Orbital II

Pete Ashdown

Internal: TRUCD2 / 828 386.2

1       01:43 Time becomes
2  127  09:37 Planet of the Shapes
3  130  05:39 Lush 3-1
4  130  04:41 Lush 3-2
5  130  10:27 Impact (The Earth is Burning)
6  130  07:57 Remind
7  128  06:49 Walk Now...
8  122  07:07 Monday
9  127  09:27 Halcyon + On + On
10      02:12 Input out

Comments: It is very difficult for me to be objective regarding Orbital, I tend to believe that everything they touch is something that should be framed in a musical gallery. Even though I attempted to stand back and give a review of their new album, I'm still stunned. Although many bands will sag on their second release, Orbital has come back even stronger. There is a flow to the entire album that wasn't present before. Not so much of a mix, but a logical extension from one track into another. Notably absent, The Naked and The Dub their main excursion away from their 'sound,' shows that they stuck to what they do best on this release. Planet of the Shapes, Lush 3-1, Lush 3-1 and Impact are my favorite pieces, with stomping rhythms and rumbling basslines. Remind is an extension of their Mindstream remix which dumps Meat Beat Manifesto completely, and emphasizes their own excellent work. Walk Now... is the off piece, using a digeridoo, and a Chime like rhythm, then a sudden break into a completely different mode. Last, the work over of Halcyon is perfect with an even cooler, more subtle sample loop from Opus III. The intro and outro are weird, but at the same time far above normalcy.

Summary: 10/10. Another Orbital masterpiece. Don't listen to me though, I'm a fanatic.

• Contact Pete at pashdown@xmission.com
• His home page.
• This album goes under a variety of aliases; for details see the UK discography.

[ Also: Select Magazine and Melody Maker reviews ]