New Album: Barbara Barbara, we face a shining future (March 18, 2016)

[dubman]

Originally Posted by TheBang

Yes


Sorry, Alan, we have to take back your forum curmudgeon card now.

pretty sure BLD took that championship belt from me awhile ago

[stimpee]

For those of you that want to hear the album, theres an interview with Karl (a good interview), interspersed with 6 of the 7 album tracks, plus the Koze remix of I Exhale.

1. Introduction -
2. If Rah -
3. Karl Hyde Interview #1 -
4. Low Burn -
5. Karl Hyde Interview #2 -
6. I Exhale -
7. Karl Hyde Interview #3 -
8. Santiago Cuatro -
9. Karl Hyde Interview #4 -
10. Ova Nova -
11. Karl Hyde Interview #5 -
12. Motorhome -
13. Karl Hyde Interview #6 -
14. I Exhale (DJ Koze Remix) -

If you want to hear Nylon Strung then check out the Bristol show from 6Music (about 57mins in).

[potatobroth]

anyone know anything about the Japanese bonus track?

[potatobroth]

full playthru... man that felt short. i know that wont matter in a few days of listening as it will end mushed into all their other tracks. Could be because I'm not all that fond of I Exhale and see myself skipping the longest track on the album.

[testudo]

Originally Posted by potatobroth

I'm not all that fond of I Exhale and see myself skipping the longest track on the album.

The remix is so much better, than the original... they should just play that out

[Dino3D]

Santiago is sadly just a boring filler. 7 tracks are too less to have fillers.

[hexagoneye]

Sadly i'm not really feeling the album as a whole, there are a few decent tracks but come on, 7 songs is too little and the quality just isn't what i'd hoped for. Where is the energy from the same group that brought us tracks like cowgirl, rez, king of snake etc? I know they didn't want to just churn out the same formula that people expect, but then i don't think any of these new tracks are particularly new or groundbreaking to be honest. It sounds like a tired Underworld to me and they haven't even released anything in 7 years Barking was considerably better and got a lot of play from me which i don't think this album will be getting.

"Pleasant" is about the best i can give this album. I'm not trying to be too harsh, very few groups can sustain classic albums again and again, it can;t be easy.

[potatobroth]

I Exhale and If Rah feel to me like they want to be Juanita/Kiteless style; one song that transforms. Exhale can be 3-4min, and then transition into If Rah.

Low Burn is quite pretty. Santiago is ok, but its not something I'll want to listen to after once or twice. Motorhome is gorgeous, fully fleshed-out, and chill. I love it. Ova Nova is pretty and has a nice thump to it. Nylon Strung is good.

So overall its a nice, super-short, album. I don't see myself playing this one cover-to-cover like STiTI, BF or Dubno. I'll prob. end up grabbing my 3 faves from BB and going with that.

Lastly, I don't think Exhale works at all live. After the initial drop, there's not much live going for it. Its not showcasing Karl or RIck, and its not evolving. Comparing Rick's "1 2 3 4!" of Downpipe from the Ibiza show to Rick's "1 2 3 4!" of I Exhale - its not even close. Downpipe crushes it.

[TheBang]

Did Rick seriously give us a techno Bo Diddley Beat in If Rah?

They've both expressed their admiration for Bo Diddley before. I'd be surprised if this is a complete coincidence.

[dubman]

Further down the Adult Contemporary hole we go...

kidding.

kinda.

I was prepared to have a laugh at it but I'm getting friendly with it. I like this sound better than where OWB was aesthetically, and it's a damn sight better than pretty much anything on Barking (aside from Bird 1). it's low on the bpms, but there's a dignity in not trying to make hype tracks when you're fifty-seven years old. first two tracks are too goofball to advocate for, but they're fun and got in my head anyhow (i'm expecting some sort of 90s-style, 5fps video to accompany If Rah). Low Burn and Ova Nova are my takeaway "oh yes please" jams where i feel some ghost of a specific UW thrill, while Motorhome seems like the weakest link (a whole lot of chemical brothers done really cheesy and slowed down with some un-ignorably iffy words). the closer sounds like it'd go great live yet it's a bit empty in a strange way.

but more than anything I'm relieved this is free of crippling embarrassments like Ring Road or Boyx3 or half of Barking.