[purlieu]

Right. I wasn't expecting to like this album very much.

Bird 1. My initial response - not having known any earlier versions - was 'this sounds really... Underworld'. Apart from the synth plop I can't fault this, marvellous moody but rhythmic, reminds me of Mo Move in that way (not that they sound too similar). 8

Always Loved A Film. One of the few tracks I'd heard works in progress of, I wasn't fond of the earliest versions, the strings being my favourite part of the track. The beats are a bit club friendly simplistic, but on the whole I think it's a very strong track and a good choice of single. Catchy as hell. 8

Scribble. I really, really love the synths and the vocals, but the beat and short Pendulum-like synth around the 3:15 mark are utterly unforgivable and the absolutely last thing I want from an Underworld song. It's catchy, it's uplifting, it's cheap and it's awful. I dunno. 5?

Hamburg Hotel. A really odd one, with the really 90s Underworld elements I love, coupled with the dubsteppy production which is probably the least Underworld thing on the album. On the whole, though, I think it hangs together brilliantly, and is the sort of track I wasn't expecting at all. I like this. 7.5

Grace. This one is really haunting. The earlier version is stripped back and it gives the track a completely different feel. I think I might prefer that one, but this is still excellent. 8

Between Stars. This is too much. Much too much. Too many sounds, too loud, too intense vocals, production too chunky, just... no. I'm not too taken by the song itself, but I actually struggle to listen to this. 2

Diamond Jigsaw. I've heard one bootleg, and from that, this was the track I was dreading most, especially with PvD involved. I'm not sure what it is, maybe the guitar, but somehow it came out brilliantly. I can't stop listening. So uplifting and... just wonderful. 8

Moon In Water. I remember a lovely ambienty version of this which I loved. Instead, High Contrast pressed the demo button on a keyboard and came up with this rhythm. The synth sounds like the backing track to a pop ballad. Really, really don't like this. Go away. 2

Louisiana. Ok, the vocal effect is a bit much, but otherwise, I can't actually fault this. I mentioned in another thread that, by being so different, it's the most Underworld thing on the album. Very OWB (hurrah), but also different. A beautiful song that shows the band growing on their own. Love it. 8



On the whole, it's a collection of songs, mostly very good, but disjointed. It flat out does not deliver what I want from an Underworld album, but is an album I really enjoy nonetheless. I was kind of hoping for a continuation from OWB, simply down to my preference for subtler, moodier sounds, and I don't begrudge them for doing the opposite. I do wish it hung together better - with the exception of Bird 1 and Louisiana, the track order seems fairly irrelevant. It's top-ended with singles which fits given it's an intentionally poppy album, but it just doesn't flow. My other criticism is the production often sounding unlike Underworld. There are occasional moments - Hamburg Hotel, the middle section of Scribble especially - which sound like 'classic' Underworld and do make me a little sad that a lot of the album could be Someone feat. Karl Hyde if you didn't know better. Production-wise, at least. The songs are, with a couple of exceptions, very strong and the quality is good throughout. It's an interesting album, it's a brave album, it's an album I think I'm going to enjoy time and time, but I think it'll be a difficult album to love.