Barking keeps with Underworld's traditional 4th-note beats (Always Loved a Film, Grace, Diamond Jigsaw) and their periodic foray into the ambient (Louisiana, Bird) and just plain weird. Although most of their music uses the simplest 4th-note beats, Karl Hyde's voice and vocoder synths have always been the true instrument in Underworlds continued success.
With Barking, they coordinated efforts on the Scribble track with artist High Contrast. High Contrast is known for his deep-base and breakbeat techniques. Although I don't personally care for High Contrast's regular music, both groups put together a masterpiece with Scribble.
Their Louisiana track brings you from the typical glowstick mindset down to a calm place to relax. The foundation of Louisiana has a simple and calming piano arpeggio with Karl's vocals. No techno on this track, just simple goodness.
The deluxe version of Barking (available via iTunes) includes videos for most tracks. If you are an Underworld fan, you are accustom to their homemade music videos. The videos included in Barking range from the truely briliant originality and simplicity to the downright strange. My favorite is Scribble. It has Karl Hyde and his partner Rick Smith at the wheel, driving on a the highway with the camera only facing Karl. Karl jams to the beat in the car while crazy tie-die video affects overlay the scene. It's simple but it get's your heart pounding.
Overall, I rank Barking as Underworld's #2 best album so far (#1 is still Beacoupe Fish in my mind). The only negative thing I can say about the album is some songs seem to have the treble adjustments too low, so you may have to adjust for yourself if an EQ is available. Enjoy!
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