Times Fly EP

With the whole jungle, drum 'n' bass thing now so dominant, longer established outfits like Orbital are faced with the dilemma of whether to adopt the new style wholesale and look like bandwagon-jumpers or whether to stick to their own techno laser-guns and appear as obsolete as electro-funk. Orbital's answer is to give a nod to jungle on the breakbeat shuffle of "Times Fly (Fast)" but elsewhere to expand and develop their own, hitherto excellent furrow of sound. And this works, "Times Fly (Slow)" is typical Orbital, a burgeoning, stellar synth figure rising like a fast-moving satellite over a soundscape that features the half-submerged, wordless effusions of a sampled female vocal, as does "Sad But New", which kicks off with a chilly sample of the PM at a cocnference insinuatingly intoning the words, "New Age Travellers", which, thus isolated, brings out all the small-minded fear and hostility felt by the government towards that hapless pack of folk. Finally, "The Tranquilizer" is built on a weird harpsichord riff, reminiscent of Pink Floyd's "See Emily Play", and makes for an uneasy narcotic, like going under the gas of a psychotic dentist. Orbital still matter.

• Melody Maker is published weekly and costs 75 pence.
• This was awarded "Single of the Week (2)".

[ Also: NME and Tom Churchill reviews ]