[Lx_Nen]

Ok, since everyone else is having a go, I might as well too...

Bird 1 - I can't think of any time I've ever said this about a track before... it's too long. For me, 3 mins 15 seconds to get to the chorus doesn't work for such a poppy song. Having said that, trimming 2 minutes off the front and sticking 2 more of development at the end would be great, I'm thinking 'Cups' part II... actually, this is a comment on the whole album, one of the great things about underworld is that they often start off somewhere, and end up somewhere else. Nothing on this album does that, which I think makes it feel a lot less underworld-y... anyway 9/10

Always Loved a Film - Massive, uplifting... perfect pop. I really hope the public gets to hear this, if Depeche Mode or New Order had written it, it would be a worldwide number 1. 9.5/10

Scribble - Massive, uplifting... but lightweight. I've had a blast deafening myself with this down country lanes with the top down in the sun, but I just know I'll be skipping past it in about 6 months. Could have been amazing if it morphed into the wilder bits of YDS after about 5m 30s. 7/10

Hamburg Hotel - aah, the inevitable 'one I don't like'. The unfunky drums sound forced, and there's no sense of direction. It's got an AHDO sound to it, and not in a good way. If I was in charge, I'd have tucked this away on a b-side and put 'Downpipe' in it's place, a killer tune that would have filled this spot perfectly. 4/10

Grace - a good, solid album track, I like it a lot... but continuing my theme of what ifs, I'd rather have had Bamboo in it's place. 6/10

Between Stars - Massive, uplifting... we're back into 'every track's a hit single' territory here. Needs Rick to do several longer mixes (and not just farm it out to whoever gets their name written in this month's mixmag the most). 9/10

Diamond Jigsaw - Massive, uplifting... still firmly in 'every track's a hit single' territory. I really love the song, but I find the vocal is a bit muffled. It's tuly epic, and yet strangely this has a strong Underworld MK1 feel to it, which is odd, but refreshing. Could have done with Trevor Horn instead of PVD, but you can't have everything! 9.5/10

Moon in Water - my absolute favourite track. While the rest of the album is overtly 'pop' (and is damn good at it), this track somehow manages to condense all the quirkiness and depth that's missing from the first 7 tracks in to something that, if you tried to describe it in words, ought to be an unlistenable self-indulgent pile of tosh, but actually manages to be both the most 'underworldly' thing on the album (despite Karl not doing the vocals) and also the most catchy. My only criticism is that it's criminally short. 10/10

Louisiana - hmm, I normally despise ballads, and I really, really don't like the vibrato effect on the vocals, but it's damn good at being what it is. 6/10