Thoughts on Barking (Track by Track)

[starfox203]

Thought I'd start a new thread since the other one was getting very long and not necessarily about our thoughts on the album.

Overall I like the album a lot, but it's a strange listen. It doesn't immediately strike me as an album, but more a mixtape or playlist of new Underworld tracks, because many of these songs have been heard in one form or another over the past few years, so the newness isn't there, just the cleanliness of the studio production and collaborations. But also, because, unlike make UW songs, each one has a clear beginning and ending. There's no cutting from one to another and really the sequencing is almost negligible. The songs could be listened to in any order without losing impact. The same can't be said for their earlier albums. (That's neither good nor bad, just an observation.) So it's not like a traditional album listen from start to finish.

Also, the collaborations make the album a bit disjointed. There's a lot of sounds going on here and because each song has it's own flavor, the effect on the whole is disparate.

That said, here's my thoughts on each track:

1. Bird 1 - Stellar opening. I love the way it begins and builds through the song. Could be longer though in the end. (8)

2. Always Loved A Film - Good, clean, fun. Maybe too much so. A good summer single. Love the refrain here. (7)

3. Scribble - The notorious first single. It's fun and loud. Great lyrics. A bit annoying. Not one that will last through the years for me. (5)

4. Hamburg Hotel - The closest sounding thing to UW of old. Very '90's experimental UW. I like it but ultimately it doesn't go anywhere. (6)

5. Grace - A great UW "ballad" - Really love this one. One for the ladies. Different enough from Telematic Peal v2 that I can keep both. I think they found the balance with the vocal treatment. (8.5)

6. Between Stars - Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Sounds like it fades out too early at the end. Should be 10 minutes really. A great song. (8.5)

7. Diamond Jigsaw - The rock'n'roll song. Surprising given PVD's involvement, this one is more rock then dance. BUt it's a classic. Just superb (though I actually did like the Van Halen synth in the live version, but that's ok). This is a great song for driving fast. Makes a great couplet with Between Stars - wish they were better linked. (9)

8. Moon In Water - It's not the original computer voiced one. That said, it's freaking amazing. I think it's my favorite, and in my mind should be an album closer. Makes me want to stand outside and spin. Superb all around and another classic for UW. (9)

9. Louisiana - Need to give this more listens I think. It's just dull for me and feels tonally out of place here. I feel you could switch it with Best Mamgu Ever and it would make more sense album wise. The transition to it doesn't work from what comes before. Maybe more listens will change that. This is a party record and that song doesn't close things out as I'd like. (4)

10. Simple Peal - It's a bonus track and really just an ambient one at that. Also doesn't fit, but nice to have. (5)


A really good, if disjointed collections. Loads of fun throughout though, which the last couple weren't.

Now it's your turn. Some will agree. Some won't.

[big screen satellite]

I know there will be people who won't like this album, but fuck it.. i love it, its the best UW album since Dubno. 8.5/10 at least, i can't stop playing it, unlike OWB, which i have played a coupel of tracks and thats it...

having been a fan since before Dubno was released, i think i have the right to decide whether this is a valid uw relase or not...and as the No.1superfan of old i'm giving my opinion...

with the exception of Hamburg Hotel which sounds like a B-side, and is pretty vocaless, and Louisiana which should have been on some moody soundtrack, this album flows lovely, (that said - Louisiana is a beautiful track - it just doesn't fit here imo)

its full of great songs, with verses and choruses, which of the like UW have not really done since before dubno...

i love Karl's voice and he is a nice vocalist - so let the man sing... those of you who like the banging techno shit - avoid this album IT IS NOT FOR YOU - move along

anyways, people are gonna disagree but this album rocks... from Bird 1, ALAF, DJ, Between Stars, Grace - its all good...

Diamond Jigsaw could have done with the synths but its still a great little tune

i can see why this will not appease everyone.... but hey they boys sound like they're in a good place - let them stay there i say...

moody soundsacpes are soooo 90's...

Barking, Cracking more like!

[potatobroth]

I agree 100% with your assessment of Hamburg Hotel. Its almost great, but ultimately doesn't go anywhere! A shame really. Reminds me of a track from the Cocoon gig, but I can't place it.

[cacophony]

Originally Posted by big screen satellite

I know there will be people who won't like this album, but fuck it.. i love it, its the best UW album since Dubno.

I'm sincerely surprised to read this. I feel like it's their weakest release to date, challenging ADO for the title. It's disjointed an you can hear exactly where they stop and their collaborators begin. Vocal treatments are dry and amateur sounding, most of the tracks are significantly shorter than they could have been, and theres none of the inclination to let a good groove build and play out like on dubno.

I'm thrilled strumpet and YDS made it on the album, and to a degree ALAF and beneath stars. But they all sound like lesser versions of the live versions we've been hearing up until now.

Edit: wanted to mention how much I'm enjoying hamburg hotel. Lovely surprise.

[big screen satellite]

Originally Posted by cacophony

and theres none of the inclination to let a good groove build and play out like on dubno.
.

thats because its not dubno... Underworld didn't want to do long epic tracks for this album - buy a sasha album if you want epics or just revist dubno (which is stilll great), this is short sweet pop / dance friendly music

its totally accessible and enjoyable imo

its not for fans of epic electronica they've been there and done that

[holden]

Originally Posted by big screen satellite

thats because its not dubno...

...or STITI or BF or AHDO or OWB!
(thought it's a little bit Change the Weather/Underneath the Radar!)

Every album has been an evolution in sound. We tend to think of Dubno and STITI as these sacred cows, epic and perfect. Yeah, well, each of them has a few so-so tracks , and just because they have a few longer songs or a few "epics", that doesn't make the tracklisting or content any more cohesive or intentional. As i said above, give Barking a few more plays and its sequence and moods will feel intentional and "just right", too.

Nope, Barking's not Dubno. It's stylistically leaning towards simpler, catchier singles. But not without a bit of experimentation (Hamburg, Louisiana) and nods to their past (Simple Peal, Grace). After a few listens, it's definitely working for me.

i guess i just get a little tired of folks holding the first few albums up so high. They're great, yes, but i go through moods with them all. Each has tracks i love, tracks i can do without. But the sum of the parts is always head and shoulders above pretty much any other band out there.

[potatobroth]

Bird1 is unmistakably (STITI era) Underworld. ALAF is unmistakably (ADHO era) Underworld. Hamburg Hotel and Louisiana (must i spell that track name wrong every time??) are total throwbacks. Moon in Water also sounds like a progression and I think that track is spectacular.

While I agree that Between Stars doesn't come off as special, the others listed above totally do.

I can hear the heavy hand of the collaborators on occasion but not to the degree that I expected to and for the most part, its in the background to my ears. Scribble being the worst offender. That barely sounds like Underworld to me, but to be fair, You Do Scribble never sounded like Underworld to me until 2 years into its live life cycle.

[Sappys Curry]

Originally Posted by cacophony

I'm sincerely surprised to read this. I feel like it's their weakest release to date, challenging ADO for the title. It's disjointed an you can hear exactly where they stop and their collaborators begin.

That is how I feel. Perhaps their least impressive release for me; its competition is AHDO. This album will most likely end up ranking fifth or sixth for me. It is a solid album that I enjoy, but I just don't ever see it surpassing OWB and BF for me.

And Dubnobass and STITI are my favs by them (in my top three for albums in general) and those releases are great. Someone said that they could do without some tracks on them, but I at least like every track on both albums, if not love 'em.

But MK III UW is still great and it is the type of UW I've been listening to the most lately; even before I received my copy of Barking.

I guess for me, what holds me back from liking Barking more than I do is that 3 of the 9 tracks aren't too good to me. Between Stars is one of them. It is the one I like the most of those three, but it isn't too impressive to me. Grace is a track some people love, but for me it is on the weak side. It is okay. I just don't "feel it" like some others do. Scribble is the other track that is weak to me. It is a bit enjoyable; a happy tune. Grace and Scribble end up ranking last for me on this album, though. I would have liked Scribble more if it wasn't for those darn "synth stabs". : p All the other tracks are good or very good to me.

[bryantm3]

lazy me, i haven't ordered the record yet. however, i'm almost 100% sure that i will like it better than OWB and it will compete with AHDO and BF for me. to me, OWB was by far their worst effort.

[m.g.]

Well... as an R&K fan since... erm... Doot-Doot, I was about to write pages here, but...

Originally Posted by big screen satellite

its full of great songs, with verses and choruses, which of the like UW have not really done since before dubno...

i love Karl's voice and he is a nice vocalist - so let the man sing... those of you who like the banging techno shit - avoid this album IT IS NOT FOR YOU - move along

anyways, people are gonna disagree but this album rocks... from Bird 1, ALAF, DJ, Between Stars, Grace - its all good...

i can see why this will not appease everyone.... but hey they boys sound like they're in a good place - let them stay there i say...

moody soundsacpes are soooo 90's...

Barking, Cracking more like!

... I couldn't have expressed what I think about Barking better than your lines, Matt

Great UW album... enough said.




ps : maybe you have to be an unconditional fan of New Order to think like that, no?