Underworld

Underworld has been around in one incarnation or another for 30 years, so it’s no surprise that the band’s latest material—found on the new album Barking—lacks the innovative edge that made Underworld’s best work so exciting more than a decade ago. Still, the band keeps finding new ways to approach the now tried-and-true formula of wrapping nonsensical lyrical snippets around clubland beats, turning to a series of high-profile collaborators this time out. The partnerships with Dubfire, Paul Van Dyk, and other dance-music superstars may have injected some new energy, but they also took some of the distinctive Underworld vibe out of the mix. With luck, the band will recapture that elusive ingredient onstage to maintain its reputation as one of the best live electronic acts going.

Updated 10/11/2010