Electronic music legends Underworld return with their sixth studio album "Barking", and the duo of Karl Hyde and Rick Smith have lots of company this time. The concept for the album was for Hyde and Smith to compose the songs, then send them to outside producers from across the electronic music spectrum to put their individual stamp on each track. Most of the time it works, but this might not be the Underworld you are used to.
The majority of the songs on "Barking" are more tightly structured than Underworld classics of the past. They retain many of Underworld's trademark sounds and styles, but are condensed into more traditional song structures. A few of the tracks border on electronic pop territory, and this may be tough for fans of classic Underworld tunage like "Cowgirl" and "Pearl's Girl" to swallow. I'm certain a few of these songs will provide more ammo for the 'they've gone downhill since Darren Emerson left' crowd, but don't let that dissuade you from giving this a listen.
The album opens with the first of two tracks co-produced by Dubfire (one half of Deep Dish). "Bird 1" carries a steady, throbbing beat, but is rather subdued with Hyde's usual nonsensical lyrics accented with little more than keyboard effects. The other track with Dubfire, "Grace", is dark and minimal with a lower range vocal delivery by Hyde. There are traces of New Order all over this song, specifically when a very Peter Hook sounding bassline picks up at the 3:30 point of the song. It makes for a lovely finish as Hyde sings "Light up the night/I'm violently in love."
The dance tracks on here will be what most are anxious to hear and they're all ace. "Always Loved A Film", co-produced by Mark Knight and D. Ramirez, ventures into progressive house, but there is no denying the uplifting, joyful chorus asking "Heaven... Can you feel it?" as the keyboards ripple. Knight and Ramirez are also responsible for the album's highlight, the pulsing "Between Stars". This song is a stormer that just drills into your head, with a loud, nearly shouted chorus, the type of track that made me fall in love with Underworld's music to begin with.
Other standout dance tracks are the jittery drum and bass of "Scribble", co-produced by High Contrast, and a surprising collaboration with trance icon Paul van Dyk on "Diamond Jigsaw". It's no surprise that this is also the poppiest song on here. Guitar hook, verse/chorus/verse and all, this is as melodic as you'll hear Underworld.
Less successful is the pointless "Hamburg Hotel", co-produced by Appleblim and Al Tourettes. With a repetitious keyboard pattern and a lot of random noises that never build into anything, the track seems like a colossal waste of five minutes. The other track with High Contrast, "Moon In Water", is also an oddity, but at least more interesting. A slowed down, robotic female voice gives facts about water in the moon over sparse keyboard swells before the beat kicks in and a memorable melody ensues. With no vocals by Hyde, however, this song could be by any electronic artist. It hardly even seems like an Underworld song.
Things close with "Louisiana", and it is stunning as much in its simple beauty as it is the fact you don't expect an Underworld album to close on a bona fide piano ballad. Not just a piano ballad, but a love song at that. "When you touch me/planets in sweet collision" Hyde sweetly sings, but his vocals are severely electronically altered so there is practically a vibrating effect on everything he says. It would be off-putting if the track wasn't so damn beautiful and it makes for a fine conclusion to the album.
"Barking" is not a perfect album, it won't go down as one of Underworld's greatest, but this is a solid release from a band with nothing left to prove. They remain a relevant force in the electronic music world, and it's good to have them back.
"Barking" will be released in the U.S. September 14, 2010 on Om Records.
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