Underworld – Oblivion With Bells
underworldlive.com/Ato Records/Red Distribution (10/16/07)
Electronic / Ambient
Underworld has been one of the leading electronic acts of the past 15 or so years. Much like contemporaries The Chemical Brothers and The Crystal Method, they were able to win fans (and recognition) by crossing over into the alternative rock market with their 1996 hit, “Born Slippy”. Born out of the ashes of the electro/new romantic group Freur, Karl Hyde and Rick Smith founded Underworld in 1987, and after a few failed outings (and personnel changes), they struck gold when they brought in DJ/producer Darren Emerson, who would help bring the group a fresh new sound (laced with dashes of techno, house, rock and drum and bass) that would earn them both critical acclaim and hordes of fans. But eventually Emerson would part ways with the group to become a mainstay in the surprising boring Global Underground series, and Underworld would start to experiment with more downtempo sounds. This was apparent in 2002’s A Hundred Days Off and the subsequent RiverRun Project, which played a bit more with ambient elements, and Oblivion With Bells has continued with that trend, almost surely to its own detriment for some fans.
The album’s opener, “Crocodile”, works like a slightly funkier version of “Cups”, the opener from the group’s 1998 album, Beaucoup Fish, albeit with slightly more emotional and slightly less filtered vocals. It’s got a good mixture of ambient elements and a danceable beat, and has been rightfully released as the album’s first single.
“Holding the Moth” combines the wah-wah beat popularized by crappy speed garage music with a cold vocal narration of the lyrics. It’s similar to the original version of “Bruce Lee” is that it’s essentially a noise track, but “Bruce Lee” is still better. It’s pretty stripped down, but is later trumped in that department by “Ring Road”, though that track eventually does pick up with a Martin Atkins-type beat, and it would actually mix pretty well with “Asphole”. “Best Magmu Ever”, conversely, introduces a more sultry sound that was used sparingly in A Hundred Days Off, and is very reminiscent of Leftfield’s “Original”.
“To Heal” introduces us a more atmospheric Underworld sound, and has a deep, symphonic sound not unlike something that would open up a VNV Nation album. Even though it probably would have served as a more dramatic opening track, and is pretty good, it doesn’t fit in very well with the other material, as its organic tone sets it apart. “Glam Bucket” takes that sound, though, and builds upon it with a beautiful, cascading ambient sound that continues with “Boy, Boy, Boy”. The ambient sound takes an even more dramatic turn with “Cuddle Bunny vs. The Celtic Villages” (which continues into the next few tracks), a very minimal, almost mechanical sounding track that echoes the esoteric sound found in The Orb’s Orbus Terrarum (and to a lesser degree, Pomme Fritz) album.
Like those records did to Orb fans, many Underworld fans will find themselves alienated by a lot of this material, as there’s nothing close to “Born Slippy”, “Pearl’s Girl”, “Push Upstairs” or “Cowgirl” on Oblivion With Bells. Those of you who can accept that this group has chosen to explore new paths will be able to cope with the fact that this album is virtually devoid of dancefloor material, instead establishing itself as a solid ambient composition.
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