New Underworld album - Barking (Sept. 13, Sept 2 Japan)

[TheBang]

I forget, was iLoud the one with the early OwB review too?

[potatobroth]

Scribble is nothing like NUXX. How could anyone even make that comparisson?

[Champiness]

Originally Posted by potatobroth

Scribble is nothing like NUXX. How could anyone even make that comparisson?

Maybe because that's the most that the majority of people know from them?

[stauff]

Ok, google translate sucks and I'm sick at home with a cold, so what better project for the day than to translate that review. Here's the first bit.. Enjoy.

I'm not sure everything said is entirely accurate, but I translated it as-is, so don't blame me for inaccuracies in what they say.. blame me for poor translation

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On 1st June, Underworld opened a public Japanese twitter. Things are really heating up as we head towards the new album, "Barking". With the ban on reviews lifted, iLOUD's chief editors Hirada and Tanigami attended a listening party, and we bring you their review in the form of a conversation.

[Name readings randomly chosen. Names are abbreviated in the conversation so I'll call them H and T]

H: First up, the most surprising thing for me was that tracks 7 and 9 are more like "songs".
T: Yeah. Most of the tracks have singing from Karl. On that point, you could say that the whole thing has a "new wave"-ish feel to it.
H: Up till now the only times we've had singing from Karl like this was the so called "Mk 1" (before Daren Emmerson joined).. since then we haven't seen it.
T: Well, there's been singing on the albums, but it would only be like 1-2 tracks per album. Another big thing on this album was that out of 9 tracks, 8 have an external producer joining in.
H: This also surprised me. The feel of the tracks varies with the producers' "colour", which makes it overflow with variety, and before you know it you've listened to the whole album!
T: That said, all the producers are from the club scene, so it makes the dance flavour of the album that much deeper.
H: Yeah. To put it simply, Barking is singing you can dance to.. an Underworld album unlike those before. So, let's take a look at it track-by-track.


01. Bird 1

H: A tech house tune with producer Dubfire.
T: Unlike the Deep Dish days, Dubfire's become quite a tech/minimal person recently. He's also friends with Richie Hawtin.
H: Maybe because of that this track has a really light feel, and I'm really into Karl's vocals. The harmonies are also lovely. At its high point, there's some slightly trancy synth brass also coming out.
T: It's got a slightly exciting feeling of "ooh, this is a little bit different to Underworld up till now".

02. Always Loved A Film
H: Mark Knight and D.Ramirez from Toolroom Records join in. Tech house that gradually gets going.

T: Karl's vocals are perfectly added.. the guitar and piano and strings are all there.. it's "pop" in a good way. It's got some catchy elements, so probably one of the killer tunes from Barking.
H: It's likely to do well at Big Box [Name of a club in Tokyo], so it's sure to be a hit from the dance floors.


03. Scribble
H: Already public.. the drum&bass collaboration with High Contrast from the Hospital label.
T: When I first heard it, I was a little surprised. But going back to it, Underworld have been doing great break beats from way back. Born Slippy was also an original "upper" style of break-beat track. Scribble's a really happy feeling track, I just want to listen to it over and over.
H: This track has been around in its original form for quite a while, and was played quite a bit live, but I think this takes that original and completes it in a kind of pop way.

04. Hamburg Hotel
H: A collaboration track with Dub-step producers Appleblim and Al Tourettes.
T: This has a bit of processed vocals included, but they're installed very basically [?? not really sure what he's saying here..]. It's a track that feels like a continuation of the last album, Oblivion With Bells.
H: I love the "gamelan" sort of minimal sequenced sound. Karl also loves Skull Disco etc.

05. Grace

H: Dubfire was also in on this one.
T: Although, it's not a really techno feel, sorta dark..
H: An 8 minute ride with a new-wave tone. The vocals are like a previous Brian Ferry.

06. Between Stars
H: A tech house collaboration with Mark Knight and D.Ramirez. It's already made its debut live.
T: Without being too earnest, it comes on bit-by-bit. It's a hands-up floor-killer [not a typo, but floor killer really doesn't translate well as-is.. maybe think floor-filler]. Like "Always Loved A Film" and "Scribble", it's sure really to get going live.
H: The strings are also great.

07. Diamond Jigsaw
H: Collaboration with Paul Van Dyk.. this is a surprising track.
T: This really was a surprise. Although for anyone who's followed underworld since the 90s, maybe not such a surprise. They've had contact with Sven Vath before, but not PVD. That said, it's not the typical "German Trance". It's got some rocking guitar in there.
H: In recent years PVD's been doing trance with pop/rock vocals, and group vocal tunes, so it's kinda at that end of things. The arpeggio at the peak is quite trancy though..


08. Moon In Water
H: A collaboration with High Contrast, but this is not drum and bass.
T: Sort of disco-like taste to the groove in the way this track is made.
H: The female voice with poetry is through the whole track. Within the album it's quite a different feel.


09. Louisiana
H: This is not a collaboration, it's pure Underworld piano-ballad sorta track.
T: It's a bit like a Robert Wyatt sort of track. Actually there was a track from right at the beginning of the Mk2 era called Minneapolis. It's almost like a continuation of that.
H: Anyway, it makes a great closing to the album.

[Dunwho]

Originally Posted by stauff

Ok, google translate sucks and I'm sick at home with a cold, so what better project for the day than to translate that review. Here's the first bit.. Enjoy.
H: Anyway, it makes a great closing to the album.

Thank you so much for that! Getting very interested now

[Dirty0900]

I wonder if they ditched the computer vocals in Moon in Water for Juanita.

[bryantm3]

that's odd they mention 'minneapolis' as a piano ballad, it's along the same lines as spikee and bigmouth. perhaps they meant mother earth, or tongue?

[TheBang]

Originally Posted by Dirty0900

I wonder if they ditched the computer vocals in Moon in Water for Juanita.

I bet it's more likely they've confused Vicki for Juanita.

[BrotherLovesDub]

Louisiana is the song they titled Jumping the Cran on the lemonworld broadcast. Sounds nothing at all like Minneapolis.

[34958hq439-qjw9v5jq298v5j]

Exciting, but honestly, don't trust anything the google translator says