Album Review: Underworld – Oblivion With Bells

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Underworld – Oblivion With Bells

Still going strong, Underworld return with their fifth album and once again cement themselves as lords of the dance. Throughout the bands turbulent career, their have been many ups as well as downs. Most notably, front man Karl Hyde battled through alcohol addiction, the result which penned many dark and troubled lyrics that appeared on early albums such as Dubnobasewithmyheadman and Second Toughest In The Infants. Even the bands most famous track to date – Born Slippy was adopted as a drinking anthem by the masses but was actually a cry for help from the vibrant singer.

In the year 2000, Darren Emerson who was responsible for the bands techno rebirth left the group to peruse his own solo career and concentrate more on DJ duties. Working as a duo for the first time, Karl Hyde and Rick Smith didn’t let down anyone with their fourth album A Hundred Days Off which showed an upbeat and more happy Underworld. Almost five years after that album, they have finally returned to bring us Oblivion With Bells. It would be unfair to say the band have been doing nothing for five years. In this time they have scored the soundtracks to two films – Breaking and Entering and sci-fi thriller Sunshine. Three web only releases have been released via the bands website, a move which showcased that the act responsible for many thumping beats and breaks can also show a calmer and ambient side.

These web releases and film scores have collided head on with Underworld old style and consequently spawned a new style for the band. Album open Crocodile shows us that nothing has changed with Rick Smith fiddling with his electronic toys and creating minimal techno that clashes with soulful house to give us the perfect comeback single. Hyde’s wispy vocals continue to be as abstract as ever but make for a fine sing a long. As this track finishes, the next song Beautiful Burnout mixes in to show us another side of Underworld. Progressive techno builds before exploding in to a fury of fast beats and distorted vocals. Perfect for the dance floor and for any DJ wanting to whip the crowd up in to a frenzy.

More and more instrumental pieces are showcased here, and what a mixture they are to. First offering To Heal is pulled straight from the movie Sunshine. The electronic ballad sends shivers down the spine as the synths whirl around, casting an emotion of sadness and loneliness. Glam Bucket is a more upbeat affair and shows what can be done with a good tune. The beats may be minimal, but everything else works so well that their inclusion would only ruin the song.

It’s as if this album is a homage and a revisit to the fist record – Dubnobasewithmyheadman. The black and white artwork of Oblivion With Bells a similar style and will only make fans jump to the same conclusion. If there was ever a doubt that electronic music was suffering in terms of creativity, you only need to look to this record to see the scene is alive and well.

Written by Matthew for UKEvents.net