Strawberry Hotel - new album out 25th Oct

[lament]

Looks like there's going to be a SHM-CD with an extra track releasing November 1. Listing doesn't have the extra track listed. Assuming it'll be Japanese as I don't think I've seen SHM CDs that aren't? Listing is from Australia though.

[saintrik]

The Japanese CD with the bonus track "Velvet Does" was mentioned a bit ago in this thread. And yes, they are advertised as SHM-CD on the various Japanese retailers pages.

Originally Posted by TheBang

Also, Japan is, in fact, getting a bonus track ("Velvet Does") on their domestic CD release:
https://www.virginmusic.jp/underworld/
https://www.hmv.co.jp/artist_Underwo...HM-CD_15286332

[Resolute]

interested in if anyone finds somewhere to buy that extra track in lossless once its out, doubt i'll be able to sort importing a copy.

[potatobroth]

Hoping it follows the trend of great tracks that only Japan gets. Twenty Three Blue was so good on Barbara Barbara. I have it right after Santiago Cuatro in my hybrid version of that album.

[TheBang]

Originally Posted by Resolute

interested in if anyone finds somewhere to buy that extra track in lossless once its out, doubt i'll be able to sort importing a copy.

My preferred digital vendor is Ototoy:
https://ototoy.jp/_/default/a/281302

You do need a Japanese VPN in order to add the items to your Cart. Once they're actually in your cart, I don't think you need the VPN anymore. You should have no problems checking out with a foreign credit card (at least, I didn't the last time I used them in 2021). And you don't need a VPN to download or re-download the tracks once they're purchased and in your account's purchase history.

Sometimes, the bonus tracks are "album-only", meaning that you can't purchase the track a la carte, and must purchase the whole album. We won't know if that's the case here until release. Also, it's slightly possible that the bonus track doesn't get a digital release. The iTunes Store is the only place right now that has the album listed as a preorder, but it does not include the bonus track (yet).

[DwarfeD]

https://imusic.co/music/498803167103...berry-hotel-cd

The Japanese version is also up for pre-order in this Danish webshop.

[TheBang]

[dubman]

This all sounds really lively. Considering the track times, I think they're focusing on the song-based approaches of Listen to their No, or JAL, or Parc, or Crocodile and building an album around it, which I think is a great idea if it's a strong batch. Fen Violet could be a good indicator of what's to come, in b-side form anyway

[dubman]

Originally Posted by 34958hq439-qjw9v5jq298v5j

do we know if that's the cover art? if so, very unusual for UW...but then again, so was Drift. and Barking for that matter.

I think it was Autechre that said it takes a new album for everyone to finally get used to and accept their last album for what it is.

It's getting funnier to me that this duo continually evolves faster than we're collectively ready for. Every new LP on the horizon conjures this comparison image of the Tomato-based typographic long jams from nearly 30(!) years ago, even though they've doggedly proven that their 'world is bigger than that. It's annoying as fuck when that next step doesn't jibe with us, but even when it does I have this uncertainty of "is this what it is now?" and I'm stuck between how artists move and what I waaaaant.

After this long, it seems like Rick has been working to bond past and present into one Grand Work that is :Underworld, and usually correcting/expanding our own terms of what that means. It takes some trust, a small example being: if we collectively hate the Drift sampler cover, it's more rewarding to think on why it was chosen instead of crossing our arms about it being lazy.

I don't think this situation is unique to Underworld. There's a perpetual (and necessary) disconnect between artists and audiences, in which we find our fandom through a successful blend of hype and marketing that keeps us attached to an idea, which immediately creates tension with how artists work. We make an ethos out of that idea, and it almost never aligns with where the work could go.

So what's with the uneasy legibility here? why so straightforward, cordoned off? White on neon? Let's think on what it could be, and see how it meshes with what we're hearing. It could just be a miss, but it's more fun this way.

[aphasein]

Originally Posted by dubman

I think it was Autechre that said it takes a new album for everyone to finally get used to and accept their last album for what it is.

It's getting funnier to me that this duo continually evolves faster than we're collectively ready for. Every new LP on the horizon conjures this comparison image of the Tomato-based typographic long jams from nearly 30(!) years ago, even though they've doggedly proven that their 'world is bigger than that. It's annoying as fuck when that next step doesn't jibe with us, but even when it does I have this uncertainty of "is this what it is now?" and I'm stuck between how artists move and what I waaaaant.

Yeah, that is definitely said about Autechre releases (both by them as mentioned, and by their fanbase explaining them). I've realized over the years that Autechre is my second favorite artists after Underworld (not that it matters, but for me they do both have a rich, deep catalog with a lot of breadth, openness on sharing stuff, and focus on graphic design tie-in).

And as shocking and jarring as each new release has been with Autechre, it's always felt very much them each time, even if the leap in music was a lot to process (plus the alien-ness/breaking-new-ground feeling on first listen is really looked forward to in a time-stopping way).

Underworld has always been more comfortable I guess, as I know and expect they can and will go anywhere musically and still retain all their elements and essential feel - it's more an excitement at what they'll do this time and having new variety. The new graphic design era can be jarring, but I'm a big fan of Tomato (like I am for The Designers Republic) and it's always felt like still them and an evolution each time.

Drift really pushed outside that feeling some, but the nature of the project helped it feel more casual/purposeful and the individual track covers felt more coherent, and I guess that partially prepared for the sampler cover to feel less leftfield (definitely bland and disappointing still, along with the final name).

Strawberry Hotel has been an interesting rollercoaster so far and still a lot to go. Mainly the tracks played out a year ahead of time and the design from their single drops all felt really classic and epic, like a later evolution of Mk2 type stuff. I think I was just thrown by the album cover and short track times, as it seemed to break that idea (we love our long UW tracks). The long gestation and lack of communication definitely added to it (and only in relation to how forthcoming/inclusive it has been in the past, not that it's required).

I will say this buildup with the album snippets has exceeded any expectations on the music and been wildly fun (it's been a lot more consistent and dance-based than expected for this many tracks, figured we veer off more). The album cover not being Tomato probably explains to me why it felt so leftfield (but so were the singles and they didn't for some reason). The music is what matters and it has been really exciting so far, can't wait to hear the full tracks. I'm also probably too invested in this as an outlet currently, but it is one of my favorite things and not sure how much more it will happen. Here's looking forward to the remaining two weeks!