Barbara Barbara dirty reviews

[amhilde]

Im a relative newcomer to the entire Underworld back catalogue, having only really dipped in and out of interest with them since 1995 or so, and never getting as deep as I did/do with some other bands of similar vintage, so for once my musical compass is potentially more that of a newby and isnt as burdened with listening for the "traditional Underworld sound". I have plenty of other groups I do that to and it can really color your perception and turn your ears off. That being said (out of 5)-

1) I Exhale - **** - I think I like the live 6 Festival vocals better than the album but I love the big beats

2) If Rah - *** 1/2 - The live version wasn't doing it for me, but the album version had a subtlety I didn't pick up on initially that made it a better listen. It could yet click even more

3) Low Burn - ***** - This is beautiful. Five stars. Enough said.

4 Santiago Cuatro - **** surprisingly different. Sounds like a specific type of guitar made it into the car one day when Karl was packing up all sorts of stuff on purpose. I like it laid over that undulating pulse.

5) Motorhome - **** - I only just got this a few days ago and while Im not super keen on the repeating of the lyric line, I love whats going on in the background.

6) Ova Nova - *** - Not getting the love for this song. It sounds very commercial to me and somewhat dull, as though there is another band out there already doing this sound

7 Nylon Strung - *** This song went on so long I didn't realize I was still listening to it between the last two stops of my commute. I had to actually check it was the same song and that yes, I was still in fact listening to Underworld. Not real keen on this either for the same reasons as Ova Nova

Album length seems short, but I like the tightness. It does feel comprehensive and complete on the whole. Waiting to get a real good file copy and have a dedicated listen, see what happens. Also, sometimes a great live performance can make a song stand out where it didn't before - lets see what happens in Berlin!