New Underworld album - Barking (Sept. 13, Sept 2 Japan)

[purlieu]

Is it going to sound like Underworld, though? It's very surprising, they've always had a very defined sound - there are obviously tracks that deviate, and a lot of variation in there, but almost everything they've done sounds very 'Underworld' - so I'm wondering why they've chosen to do an entire record of collabs. Did they have trouble finishing off tracks so get other people in (I doubt it, but it did cross my mind)? I dunno, something like this I can imagine being a really interesting side-project, but for the actual new album I'm a bit disappointed. I suppose a lack of interest in the collaborators isn't helping matters, I've never liked High Contrast, and there's a lot of more minimal, laptoppy sounding techno in there which really doesn't seem to fit the lush vibe and chunky beats Underworld are usually capable of. As for PvD, Jesus Christ.
I do really want to like this album and I am going to give it a fair chance once I listen, but this tracklist is the biggest disappointment for me in a while, musically.

I think the press release pissed me off a bit too with the 'strongest in ten years' and 'return to form' stuff, considering OWB is my favourite Underworld record, haha.