Phases of Underworld

[holden]

Listened to a few of the LP's today, and got to thinking, "How have Underworld evolved?" Clearly mki into mk ii is a big leap, but although UW have a distinct sound, i think we can all agree, despite our favorites, each UW record has a unique "feel", new sounds and styles.

So. If you could describe each (major) Underworld release with a single word, what'd it be? And why?

Here's a personal view to get you started...

Dubnobasswithmyheadman: eclectic (clearly trying to define their new sound, dance tracks with a few leftovers from the synthpop days)

Second Toughest in The Infants: artistic (comfortable in the experimental role, with expansive tracks, dark moods, challenging melodies)

Beaucoup Fish: energetic (their most dance/singles oriented track, full of Detroit hooks, repeated themes, crisp production)

Everything, Everything: Celebratory (Every single, every album track comes of fas epic, well-planned and very well received. If this album came out a decade later, you could add "Two Months Off" to the mix)

A Hundred Days Off: Secure ( i remember reading interviews that the first UW LP without Emerson was going to be "more rock". It wasn't. In fact, the Moroder-esque basslines recalled a lot of "Beaucoup Fish". Still, some daring tracks, and everything well crafted, assuring us that Rick and Karl were secure in how to make danceable electronic music)

Oblivion With Bells:introspective (described by Karl as "the album Rick wanted to make", it's fairly low in the mix, more sound experiments, arpeggiating pianos, organic drum patterns and instrumentation)

Barking: Populist (collaborations/remixing/additional production abounds. While the bones of UW are there, each track is polished to a modern sheen, to appeal to fans of multiple genres).