Underworld is one of those group's that you tend to praise and curse in equal portions. They're like your friend Gary. Gary tells two or three really interesting stories - and they really are fan-fucking-tastic stories - but beyond that he's a big bore monster. In fact, he might as well do you a favor and glue your eyes shut. Regardless of this, your other friends think he's fucking majestic, insisting that when he's boring, he's actually just being artfully subtle. It's what I like to call "David Bowie Syndrome" - the prevailing notion that an artist who is well-established and loved the world over will automatically be praised for anything they produce, without due scrutiny or consideration.
This is how I've largely come to feel about Underworld. They grabbed and pulled at my heart strings with the pulsing sweetness of singles like "Rez", "Born Slippy" and "Jumbo", but the quality and cohesiveness of whole albums were frequent let downs. The fall was particularly far due to the precedent they set with their unforgettable, memory-blazing singles. Imagine my surprise, then, when the electronic duo offered up Barking for my delectable listening pleasure. It's hard to pinpoint a good visualization for the album as it's a jigsaw necklace, fit together by a thin strand. The first thing that came to my mind was an orangish summer afternoon (that switches to night randomly) on the lush green of an art school campus. Not a pretentious, no-talent art school, either.
It's like the band sits there and discusses existential philosophy with you ("Moon In Water") while balancing the conversation with strange but subconsciously familiar stories. Some of the stories are glimmering love attacks ("Scribble", "Diamond Jigsaw") with cascading drums, while other stories are suspenseful noirs, pulsing bass line in toe, all to unpredictable conclusions ("Bird 1", "Grace"). And, so you don't go back to your dorm unsatisfied, Underworld offers you some closure in a thoughtful serenade ("Louisiana"). By the end of it all, you're kind of totally in love with them. And rightfully so, my sparkle-eyed student, rightfully so.
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