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

[big screen satellite]

Im with KOS on this....

[potatobroth]

No way. Love this sound.

[holden]

Yeah that's good!

It's 14 seconds of who knows what. Relax!
Even if its part of a new track, that's a fine groove.

The video recalls Metal Friend for me...

[cdave2]

It works for me. Nice 'n' funky.

Roll on Christmas bonus, so I can order this thing!

[ThingInABook]

i noticed yesterday that Townsend made a refund yesterday for my preorder and today went to see if the order was still there, and it was. i wonder if anyone noticed this and if this is 'standard procedure' for preorders now (probably they're going to charge my card during march?)

also, funny thing - my past, random orders made with Townsend are there. quite fun to see a huge order i made in 2012 (King Creosote, SVIIB and Akira Kiteshi) there. the store is nothing more than the regular townsend store, with an U/W layout over it.

[TheBang]

Originally Posted by ThingInABook

i noticed yesterday that Townsend made a refund yesterday for my preorder and today went to see if the order was still there, and it was. i wonder if anyone noticed this and if this is 'standard procedure' for preorders now (probably they're going to charge my card during march?)

That's how credit card charges work. They do an authorization first, which reserves the funds on the card. If the charge is not "captured" within a couple days, the authorization falls off of the card, and the funds are freed up. For pre-orders, the authorization is just to make sure the payment information is valid, so it is not captured. The charge is re-run when the item actually ships.

[holden]

http://www.billboard.com/articles/ne...ture-interview

Nice read, explanation of album title and working process. This album should be very different sounding!

[Dino3D]

Anyway after a Shining Future part 1 preview I don't feel the album will be very different. I clearly hear old UW in it. So I don't understand what Karl talking about when he said the album will be very different. Even the line this album is a new beginning. I think the new beginning was Barking that really differs to the UW what we knew before.

[holden]

Originally Posted by Dino3D

Anyway after a Shining Future part 1 preview I don't feel the album will be very different. I clearly hear old UW in it. So I don't understand what Karl talking about when he said the album will be very different. Even the line this album is a new beginning. I think the new beginning was Barking that really differs to the UW what we knew before.

Well, "Barking" was the first time they'd worked with outside producers, so yes, that's a change. Consider, though, that it's been 5+ years since "Barking", and Rick and Karl have each done their own thing, plus revisited the past, so this break between records, perhaps more than any, has involved contemplation of what UW was/is. Karl's comments that the band sort of knew after STITI where they fit in the electronic canon is telling. I love me some "Beacoup Fish", but it is much more singles--laden, more glossy than prior. "AHDO" is their first outing as a duo, but it wasn't drastically different. "OWB" was apparently the "record Rick always wanted to make", but it's even more refined and resigned. And "Barking"? Maybe it's telling that we'd heard a lot of the tracks in progress, but they needed outside help to finalize, maybe revitalize some tired ideas.
My feeling is that the RiverRun EPs were the last effort at breaking free of the "Underworld mantra" - such a nice variety of techno, electro, ambient, and released on their own terms.

But yeah, though the band has a lonnnng history, 5-6 years is still a long pause between records. I agree with you that at least two of the three t racks on the "Shining Future" preview seem reminiscent of their former sound, they are just snippets. If Karl claims they went quite left of field with instrumentation and improvisation, i have to believe him. Yeah, that interview isn't super concrete, but rarely is discussion of music as such. As long as R&K feel revitalized and proud of the album, i'm sure we will be, too.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by holden

http://www.billboard.com/articles/ne...ture-interview

Nice read, explanation of album title and working process. This album should be very different sounding!

A couple of things from this interview:

I’m working on another project at the moment, but also gathering ideas to go in the studio with Rick as soon as I get back to the U.K.

Some more material being written?

It’s great that Rick was using his voice a lot more on this record

No, it isn't!

It was something his (Rick's) father to his mother said not long before he passed away. “Barbara, Barbara we face a shining future.” His father was a great man, very inspiring and as soon Rick said that, before we got halfway through writing this material, it was just instant, “Yeah, that’s the title.”

So is the woman in that artwork Rick's mother?