The electronic dance duo Underworld consisting of singer-lyricist Karl Hyde and producer Rick Smith released their first record in half a decade: “Barbara Barbara We Face a Shining Future,” their latest since “Barking” places matters of pure optimism at the heart of beautiful dance rhythms.
A departure from previous intense and gritty tracks such as “Pearl’s Girl,” “Born Slippy,” and “Cowgirl,” “Barbara Barbara” as a whole assumes a slower, more understated pace compared to Underworld’s numerous high-octane past works. Their seventh album in a long line of consistent hits radiates vitality and a renewed sense of purpose, impressive for a dance act nearly 30 years on the move.
Opening track and single “I Exhale” exudes thick two-note bass riffs in perpetuity, as Karl Hyde, reminiscent of Mark E. Smith from The Fall, strings together droning non-sequiturs. It’s an impulsive, maddened spoken-word romp whose introductory line: ”Life / It’s a touch / Everything is golden / Open” set the album’s optimistic tone. The expansive percussion coupled with Hyde’s utterances conjures up cinematic images of blinding lights atop a massive stadium stage or climactic scenes of hedonistic bliss. “I Exhale” is a bone-shaking, blood-curdling groove that lures you to the dance floor.
In a sensuous turn, “Low Burn” draws inspiration from the erotic and cerebral ambiance set in Underworld’s earlier iconic album, “Dubnobasswithmyheadman.” Pulsing low beats and swirling synths inspire a sense of awe as the melody weaves between cyclical chants of “time / first time / blush / be bold / be beautiful / free” throughout the duration of the song.
In an interview with Consequence of Sound, Hyde states: “When we came to do the lyrics for this, Rick pointed out to me that I should just see the world like I do my camera. This is what I’ve done for 25 years now because I’m unable to articulate how I feel with words. What I decided to do is use collections of words like objects to describe how I feel.”
The result is poignant and evocative imagery painted by isolated words surrounded by complementary instrumentation. “Barbara Barbara” experienced as a collection of images and objects and a series of abstractions elicits passing emotions of ease and satisfaction and drive to live life at its fullest and most expressive.
The aptly-named final album track called “Nylon String” is also my favorite. Doing as the title appropriately entails, “Nylon String” mends together layered and varying electronic melodies to create the sensation of floating synthesized and expanding strings plucked between the space created by Hyde’s upbeat and heartfelt lyrics and Smith’s keyboard mastery.
The stirring background vocals over ever-turning arpeggiated synths rings of hope for the coming years with Karl Hyde’s repeated iterations of “Open me up / I want to hold you / laughing.” Each repetition of the phrase lends itself toward mounting emotional impact, ending the song and album as a drunken sob-fueled emotive fest that looks forward to a bright shimmering future – hopefully one where this sort of electronic music seeps into the EDM-dominated mainstream landscape of the current.
Even at their slowed down pace, Underworld, a group with members nearing their 60s, delivers unparalleled electronic art. With Hyde’s heavy doses of lyrical surrealism, poetry and spoken word and Smith’s meditative, hypnotic and beautiful electronica dance vibrations, Underworld never disappoints and always reinvents themselves into something unique, prominent and here to stay.
Dimitri Kandilanaftis is a third-year student majoring in communication studies with a minor in journalism. Contact him at DK838967@wcupa.edu