The Official OWB Thread

[Ufotofu]

After steaming to the album on Download.com (I just couldn't wait until the 16th), I wrote this review. Summary: Rick, Karl, Darren-- you've all really outdone yourselves this time. "Oblivion With Bells" is probably one of the best albums I've ever heard, and I thank you for continuing to put out such creative, inspiring music in this world of mega-label domination, top 40 stations, and file-sharing lawsuits.
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"Oblivion With Bells" begins with "Crocodile," the album's first single. This track, which began as a more ambient-sounding piece famously performed at the Cocoon Club in 2006, has morphed into a slick, bass-heavy piece, evoking memories of "Sola Sistim," from the band's previous album. Karl's lyrics both float over the song, and drive it, in a poetic way. "Crocodile" fades out into a simple, elegant synth pad, which soon becomes "Beautiful Burnout", a long, epic sort of song with some ambient interludes, haunting vocals, and a frenetic, tribal tom breakdown. The next track, "Holding The Moth" is initially identical to "Globe" (a song Underworld played occasionally during their last tour) but adds some jazzy piano and a few new background parts, which all add a certain complex character to the song.

After a short, lush, atmospheric piece ("To Heal"), the album hops into "Ring Road," which, for lack of a better description, is almost like a rap song. Karl's singing on this track has a very raw sound, and at first, I found it to be quite alienating. However, the track soon kicks into a phenomenally heavy, almost tribal-sounding beat, with some synths floating in the background that simply exude happiness. The chorus on this song is surprisingly catchy, and the song grows on me with each listen. "Glam Bucket" has a gloomy, epic vibe to it, and is purely instrumental, bridging well into "Boy, Boy, Boy". While "Boy" has a few really unique moments, Karl's singing is a bit grating at times. In some ways, I wish he had stuck with the smooth, vocoded style that makes tracks like "Crocodile" so easy on the ears, but I suppose the lack of technology was intentional. The band has been together, in some form or the other, for 27 years, so I'm inclined to trust their judgment.

The next track on the album, "Cuddle Bunny vs The Celtic Villages", is distinctly non-cuddly--it almost has an ominous sound to it. "Faxed Invitation" moves from mechanical clicks to ethereal synth pads, and moves perfectly into "Good Morning Cockerel". "Cockerel", a completely piano-driven track, with a violin in the background and some mournful singing from Karl, is very uncharacteristic of Underworld. Somehow, though, it fits the album perfectly. Finally, "Best Mamgu Ever" brings the album to a long, relaxing conclusion, with some more piano and a booming bassline.

All things being said, "Oblivion with Bells" is a truly beautiful album. Fans of Underworld's previous, dance-oriented tracks ("Born Slippy (Nuxx)","Pearl's Girl","Moaner") might be somewhat surprised by this album's change of pace-- I certainly was. However, my final opinion couldn't possibly be clearer. "Oblivion With Bells" is certainly one of Underworld's finest releases, and I can't possibly recommend it enthusiastically enough.