Thoughts on Barking (Track by Track)

[34958hq439-qjw9v5jq298v5j]

I really enjoy this album so far. As for your comments - I disagree about Scribble. That's at least a 9 for me. I wish they had closed the album with it. That would have been epic. Maybe something about it just really gets to me.

Hamburg Hotel I totally agree on. I was really digging it, but it just kind of faded out after 5-6 minutes. It is definitely the closest to their "old" sound that you get here. I'm not sure if it was just supposed to be a jam, or what. But I'm glad it's on the album.

As for Louisiana - I'm with BSS on this one. I think it's beautiful and haunting...but it's not really right for this album. I dunno, maybe a few more listens will change my mind. You're totally right starfox that it should have been replaced with something like Best Mamgu Ever, that would be amazing...

As it stands I don't think it's quite as good as the first two, but maybe their best since. Really digging it and hoping this brings new fans into the fold.

[Maethodik]

Mmmmm...
A little disappointed.
Nice album, ok. Not more. It really sounds as no Underworld album.
Happy sounds, I prefer the old mature sound.
The only surprise is Louisiana. Wonderful track.
Whatever, nice tracks, overall 7. But really far from their older albums..

[starfox203]

I'll add that I haven't wanted to play air guitar as much as I do with Diamond Jigsaw in years.

[Dirty0900]

Still unsure on Hamburg Hotel, but really liking it. Still hoping Bamboo will make an appearance somewhere as a B-side.

[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

[BrotherLovesDub]

Work in Progress or Demo ≠ Reject. Otherwise, BSS is right on.

[dubman]

who said they were out of ideas? they're stuffed with them. they're excited, they're bounding with enthusiasm, it just sometimes works and sometimes doesnt.

bird 1 - seemed more substantial live, like theyve translated its darkness into something more quiet. it's good, though i expected it to be more.. insistent. 7

always loved a film – decent-i-guess. anyone remember when this was full of anxiety, a bit disjointed? now i'm being asked if i can feel heaven. egh. if we're gonna get cheesy though, this is an okay way to do it. Shit guitar break though. 6

scribble - still terrible. hate the beat, and the riff is a headache. meaningless. sometimes you dont appreciate things until they're gone and to hear YDS turn into this is just awful. it's not an embarrassment though, just something i hate. 2.5

hamburg hotel – this is good. I agree with the 90s vibe and its ‘incompleteness’ doesn’t bother me. It’s them having a go to what the kids are up to in their own way. Wouldn’t get anyone excited but appreciated for where it is. 7

grace. There was nothing wrong with telematic’s beat and it was a lot better than what’s here. Nonetheless I think it’s a good egg. It’s nice when karl let’s the words talk instead of the voice. Unlike a lot of this album, there’s nothing to get used to here. I think I might get bored of it pretty soon. 6

between stars – I think this is their most successful grab at outward-uw-pop for this album. Feels shorter than it is, and I like how the vocals nearly get drowned out because what words I can hear sound completely ridiculous. So the shouting is all left to mirror the noise of the song, and his delivery is excellent. Exciting! Some bits strike me as a tad stupid as expected for a song like this but I really don’t care right now. Better on headphones, you feel saturated. 8.5

diamond jigsaw – the second in the 1-2 punch of pop done right for them. That stupid fucking guitar threatens to upend everything into technoshitrock nonsense but it’s quickly assimilated into what works and karl is again on fire, plus the lyrics don’t sound half bad this time. 7.5

moon on water – the purpose of this one still escapes me. It’s a slowburn, it’s rich, it’s a bright light, it does nothing for me at all. I don’t even get mad at it, I don’t feel a goddamned thing here. like chemical brothers today: music that seems to exist purely because it’s what happened. Dry hole. 4

Louisiana – the wavering vocal already got the wary eye from me but I took it on its own terms, I liked the piano, the words were great, this was going to be a warm little send off. Oh but then the beat. That beat. Fucking ridiculous. Ruined. 3

Simple Peal – I dunno about you guys, but rick is pretty decent at capturing the ambient noises in your head when you simply sit back and experience life happening around you. Steady pulses, tones, a bit of peace, hearing something then quietly repeating it to yourself. Doesn’t fit on the album but who gives a fuck. Glad it’s here. 7.5

The cruel average of numbers has me rating this a 5.9 but I feel like it’s more of a 7. The album shows what theyre going for, they made a decent crack at it, and it’s another angle to a restless band always trying to create more. Still an apologist slant for what would be something I’d toss if it were done by others (because at the end of the day I wouldn’t care if I never heard ‘between stars’ from anyone else), but I really thought this was going to be the one that I didn’t care about. I’d hear it once, get back to what I was doing, and shake the dust from the kind of fanboyism that listens to an album he only likes half of a bunch of times. nooope. I may be mixed on this but they’re still grabbing me because it’s their trajectory and it’s still interesting. I think I’ve listened to it through about 7 times since yesterday and I’m still totally fine with it. I expected something pretty bad, and got something decent, so I’m happy.

[dc_04]

disagreements are good!

always enjoy the discourse here surrounding a new UW release.

- dc

[34958hq439-qjw9v5jq298v5j]

good review mongoose...I agree with almost all of it (except that I liked the Chariots of Fire synths).

Here's my honest take...this is kind of like the Thriller of electro...almost every track could be a single, doesn't really fit too well as an album, but it hardly matters. No, really:

"Bird 1" is like "Wanna be Startin Somethin", nervous, sneakily funky, very wordy.
"ALAF" would be "Thriller",
"Diamond Jigasaw" is of course "Beat It",
"Grace" would be "Billie Jean" (very rhythmic, kind of apprehensive),
"Moon in Water" would be "Human Nature",
"Between Stars" would be "PYT" (great dance tune with a retro synth hook)

god...i'm a dork

[big screen satellite]

Originally Posted by 34958hq439-qjw9v5jq298v5j

good review mongoose...I agree with almost all of it (except that I liked the Chariots of Fire synths).

Here's my honest take...this is kind of like the Thriller of electro

lol that is so true

best review ever!

shame it won't sell like it...