Album: Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future by Underworld (2016)
Genre: House | Style: Electronic | Mood: Energetic
Record Label: Universal Records
Format: Album

Description: Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future (stylized as Barbara Barbara, we face a shining future) is the ninth studio album by British electronic group Underworld, released on 18 March 2016. It is the band's first studio album since Barking in 2010.

In September 2010, Underworld released their eighth studio album Barking, a collaborative heavy record that consists of many guest contributors such as High Contrast, Paul van Dyk and Dubfire to name a few, and features more emphasis on House music and Drum and Bass. After the release of Barking, the band went on to release two compilation albums, 1992–2012 The Anthology and A Collection (the latter consists of radio edits and guest spots). They've also worked on a few projects with frequent collaborator director Danny Boyle, who the band had previously worked with, providing tracks for several of his films including Trainspotting, A Life Less Ordinary and The Beach, as well as writing the score with John Murphy on Boyle's 2007 film Sunshine. These projects were the soundtrack for Boyle's theatre production play Frankenstein and as musical directors for the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in London. After these projects, Karl Hyde and Rick Smith spend a couple of years apart while they both work on their own separate musical aspirations. Hyde released his debut solo album Edgeland in 2013 and released two collaborative albums with Brian Eno titled Someday World and High Life, both released in May and June 2014 respectively. Meanwhile, Smith would continue to work with Danny Boyle through providing the musical score for Boyle's 2013 film Trance and the score for Babylon, a British drama television series that aired on Channel 4 in 2014 for which Boyle co-created and directed the 90 minute pilot. In late 2014, the band announced plans to release remastered and expanded editions of all of their studio albums "in the next few years". An expanded edition of dubnobasswithmyheadman was released on 6 October 2014, and the group toured in support of the album. An expanded edition of Second Toughest in the Infants was released on 20 November 2015. Underworld would then announce their brand new studio album, only four days after the re-release of Second Toughest.

The span gap of six years between Underworld's last studio album Barking and Barbara Barbara is the longest wait between records in their music career. Karl Hyde has said of the album: "When I listen to this record what I’m proud of most is that Rick and I made a record without thinking about where it fits or if it sounds like Underworld." The album was co-produced by drum and bass producer High Contrast, who previously worked with the band on Barking.
Rick Smith came up with the title of the album through his father, which was one of the last things he said before he died. Karl Hyde in an interview said that Rick's mother's name is Barbara and said that she was fearful of the future without him and that's when his father said to her that quote that would then become the title for the album. The artwork was created by art design collective group Tomato.

Artist Background: Underworld are an English electronic group, and principal name under which duo Karl Hyde and Rick Smith have recorded together since 1980. Hyde and Smith began their musical partnership with the Kraftwerk and reggae-inspired sounds of The Screen Gemz while working together in a diner in the city of Cardiff, where both had been studying. They were then joined by bass player Alfie Thomas (who was also in The Screen Gemz), drummer Bryn Burrows, and keyboardist John Warwicker and formed a proto-e... Part of the Romford, England music scene. Emerged in the 1980s era. Associated with Electronic movement.

Related Artists: Orbital, Fluke, Leftfield, The Chemical Brothers

Music Scene: Part of the Romford, England music scene. Emerged in the 1980s era. Associated with Electronic movement.

Tags: House, Electronic, Energetic, 2010s, Album, Universal Records

Additional Context: Rating score: 7. Based on 2 votes. Available on Discogs marketplace


Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future (stylized as Barbara Barbara, we face a shining future) is the ninth studio album by British electronic group Underworld, released on 18 March 2016. It is the band's first studio album since Barking in 2010.

In September 2010, Underworld released their eighth studio album Barking, a collaborative heavy record that consists of many guest contributors such as High Contrast, Paul van Dyk and Dubfire to name a few, and features more emphasis on House music and Drum and Bass. After the release of Barking, the band went on to release two compilation albums, 1992–2012 The Anthology and A Collection (the latter consists of radio edits and guest spots). They've also worked on a few projects with frequent collaborator director Danny Boyle, who the band had previously worked with, providing tracks for several of his films including Trainspotting, A Life Less Ordinary and The Beach, as well as writing the score with John Murphy on Boyle's 2007 film Sunshine. These projects were the soundtrack for Boyle's theatre production play Frankenstein and as musical directors for the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in London. After these projects, Karl Hyde and Rick Smith spend a couple of years apart while they both work on their own separate musical aspirations. Hyde released his debut solo album Edgeland in 2013 and released two collaborative albums with Brian Eno titled Someday World and High Life, both released in May and June 2014 respectively. Meanwhile, Smith would continue to work with Danny Boyle through providing the musical score for Boyle's 2013 film Trance and the score for Babylon, a British drama television series that aired on Channel 4 in 2014 for which Boyle co-created and directed the 90 minute pilot. In late 2014, the band announced plans to release remastered and expanded editions of all of their studio albums "in the next few years". An expanded edition of dubnobasswithmyheadman was released on 6 October 2014, and the group toured in support of the album. An expanded edition of Second Toughest in the Infants was released on 20 November 2015. Underworld would then announce their brand new studio album, only four days after the re-release of Second Toughest.

The span gap of six years between Underworld's last studio album Barking and Barbara Barbara is the longest wait between records in their music career. Karl Hyde has said of the album: "When I listen to this record what I’m proud of most is that Rick and I made a record without thinking about where it fits or if it sounds like Underworld." The album was co-produced by drum and bass producer High Contrast, who previously worked with the band on Barking.
Rick Smith came up with the title of the album through his father, which was one of the last things he said before he died. Karl Hyde in an interview said that Rick's mother's name is Barbara and said that she was fearful of the future without him and that's when his father said to her that quote that would then become the title for the album. The artwork was created by art design collective group Tomato.

Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future

Underworld

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