Thoughts on Barking (Track by Track)

[BrotherLovesDub]

Originally Posted by dc_04

bird 1 - great groove, but a little too dubfire for me.

alaf - way too much mark knight/d. ramirez

scribble - love parts of it.. one of my favorite tracks from the last few years of live sets, but ultimately, i find myself enjoying the demo versions much more than the final product.

hamburg hotel - agree with the other assessments.. great track, but never really gets there. still though, a great listen.

grace - no. imo, it's a lazy effort all around.. especially the vocal treatment. karl isn't the world's greatest microphone wrangler, but come on.. he sounds awful.

between stars - same as alaf. way too much MK/DR.

diamond jigsaw - pvd to the max. not my thing.

moon in water - the standout, for sure. incredible groove... can't help but move your body. i really, really like this one.

louisiana - sounds like an OwB track. personally, i love it, as i love this side of UW. i do agree, though, that it feels odd on an album full of club anthems.

simple peal - as great an ambient wash as underworld has ever produced. they are masters as creating these types of sonic textures. love the granulated bell. a nice bonus.


overall.. it will probably be at the bottom of the list of underworld albums for me. i'm just not into this sound. but, the boys definitely accomplished what they wanted - they have a whole heck of a lot of huge tunes that will slay any large festival, plus be absolutely slammed by all of the big DJs. add in the remixes that are soon to follow and you've got an album with a lot of legs in the club circuit.

you've got to respect an act that can put out an album of film-score inspired tunes, and then turn around the next time and drop a handful of the biggest dance numbers in years. that type of diversity is impressive.. and ultimately.. why i love this band so damn much.

i am very much looking forward to getting my hands on disc2 of the LE box. i have a feeling that's much more the album i was hoping for

- dc

This is the best critique summary i've read. I don't agree with you but you get it. Unlike some who question whether a band in the midst of the most creative cycle of their career are 'out of ideas'.

[big screen satellite]

Originally Posted by BrotherLovesDub

This is the best critique summary i've read. I don't agree with you but you get it. Unlike some who question whether a band in the midst of the most creative cycle of their career are 'out of ideas'.

i agree with BLD, i don't agree either, but its been 'got' as an idea which is great

however - 'getting your hands on' disc 2 is not getting 'the album', basically its the rejects -

i'm expecting ppl here to review the disc 2 as what should have been and thats wrong imo...
disc 2 is not 'Barking' the album or the album 90% of the people will buy -

disc 2 is a kinda thanks to the fans who listened to the process - the lemonworld jams etc - thanks for staying with us, but DISC 1 is the album and as such stands up

i hope there's no backlash when ppl get teh second disc

[34958hq439-qjw9v5jq298v5j]

Originally Posted by big screen satellite

i agree with BLD, i don't agree either, but its been 'got' as an idea which is great

however - 'getting your hands on' disc 2 is not getting 'the album', basically its the rejects -

i'm expecting ppl here to review the disc 2 as what should have been and thats wrong imo...
disc 2 is not 'Barking' the album or the album 90% of the people will buy -

disc 2 is a kinda thanks to the fans who listened to the process - the lemonworld jams etc - thanks for staying with us, but DISC 1 is the album and as such stands up

i hope there's no backlash when ppl get teh second disc

I feel the same. We don't know what we're getting with disc 2, even if the stuff we get will be good quality versions or not. They good just be like, poorly recorded jams. It's not clear that they'll be the original studio versions, though that's implied here, it may not be anything more than what we have already. That said UW is not exactly known for putting out poorly recorded garbage so I'm guessing it will at least sound good.

That said...before you call this the "rejects"...wasn't "Cherry Pie" a reject? "Parc"? "8 Ball"? "You Do Scribble"? UW have a reputation for having great rejects!

[joethelion]

1. Bird 1 - Have to agree - it's a great opening. Dubfire definitely has a heavy hand... but I kinda like it. It's also funny b/c I remember going to the Yoshitoshi Shop in DC (when he was a part of Deep Dish, they had a record store/ studio there)... and one time, I came in, and asked if he 'knew underworld' (meaning - are you aware of their music, b/c I wanted to buy similar stuff) -> he gave me a very annoyed reply of "Not personally" - completely missing the point, but I digress...

2. Always Loved A Film - It almost sounds too fun. Like, I'd feel silly if someone heard me blasting it on my car stereo

3. Scribble - I keep flip-flopping about this. I wonder how "You Do Scribble" would've sounded with lyrics... or this track without those synth stabs...

4. Hamburg Hotel - It reeeeeaaaaalllly reminds me of "Mosiac" and also of some of the old-old improvs (like around 94/95, especially 1995 Leicester University)

5. Grace - I think this track is great. I thought "Telematic Peal [Version.2]" (from the June 11th broadcast) was good enough on its own, but I dig the new pattern of the percussion... it's got a nice sway, instead of a steady pulse

6. Between Stars - for some reason... It kinda reminds me of Depeche Mode (like their live renditions of old standards, like "Enjoy the Silence"). Not a bad thing.

7. Diamond Jigsaw - Absolutely can't get into this song at all. It's the only song I couldn't listen through.

8. Moon In Water - I thought the original sounded "nice" and was very chill. Basically, it sounded like an OWB bside... this sounds like a SINGLE.

9. Louisiana - It actually made me a bit teary eyed. Just something about the tones, and the sounds really really got to me. The second half of the song or so - like when the live-sounding drums come in, sounds a bit Moby-ish. I mean, it seems that it's what Moby was trying to get at with "Hotel" (but Underworld succeeded)

10. Simple Peal - Really just feels like a bonus track. I couldn't tell any difference between it and the one that was available to download back in 2008. It fits in as well as Phonestrap would've...

[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.

[Sappys Curry]

I think it is solid, and I need more listens with it to form a better opinion. I'm sure this album will grow on me more.

(Songs below are listed in the order they are on the album)

Songs I think are very good: Bird 1, Always Loved A Film, Louisiana, Simple Peal
Songs I think are good: Hamburg Hotel, Diamond Jigsaw, Moon in Water
Songs I think are decent/okay: Scribble, Grace, Between Stars

Those last three are not too good to me (those listed as 'decent/okay'), but I don't dislike them (there is hardly any song from UW I dislike). I'd say my favorite of those three is Between Stars. I read an opinion that it is over produced and I agree it does seem so. Less is more sometimes (or maybe often times, heh).

I really do think the album will grow on me more with repeated listens. I don't think it'll beat OWB for me personally. I definitely don't think that this is the best album from them since STITI or Dubnobass like some do. No disrespect to their opinions, just stating my take on such comments. I don't think this album will beat BF or OWB for me, and it may or may not rank above AHDO for me. (To note, that is just my current speculation about the album vs. other UW albums)

But such things really aren't that important. I like this album, that is the bottom line. I like this album and it'll grow on me over more listens. I really look forward to what I call the alternate album (CD 2). I have a feeling that I'll like CD 2 of the box set more, and if this ends up being the case, that doesn't mean I'll just forget about the main album. It is exciting because CD 2 of the box set; with it, it is like we get two new albums from UW in the same month. And CD 2 isn't "the rejects" like someone said. It's the alternate album. It is unofficially another album from UW, if you ask me. Unofficially one, but I'll just chalk it up as another major release from them. It will be like the River Run series. A major release from UW that is geared for the diehard fans.

And about the bonus track, Simple Peal is a great track. It is no different from the version that has been around, but that is okay; the song is very good as it is. When I have YDS AR Version, I'll put Barking on my iPod with the nine tracks of the regular release (because I really like Louisiana as a closing track) and then make a playlist for the playlist category that has Simple Peal and YDS AR Version. Also, I hope that Are you Rockstar? gets a release on an EP. That deserves an official release. Same thing for Toobee. Another good track that could use an official release on an EP. Maybe they should release an EP with those two songs and Louisiana.

[34958hq439-qjw9v5jq298v5j]

Agreed. Simple Peal is a fantastic bonus track, and I kind of wish they'd do a full album of this kind of stuff (besides I'm a big Sister, etc.)

Finally figured out what bothered me about Jigsaw...the main melody is totally different! I was just hearing the old one in my head!

[the mongoose]

1. Bird 1 - Love the abstract & imaginative lyrics and the slow builing beat to start the fire off right. Getting more used to the hihats and synth plops in the percussion, and I think I’ve actually grown to like them in the mix now. Great choice as the warm up opener.


2. Always Loved a Film - Album version is a thick wall of sound (in a good way) from the beginning. The springy echo sounds at the start are much more prominant than they were on the radio edit. Catchy lyrics (HEAVEN chorus especially) and a perfect breakdown in the center of the track is what made this the obvious lead single. Love the piano stabs at the end too. As I described it in an earlier post, it kinda reminds me of a modern day Pink Floyd track that’s geared for the dancefloor.


3. Scribble - You Do Scribble is baked right in, so that is a huge plus for me…because that song has easily been one of my favorite new Underworld tracks that they've created in the last couple of years. The changes to it took a while to get used to, but I think its great as its own standalone single. Looking forward to hearing the Abbey Road version of You Do Scribble as well as the studio version of the original on Box Set cd 2. PM me if you happen to come across a copy of that ole illusive Abbey version.


4. Hamburg Hotel - Echoes of offbeat dubstep mixed with a tuba sounding bass that begins to modulate as the track evolves. Warbles of spoken word snippets zip around as well. Feels very rooted in Jazz, with the percussive elements shaking, scrubbing, and tapping away in a freeform style. Very alternative and subtlely layered track for sure. You should definitely reserve final judgement on this one until you give it a few listens…it will slowly grow on you!


5. Grace - Seems like a slow, introspective song at first, but somewhere around midpoint (about where the acoustic guitar part kicks in), the whole song feels like it gains a large amount of momentum that opens it up well. Catch myself humming and singing the lyrics to this one to myself quite a bit actually.


6. Between Stars - This is hands down the best treadmill running/ driving really fast song on the album. The lyrics are interesting and go well with the orchestrated high pitch synth pads that are featured throughout. Borderline cheese though.


7. Diamond Jigsaw – Glad that the “Chariots of Fire” synth was done away with in lieu of a more prominent guitar lead. In fact, the guitar solos on this track are the best part about it. Lyrics are fine and match well with the carefree, poke-your-chest-out vibe that the drums and guitar convey here so well. Obvious choice for next single or should it be Bird 1?


8. Moon in Water – Raped and left bloody in an alley. No, actually its not that bad of a reimagining. 70% of the lyrics are still there (this time spoken by Danielle) but it bugs me that they’re not fully intact…..the whole “present never invites….with knowing not which to depend….this is the time that you realize” part is completely snipped, with an almost taunting reminder that “things are constantly changing, changing, changing”. The rise and fall of the synth waves are much more intense, and make you forget that there is a far superior “original” version on Box Set cd 2…lol. That said, I still love this track.


9. Louisiana – Fits in on the album like a pale blonde boy on stage at the Apollo playing country music about hockey. But, regardless, it’s a very nice relaxing closer. Your friends and those in traffic around you will hate you so be forewarned. MANLY FEELINGS *grunts*.


10. Simple Peel – Calming atmospheric ambience, and the perfect true closing track to the album. Sub frequencies and subtle synth tones dance with sounds of bells, voices, and bits of static or silence. Amazing blast of fresh air that harkens back to the good ole’ Tongue and Blueski days of old.