilliant; this is going right up there...' and then the wheels just seem to fall off. 'ring road'?!? c'mon - the 'describe a dreary southern highstreet' things been done to death (and done better) over the past few years - it's just a sub-the streets that i cannot believe made it onto an uw release. they should've given it to lilly allen.

a real shame; because the first half is pretty sublime stuff, knitting and building so much emotion and warmth into the rythms - but then it just seems to lose interest in itself and venture off into noodling (like 90% of ahdo) - it's like the tracks aren't finished, but got lost...

so no - not the best yet; but happily on the upswing after 'days' - stop getting bollocksed rog ;)

[Rog]

hmmmmm, i love "best mamgu ever" and faxed invitation

[dubman]

i dont agree with the half and half stuff. i think it's just punctured by the occasional misstep.

while ring road is interesting to me because of what it is, i dont think it's actually a good song. i'll always hate boy boy boy, beautiful burnout has great moments but i can't get behind it as something huge, and i think mamgu is pretty lukewarm.

the rest is pretty great to me. i love cuddle bunny. faxed and glam bucket are big favorites too

[Rog]

i'm guessing bolloxed ;)

combination of everton v liverpool then Villa v man u then the rugby all in the pub:o

i still love the album though

[the real stuff]

The end of the album is my favorite. Starting with Cuddle Bunny which, for such a short and minimal track, is surprisingly beautiful.

I still haven't gotten into the first half too much. I will when I'm in a slightly more energetic mood.

The album sure has a lot of sides to it, and I think it features their most diverse sound to date. Ring Road is just fucking fun, and Boy, Boy, Boy sounds awful in the way Trim did the first dozen times I heard it. I like Trim now, so who knows.

[gambit]

Well, Rog is usually intoxicated. ;)

STITI > Dubno > Pizza for Eggs > BF > OWB > AHDO

[kid cue]

i hate "Ring Road." OWB is a charming record--i wish the whole thing were variations on "Faxed Invitation."

BF is still my favorite, and their best IMO. it still sounds so edgy today. everything else sans AHDO is matched at a very close second.

[galama]

In my opinion, the problem with OWB are the fill-in gaps between full tracks. They disrupt the already unsteady continuum of the tracks on the album...which themselves vary strongly in concept, rhytm and style. The dirtyness of faxed invitation redeems OWB from its weakest link: boy boy boy.

[ouch_spitmeout]

I have to admit i been out of touch with Underworld for the longest time. Today.a monday morning on my way to work in the rain i put on OWB for the first time and i finally found what i been missing the past 5 years. This album is beyond me to review! I cant find words to do it justice. It made me think of the past and future, and im falling in love over and over again i cant thank karl and rick enough for having made this. Definitely sounds like an album that could have been made 10 years ago and very timeless. OWB is enormous. Best yet it may be. And im only at Track 07! boy boy boy :)

[negative1]

BF has a lot of great individual tunes, but never felt very cohesive as an album. OWB succeeds in conveying some sort of over-arching mood and vibe that harks back to the STITI and Dubno days.

I'm really really enjoying OWB, and I think the only thing that's kinda holding it back is the fact that it's so short (meaning, some of the tracks are too short and could have been worked into even better things, and I think it would have benefited from at least one more "big" track (like Darc :))

i agree mostly with what you say..however, 'beaucoup fish' feels more
cohesive now, than when i first listened to it.

yeah, we all got spoiled to longer tracks from earlier albums,
however even on the 'riverrun' series, there were short
snippets between songs, and i guess they're just continuing
that here..

-1

[potatobroth]

I'm leaning towards Rog here. Although I can't help but feel the album is missing one more track. Other than that, I feel its right on par with their best.

[Flywaver]

I think STITI would of been the absolute Mother if Cherry Pie was used instead of Rowla. Still my top album though. When was Cherry Pie played live?

[Cadevil]

I think STITI would of been the absolute Mother if Cherry Pie was used instead of Rowla. Still my top album though. When was Cherry Pie played live?
European Club Gig

[TheBang]

I think STITI would of been the absolute Mother if Cherry Pie was used instead of Rowla. Still my top album though. When was Cherry Pie played live?
http://www.darktrain.org/dirty/forums/showthread.php?t=6834

[RandomViolence]

I, too, love this album and I rank it above every prior one but STITI.

Anyway, what I don't understand is how so many critics can seem to just pan it and call it a waste of time. I understand I'm a fanboy, but I can admit Underworld's mis-steps (at least what I consider to be them) and I have trouble understanding how OWB is one of them.

[RandomViolence]

Boy, Boy, Boy sounds awful in the way Trim did the first dozen times I heard it. I like Trim now, so who knows.

The only version of Trim I can stand is the epic version that was played at Maida Vale. I had to carve that one out of the recording for the MP3 player. So much better than the studio version.

[koisk]

Trim > Boy Boy Boy > Rest of OWB > Rest of AHDO

[potatobroth]

Trim > Boy Boy Boy > Rest of OWB > Rest of AHDO

I dont even want to touch this one :)

[cacophony]

i agree mostly with what you say..however, 'beaucoup fish' feels more
cohesive now, than when i first listened to it.

i'd agree. part of the reason BF is my favorite is precisely because it feels balanced and coherent throughout. start that first note and drive straight through to the last.

[holden]

Okay, so certain tracks are growing on me, and some from the previous albums are less exciting to me with time. And so on.

Inspired by this thread and negative1's statistical posts :p , (and a lil boredom), i ranked all the UW (mk2-3) album tracks, to see where OWB fits in today. I haven't listened to the other albums for awhile (Dubno was last week, and AHDO maybe 2 weeks ago), so the numerical score (out of 10, whole numbers only) is just how i feel at this very moment. I'm sure these scores would change if i listened today! Anyway....here's some fodder for discussion (i.e. "How can you give "Mo Move" a higher score than "Pearls girl"??, etc). It's all subjective, so whatever.

Score (out of 10)Oblivion With Bells (2007)
Crocodile8
Beautiful Burnout10
Holding the Moth9
To Heal8
Ring Road7
Glam Bucket9
Boy,Boy,Boy7
Cuddle Bunny vs the Celtic Villages5
Faxed Invitation8
Good Morning Cockerel6
Best Mamgu Ever7

album average7.6

A Hundred Days Off (2002)
Mo Move10
Two Months Off9
Twist8
Sola Sistem6
Little Speaker7
Trim4
Ess Gee5
Dinosaur Adventure 3D8
Ballet Lane7
Luetin9

album average7.3

Beaucoup Fish (1999)
Cups10
Push Upstairs9
Jumbo9
Shudder/King of Snake9
Winjer7
Skym6
Bruce Lee7
Kittens8
Something Like a Mama7
Push Downstairs6
Moaner9

album average 7.9

Second Toughest in the Infants(1996)
Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream of Love10
Banstyle/Sappy's Curry9
Confusion the Waitress8
Rowla8
Pearl's Girl9
Air Towel8
Blueski6
Stagger7

album average 8.1

Dubnobasswithmyheadman (1993)
Dark and Long8
Mmm Skyscraper I love You8
Surfboy5
Spoonman7
Tongue7
Dirty Epic9
Cowgirl10
River of Bass8
M.E.8

album average 7.8

So, looks like it's STITI>BF>Dubno>OWB>AHDO for me today. I'm surprised myself! I always can listen to BF, any time, any place, but have to be in a certain mood for STITI. yet there it is, on the strength of it's two mega-awesome lead-off tracks.

Cheers,
Holden

[negative1]

i'm not sure about ranking the songs,
but if album plays mean anything:

rough guesses, for the last 10 years


-------------------------------------
second toughest in the infants over 600
dubnobasswithmyheadman over 400
beaucoup fish over 100
everything everything <50
a hundred days off <50
riverrun <10
tokyo live <10
oblivion with bells <10



singles
--
pearls girl singles <200
born slippy singles <100
king of snake <100
dirty epic <50
dark and long <50
cowgirl <50
push upstairs <50
riverun mixes <50
crocodile <20
cowgirl 00 <20
born slippy 03 <20
jumbo <20
bruce lee <10
two months off <10
dinosaur adventure 3d<10


later
-1

[dubman]

that looks so tempting to do right now... just because i know it would turn out weird.

ah fuck it, you can just scroll over it.
---------------------
Oblivion With Bells
---
Crocodile - 8
Beautiful Burnout - 8
Holding the Moth - 8.5
To Heal - 7
Ring Road - 6
Glam Bucket - 10
Boy, Boy, Boy - 3
Cuddle Bunny vs. The Celtic Villages - 9
Faxed Invitation - 10
Good Morning Cockerel - 8
Best Mamgu Ever - 7
Loads of Birds - 8

average - 7.7
------------------------
A Hundred Days Off
---
Momove - 6.5
Two Months Off - 8
Twist - 6
Sola Sistim - 4
Little Speaker - 10
Trim - 6
Ess Gee - 7
Dinosaur Adventure 3D - 4
Ballet Lane - 8
Luetin - 10

average - 6.95
-----------------
Beaucoup Fish
---
Cups - 10
Push Upstairs - 10
Jumbo - 7
King of Snake - 8.5
Winjer - 7
Skym - 6
Bruce Lee - 8
Kittens - 10
Push Upstairs - 7.5
Something Like a Mama - 7
Moaner - 10

average - 8.2
--------------------------------
Second Toughest In The Infants
---
Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream of Love - 8
Banstyle/Sappys Curry - 10
Confusion the Waitress - 10
Rowla - 8.5
Pearls Girl - 9
Air Towel - 10
Blueski - 7.5
Stagger - 8

average - 8.875
--------------------------------
Dubnobasswithmyheadman
---
Dark and Long - 9
MMM Skyscraper I Love You - 9
Surfboy - 6
Spoonman - 8.5
Tongue - 9
Dirty Epic - 9.5
Cowgirl - 10
River of Bass - 8.5
M.E. - 5

average - 8.28


STITI>>Dubnobass=BF>OWB>>>AHDO

makes perfect sense to me. although all the scores seem a little harsh.

Let's add riverrun:
lovely broken thing
jal to tokyo - 9
billy goat - 8
peggy sussed - 10
dub shepherd - 9
lenny penne - 6
monkey wink - 8
witness - 6

album average - 8

pizza for eggs
food a ready - 10
back in the fears - 7
vanilla monkey - 10
flatz - 3
ancient phat farm coat - 10
play pig - 8

album average - 8

i'm a big sister etc...
peachtree - 7
mowed path - 6
showlder - 3
wedge - 7
11 hundred hz - 7

album average - 6

making it: STITI>>Dubnobass=BF>LBT=PFE>OWB>>>AHDO>>>I'maBigSister

[negative1]

i'm not sure about ranking the songs,
but if album plays mean anything:

rough guesses, for the last 10 years


-------------------------------------
riverrun <10


later
-1

by the way, that count is going way up every
day now, as i've listened to each one a lot more,
i'm sure it will reach the low hundreds eventually..

later
-1

[potatobroth]

i tried a different scoring method, but have no idea how to interpret it. but whatever. i was bored too.

1= Fantastic
2= Great
3= Good
4= S'okay
S= Skip (I'll skip unless I'm listening to the entire album in order. 5 points)

Oblivion With Bells
[1] Crocodile
[2] Beautiful Burnout
[3] Holding the Moth
[2] To Heal
[1] Ring Road
[2] Glam Bucket
[S] Boy, Boy, Boy
[S] Cuddle Bunny
[1] Faxed Invitation
[S] Good Morning Cockerel
[2] Best Mamgu Ever
--------------------
[14]/8 tracks = 1.75
[29]/11 tracks = 2.6


A Hundred Days Off
[3] Mo Move
[1] Two Months off
[2] Twist
[2] Sola Sistem
[S] Little Speaker
[2] Trim
[S] Ess Gee
[3] Dinosaur Adventure 3D
[3] Ballet Lane
[1] Luetin
--------------------
[17]/8 tracks = 2.125
[27]/10 tracks = 2.7


Beaucoup Fish
[2] Cups
[2] Push Upstairs
[1] Jumbo
[1] Shudder/King of Snake
[3] Winjer
[S] Skym
[3] Bruce Lee
[1] Kittens
[4] Something Like a Mama
[S] Push Downstairs
[2] Moaner
--------------------
[19]/9 tracks = 2.1
[29]/11 tracks = 2.6

Second Toughest in the Infants
[1] Juanita
[2] Banstyle
[3] Confusion the Waitress
[1] Rowla
[1] Pearl's Girl
[3] Air Towel
[S] Blueski
[S] Stagger
--------------------
[11]/6 tracks = 1.8
[20]/8 tracks = 2.5

Dubnobasswithmyheadman
[3] Dark and Long
[2] Mmm Skyscraper
[S] Surfboy
[1] Spoonman
[3] Tongue
[1] Dirty Epic
[1] Cowgirl
[4] River of Bass
[S] M.E.
--------------------
[15]/8 tracks = 1.9
[25]/9 tracks = 2.8


The Completely Arbitrary and Unscientific Results:
Lowest (Best) Average of Listened-To Tracks:
1.75 Oblivion With Bells
1.8 Second Toughest in the Infants
1.9 Dubnobasswithmyheadman
2.11 Beaucoup Fish
2.125 A Hundred Days Off

Lowest (Best) Average of All Album Tracks:
2.5 Second Toughest in the Infants
2.6 Oblivion With Bells
2.6 Beacoup Fish
2.8 Dubnobasswithmyheadman
2.7 A Hundred Days Off

What does this prove? Probably nothing.

[holden]

What does this prove? Probably nothing.

It proves that we are all bored and kinda totally obsessed with Underworld.:D

[m.g.]

Mmmm... what about this one? ----> Dubno = STITI = BF = AHDO = OWB ;)

I think the only one I could downgrade a bit would be AHDO, but in an insignificant rate anyway...

[cacophony]

oh god this is tempting...

the quasi-scientific approach, i mean.

[Cadevil]

I'll have a go...

Score (out of 10)Oblivion With Bells (2007)
Crocodile 9
Beautiful Burnout 8
Holding the Moth 7
To Heal 2
Ring Road 7
Glam Bucket 6
Boy,Boy,Boy 8
Cuddle Bunny vs the Celtic Villages 2
Faxed Invitation 6
Good Morning Cockerel 9
Best Mamgu Ever 9

album average 6.63


A Hundred Days Off (2002)
Mo Move 9
Two Months Off 7
Twist 6
Sola Sistem 8
Little Speaker 3
Trim 6
Ess Gee 4
Dinosaur Adventure 3D 5
Ballet Lane 4
Luetin 10

album average 6.2

Beaucoup Fish (1999)
Cups 7
Push Upstairs 9
Jumbo 4
Shudder/King of Snake 5
Winjer 4
Skym 6
Bruce Lee 6
Kittens 4
Something Like a Mama 6
Push Downstairs 8
Moaner 7
album average 6


Second Toughest in the Infants(1996)
Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream of Love 9
Banstyle/Sappy's Curry 10
Confusion the Waitress 8
Rowla 6
Pearl's Girl 9
Air Towel 6
Blueski 5
Stagger 10

album average 7.8


Dubnobasswithmyheadman (1993)
Dark and Long 8
Mmm Skyscraper I love You 7
Surfboy 4
Spoonman 6
Tongue 8
Dirty Epic 9
Cowgirl 10
River of Bass 5
M.E. 4

album average 6.7

That's STITI>>dubno>OwB>AHDO>BF

Surprised myself there with the BF and AHDO scores. The scores are so subjective though...I mean I listen to all these albums straight through. A score of 2 in the world of UW is still much higher than if I were comparing them to songs from other bands.

[cacophony]

this is a bit of a surprise. i really thought this would align perfectly with the assumptions i included in my sig file. looks like i'm going to have to update. not really sure why my ranking from memory placed dubno so low. probably because the synth sounds are a little dated now and that tends to skew my judgement when i'm not listening to it.

forgive the order, i went alphabetically because it was easier that way:

beaucoup fish
cups - 9
push upstairs - 9
jumbo - 8
shudder/king of snake - 10
winjer - 6
skym - 4
bruce lee - 9
kittens - 10
push downstairs - 7
something like a mama - 4
moaner - 10

album average - 7.81

dubnobasswithmyheadman
dark & long - 8
mmm... skyscraper i love you - 9
surfboy - 5
spoonman - 8
tongue - 6
dirty epic - 10
cowgirl - 10
river of bass - 2
m.e. - 5

album average - 7.6

a hundred days off
mo move - 8
two months off - 9
twist - 6
sola sistim - 5
little speaker - 5
trim - 4
ess gee - 3
dinosaur adventure 3D - 9
ballet lane - 7
luetin - 10

album average - 6.6


oblivion with bells
crocodile - 10
beautiful burnout - 10
holding the moth - 8
to heal - 7
ring road - 9
glam bucket - 10
boy boy boy - 1
cuddle bunny vs the celtic villages - 2
faxed invitation - 7
good morning cockerel - 6
best mamgu ever - 8

album average - 7.1


second toughest in the infants
juanita/kiteless/to dream of love - 10
banstyle/sappys curry - 8
confusion the waitress - 8
rowla - 9
pearls girl - 10
air towel - 7
blueski - 4
stagger - 7

album average - 7.87

so that makes it:
stiti > bf > dubno > owb > ahdo
i think i tend to misjudge owb and want to think it ranks higher because the first half is so strong. if the second half matched the first half it would have beaten stiti.


if i rank the riverrun releases this is how it works out:

lovely broken thing
jal to tokyo - 9
billy goat - 8
peggy sussed - 9
dub shepherd - 5
lenny penne - 10
monkey wink - 6
witness - 4

album average - 7.2

i'm a big sister etc...
peachtree - 5
mowed path - 6
showlder - 3
wedge - 2
11 hundred hz - 9

album average - 5

pizza for eggs
food a ready - 10
back in the fears - 7
vanilla monkey - 6
flatz - 3
ancient phat farm coat - 10
play pig - 7

album average - 7.16

which makes the total ranking as follows:
stiti > bf > dubno > lbt > pfe > owb > ahdo > big sister

[Dirty0900]

Anyone else think they could have made Croc and Burnout in to one giant track instead of splitting it?

[potatobroth]

Anyone else think they could have made Croc and Burnout in to one giant track instead of splitting it?

could have? sure. should have? no way.

[BrotherLovesDub]

Anyone else think they could have made Croc and Burnout in to one giant track instead of splitting it?


you can do this yourself w/ iTunes (and whatever software you use).

select both songs, click Advance/Join CD Tracks

[negative1]

Anyone else think they could have made Croc and Burnout in to one giant track instead of splitting it?

isn't it already one big track? there's overlap between them.
they're NOT split..at least to me.. in fact i'm still trying to
remove the beginning of 'crocodile' from 'beautiful burnout'
using the full promo 'album' version..

later
-1

[Dirty0900]

isn't it already one big track? there's overlap between them.
they're NOT split..at least to me.. in fact i'm still trying to
remove the beginning of 'crocodile' from 'beautiful burnout'
using the full promo 'album' version..

later
-1

Well yes it is one big track, but could it not have been the new Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream Of Love?

[Flywaver]

Well yes it is one big track, but could it not have been the new Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream Of Love?

There can be only one Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream Of Love!
But i rate Beautiful Burnout as well as there most defining moments along with the original Born Slippy,Kittens and Peach Tree for me. :cool:
Peach Tree would of made a fantastic intro at the gigs i am sure and then blended maybe into 5 foot 5 and Bamboo.

[geoff]

Croc and BB are so different in terms of feel that they deserve separate track numbers.

Juanita/Kiteless/TDOL are very similar in feel. I think uw were going for a David Lynch sort of thing. He doesn't put chapters on his dvd's because he wants people to experience them as a whole.

[TomTom]

I will never say this or that album is the best because if I listen to them, I thoroughly enjoy them all..well mabye not the beginnings with Underneath the radar but everything after that. OWB is a fucking masterpiece of music with so much variation and the only complaint I have about it is that is not long enough after a five years break and 1-2 nine minute long dancefloor killer tracks could have been added. I love the longer tracks and if it would belong to me, each CD would have their own Thing in a book-a like track. :D

[negative1]

Croc and BB are so different in terms of feel that they deserve separate track numbers.

Juanita/Kiteless/TDOL are very similar in feel. I think uw were going for a David Lynch sort of thing. He doesn't put chapters on his dvd's because he wants people to experience them as a whole.

[ot rant]
david lynch films are great,

BUT THAT IS EXACTLY why i rip/split up his movies,
i'm sorry , but how many times am i going to sit through
the entire movie start to finish (which i try to do) everytime..

sometimes i want to jump to a certain part, or repeat
parts of it..

that's just arrogant...there's an option called 'play all'
that he should look into...

---

as for juanita/kiteless/to dream of love,

i don't know about similiar, one is definitely downtempo,
the other hard beats, and the last part is chill..

now banstyle/sappys curry definitely go togther,
but i usually don't listen to this track, so i don't know
how those would be split..

later
-1

[negative1]

( interest vs time)


Chart 1

Interest
High
^
|X * * * * * * * * * #
| X # +
| X # +
| X # +
| #X +
| # X +
| # X
| + X
| + X
| + X
| + X
|+ X
| X
| X
| X
|
___________|___________________________________> Time
Low
0 3 Years 10
Interest vs time
legend : X , depreciation of album that is good at start,
but loses interest
+ , album that is not that interesting at first,
but improves over time...
* , album that is good, and stays that way,

# , started off good, and got better

* = second toughest in the infants
# = dubnobasswithmyheadman
+ = beacoup fish
X = one hundered days off


at some point i need to add 'everything everything', and the riverrun releases..

later
-1

[patrick]

Fully agreed with your graph -1... (although with a minor aside: i was given STITI the year it came out and didn't like it then, but then put it on another year later and was blown away... probably after being introduced with more mainstream stuff into electronic etc)

too early to tell about OWB... i am certainly super impressed with half of the albumn, and the other half is a bit of a disintrest to me...

[gillenium]

I'm liking the album more and more on each listen through. I don't really understand all the Ring Road and Boy Boy Boy hate on this forum. I like both tracks! Ring Road is especially fun to sing along with, catchy as hell. BoyBoyBoy is very un-Underworld, I'll grant you that, but I think it's a mighty-fine take on the Rock genre.

I understand what they were trying to do by adding Cuddle Bunny and Cockerel, they were trying to make a steady-flowing album, but come on... they passed up Darc to put this stuff on? That's ridiculous. After 5 years of no album, I would expect a full-on best-stuff-we-have assault on my ears... but whatever. The album is still amazing.

My girlfriend says Best Mamgu Ever is the best Underworld track ever.

[mmm skyscraper]

My girlfriend says Best Mamgu Ever is the best Underworld track ever.

I wish it went on for longer.

[bryantm3]

the thing that lets me down so much is the last song. they've always had amazing last songs, cohesive, with lyrics, that are complex and very strong musically.

'best mamgu ever' is like emerson lake and palmer's aboddon's bolero.

[patrick]

the thing that lets me down so much is the last song. they've always had amazing last songs, cohesive, with lyrics, that are complex and very strong musically.

'best mamgu ever' is like emerson lake and palmer's aboddon's bolero.
wrong... it is among the best tracks on the albumn...

[potatobroth]

If "Boy, Boy, Boy" was called, "Affliction" and released on a Depeche Mode album, you wouldn't think anything of it. Its not that its a bad song, but man, it sure as shit isn't an Underworld song as much as it is a Depeche Mode remix.

That might as well be Dave Gahan singing with Martin Gore doing the harmony. Even though I can tell its Karl's voice, it still slowly turns into Depeche Mode everytime I hear it.

Ring Road, on the other hand, is pure awesomeness.

[King of Snake]

I'm having a hard time deciding what to think of OWB. There's a couple of great tracks, mainly Crocodile, BB and Mamgu, then there's a bunch that are ok, like To Heal, Faxed Invitation and Cockerel (these are all great sounding tunes but they all feel under-developed to me). Then there's a couple of tracks that have really started to grate on me like Glam Bucket (depressing and the violin-like sounds are annoying me) and Holding the Moth (I like the vocals of it but what's with all the cheesy piano noodling and stuff coming in at the end?).
Ring Road... can't decide if it's brilliant or rubbish really... jury is still out on this one. Boy Boy Boy, I'm kinda getting into it but again it doesn't really go anywhere interesting enough.

All in all so far: some cool tracks, with most notable standout the brilliant BB and Crocodile a close second. But ultimately dissapointing and still kinda puzzled about how some of these tracks made it onto the album while tracks like Darc are left on the shelf. And truth be told I think some of the Darren Price stuff they've been playing live the past couple of years was more exciting and fresh sounding than a lot of OWB.

[potatobroth]

You know, I'm starting to agree with you, KoS on Holding the Moth. It works well on the album in straight listens, but as a single song it really seems sort of odd. Kind of reminds me of Little Speaker, but not in a good way.

[BrotherLovesDub]

And truth be told I think some of the Darren Price stuff they've been playing live the past couple of years was more exciting and fresh sounding than a lot of OWB.

i was thinking just the opposite. Price's stuff is very loop oriented and 1 dimensional. it's just a kick, simple bassline and looped vocal. every one of his tunes is the same. it's nice that they use them to join tracks but they're very plain tracks on their own.

Faxed Invitation needs that guitar bit from the version that opened the Lux gig.

the only tracks i don't enjoy on the album are the 2min ambient songs - To Heal, Cuddle Bunny, whatever the other one is called.

Peach Tree and Loads of Birds are both better.

the joy of the digital age is we can create a cd or mp3 playlist with exactly what songs in what order we want. Underworld have put out the album they wanted to deliver. we can assemble the tracks however we want. we all win.

[potatobroth]

[snip] Peach Tree [snip]

buh? whats Peach Tree?

[holden]

the joy of the digital age is we can create a cd or mp3 playlist with exactly what songs in what order we want. Underworld have put out the album they wanted to deliver. we can assemble the tracks however we want. we all win.

This is so true. All i need are a few studio-version downloads from UWLive (somewhat promised in that mtv interview) and i'll work up my personal version of Oblivion with Bells.

Oblivion with Holden: (TBD, 2008?)

1. Crocodile
2. Beautiful Burnout
3. To Heal (...and restore broken bodies; Mr. Smith vocal version)
4. Always Loved a Film
5. Holding the Moth
6. Ring Road
7. Glam Bucket
8. Boy, Boy, Boy
9. Darc
10. Faxed invitation
11. best Mamgu Ever
12. Metal Friend
13. Phonestrap6/Autotrader4
14. You Do Scribble

(cut: LP "To heal"; "CBvstCV", "Good Morning Cockerel")

[patrick]

looks a lot better holden, except ring road, and i don't know what metal friend is.... (and i don't know if you do scribble should be there...

[aceface]

I'm surprised Boy,Boy,Boy is not getting more love here. I love how it (and as I've taken it to mean the titular "Boy") morphs from tough/aggressive/showy to sad/vulnerable/pathetic about halfway through the song...when the lyric "I hurt myself like this sometimes" hits with the music change it gets me every time. That's what I take it to mean anways, I've not taken a look at all the lyrics or anything.

On topic, this album is ranked second after Second Toughest for me. At first I was not liking the second half either but after repeated listens...I love it. It's Underworld liberated from making the big dance tune and making the music they feel...there's nothing like Dinosaur Adventure 3D here.

[mmm skyscraper]

I really like Good Morning Cockerel.

"off with your head off with your head" from Boy Boy Boy makes me think it's some bizarre retelling of Alice in Wonderland (plus there was that Alcie video set to Big Mouth on youtube a while back, not that they are really connected except in my mind)

[BrotherLovesDub]

buh? whats Peach Tree?


was on Big Sister RRP and Crocodile CD single.

[Rog]

I wish it went on for longer.

me too, i love it! .....

[King of Snake]

i was thinking just the opposite. Price's stuff is very loop oriented and 1 dimensional. it's just a kick, simple bassline and looped vocal. every one of his tunes is the same. it's nice that they use them to join tracks but they're very plain tracks on their own.


well ok they are not really completely developed tracks and are probably not meant as such, but I find myself enjoying those tracks a lot more when listening to the live gigs than, say, Glam Bucket.
Maybe I'm just still kinda waiting for more beat-oriented material from uw since this album is overall so ambient, and Price's track fill that gap because they have kind of an uw sound to them.


Faxed Invitation needs that guitar bit from the version that opened the Lux gig.

Hmm I never heard this sadly. But sounds like it could be nice.

[TheBang]

I don't understand why you keep saying you've never heard it. The credits on the artwork say "mastering by king of snake." Is that a different King of Snake?

[dubman]

the flac on that keeps messing me up on faxed and only faxed from lux. i've tried other decoders and i get the same error. rrr!

[King of Snake]

I don't understand why you keep saying you've never heard it. The credits on the artwork say "mastering by king of snake." Is that a different King of Snake?

uh... well I'm confused. It must have been me :) But I can't recall hearing Faxed Invitation... wil try and refresh my memory when I get home.

[Cerberus]

Dubno = STITI = BF = ADHO = OWB

Every album has a couple of dissapointing tracks, as...

Dubno > Spoonman (oh my god what happened to you guys!?)
BF > Something Like a Mama (:eek: )
ADHO > Trim (:eek: :eek: )

...but it's Underworld! Every album has GREAT tracks!

Glam Bucket in OWB is a great example.

[cacophony]

i was watching "footwear repair" again today and brother, i was reminded of how good "spoonman" really is. it's a really great track.