Orbital poll

In Sides

― Drag Me to Hull (Noodle Vague), Friday, 6 November 2009 00:42 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

I forgot how much I used to listen to Snivilisation.

― I Love Musing (PappaWheelie V), Friday, 6 November 2009 00:43 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

That wd probly be my second place.

― Drag Me to Hull (Noodle Vague), Friday, 6 November 2009 00:43 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

― modescalator (blueski), Friday, 6 November 2009 00:45 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

insides will walk

― dog latin, Friday, 6 November 2009 00:55 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Glastonbury here.

― niggaz thought M.A.S stand for mop and shit (sic), Friday, 6 November 2009 08:26 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Snivilisation, even if i rarely get past the first three tracks.

― This part of the sentence is even dumber. (lukas), Friday, 6 November 2009 08:31 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

In Sides in my all-time top ten of all time.

― George Mucus (ledge), Friday, 6 November 2009 09:33 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Even a stopped clock gives the right time twice a day.

― myndbloom, Friday, 6 November 2009 09:39 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Back in the day, for years actually, I would have said InSides but I played that and the Brown album in the run-up to the gigs a few months ago and the latter was like WOW. It still feels like the perfect example of how to make dancefloor-orientated house and techno work in the album format.

― Space Battle Rothko (Matt DC), Friday, 6 November 2009 10:26 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Speaking of "perfect example", find me a track that does amniotic synths + tight beats better than "Forever". (I recognize we're working with a small sample size.)

― This part of the sentence is even dumber. (lukas), Friday, 6 November 2009 10:41 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

middle of nowhere. even though when listening to all the stuff before it, they sound like the best ever at the time.

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Friday, 6 November 2009 11:55 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Basically any album between Orbital 2 and The Middle of Nowhere is the correct answer here (lol except for the "Event Horizon" soundtrack).

― The Dance at the Crossroads (HI DERE), Friday, 6 November 2009 14:17 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

I love most of these equally, discovered Orbital in the '00s (I'm young) so I don't have a sentimental favorite like most of you probably do. I'll throw a vote to The Middle of Nowhere... doubt many others will.

― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Friday, 6 November 2009 14:19 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Brown

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Friday, 6 November 2009 14:21 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

I still like The Altogether more than most people say they do but it's pretty clearly a step below the albums preceding it. "Funny Break" totally pwns though.

― The Dance at the Crossroads (HI DERE), Friday, 6 November 2009 14:26 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

― Persian Pickle (Masonic Boom), Friday, 6 November 2009 14:28 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

I never listen to anything from The Altogether onwards now. Never felt the need to re-check them out.
xpost

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Friday, 6 November 2009 14:28 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

You should! The Blue Album is pretty great and there are enough good tracks on The Altogether to make you smile.

― The Dance at the Crossroads (HI DERE), Friday, 6 November 2009 14:31 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Well if they're on spotify i will, but i was pretty disappointed by them at the time.

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Friday, 6 November 2009 14:36 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Most of the Blue album has got a really empty sounding loud echoey sheen on it that I really don't like - you notice it most on tracks like Tunnel Vision. You Lot is still amazing though, up there with their best stuff, and Sunrise sounds a lot better in the nu-balearic age.

― Space Battle Rothko (Matt DC), Friday, 6 November 2009 14:39 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

I really like "Lost" and "Acid Pants" a ton, although "One Perfect Sunrise" is the track off of there I play the most.

― The Dance at the Crossroads (HI DERE), Friday, 6 November 2009 14:42 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

can't believe people like that track. prefer The Altogether to Blue but the good tracks from both together would make a good LP.

― modescalator (blueski), Friday, 6 November 2009 14:43 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

I was pretty disappointed by the Altogether (maybe even MoN) onwards at the time, but now whenever I dig them out I'm surprised by how much I like them.

The answer is still In Sides.

― subtyll cauillacyons (a passing spacecadet), Friday, 6 November 2009 14:59 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

I think I just voted for something else by accident so I'll console myself with how In Sides is going to win by quite some margin anyway (right?).

― subtyll cauillacyons (a passing spacecadet), Friday, 6 November 2009 15:00 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

holy shit the Glastonbury album is pretty fucking massive

― The Dance at the Crossroads (HI DERE), Friday, 6 November 2009 15:03 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

I threw my vote behind In Sides as well - and it would have been even if the album was nothing but "The Girl With the Sun in Her Head" followed by 30 minutes of the band taunting me by name.

― Sean Carruthers, Friday, 6 November 2009 15:15 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

I think the staggering thing about In Sides is that the weakest tracks on it are "P.E.T.R.O.L." and "Dŵr Budr"! It's like, how is that even possible? Either of those should be career-defining pieces of music but on this album they're just the two fantastic tracks mixed in with unadulterated, mind-melting genius.

― The Dance at the Crossroads (HI DERE), Friday, 6 November 2009 15:21 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

I threw my vote behind In Sides as well - and it would have been even if the album was nothing but "The Girl With the Sun in Her Head" followed by 30 minutes of the band taunting me by name.

― Sean Carruthers, Friday, November 6, 2009 6:15 PM (15 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

― This part of the sentence is even dumber. (lukas), Friday, 6 November 2009 16:01 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

I think the staggering thing about In Sides is that the weakest tracks on it are "P.E.T.R.O.L." and "Dŵr Budr"! It's like, how is that even possible? Either of those should be career-defining pieces of music but on this album they're just the two fantastic tracks mixed in with unadulterated, mind-melting genius.

Yeah, OTM, and I need to re-read this the next time I try to convince myself that the Brown Album or Snivilisation are better.

― NoTimeBeforeTime, Friday, 6 November 2009 16:31 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

(I think Orbital 2 does a much better job of sustaining a club mood than any other album they released but part of the problem with that is the inherent repetition, which is amazing when you are primed for it and incredibly wearying when you aren't.)

― The Dance at the Crossroads (HI DERE), Friday, 6 November 2009 16:35 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

In Sides has never quite engaged me on the same level. The songs are nice when they finally get going, but they take too long to get started. On the Brown album, even as they're starting up with these very minimal intros, there's still enough sonic interest for me to think "hey, what's going on here?" and then hang on til the big CHOON moment kicks in. On In Sides I keep waiting for them to get the point.

I know I'm flying solo on this opinion, tho.

x-post

― Persian Pickle (Masonic Boom), Friday, 6 November 2009 16:36 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Dŵr Budr is up with the rest of them, for me. And the live version of P.E.T.R.O.L. was bangin'.

― George Mucus (ledge), Friday, 6 November 2009 16:44 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Snivilisation by a nose over Is Sides which just beats Brown. You can't go past Are We Here? *WARNING WARNING NUCLEAR ATTACK*

― ABSOLUTELY NO SCRUBS WHATSOEVER, Friday, 6 November 2009 16:45 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Ten years ago, I'd have never thought that Middle of Nowhere would eventually be my favorite album of theirs, but it's the one I keep coming back to.

I threw my vote behind In Sides as well - and it would have been even if the album was nothing but "The Girl With the Sun in Her Head" followed by 30 minutes of the band taunting me by name.

I was about to say that same thing about "Way Out"/"Spare Parts Express"! Well, ok, not the "taunting Sean by name" part of it.

― Vinnie, Friday, 6 November 2009 17:01 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Thing is, this is the music that engulfs you as you die, so it's kind of hard to top.

― Drag Me to Hull (Noodle Vague), Friday, 6 November 2009 17:07 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

that belfast vocal rmx is the best thing they ever did :/

― cutty, Friday, 6 November 2009 17:07 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Have you heard the box vocal remix?

― George Mucus (ledge), Friday, 6 November 2009 17:09 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

I think that version is kind of lame actually, the one with lyrics at any rate. It's the dude's voice that kills it. The version of the Box with standard level Goldfrapp oohing and aahing over the top is great though.

I don't actually think the Brown album is any more repetitive than InSides really.

― Space Battle Rothko (Matt DC), Friday, 6 November 2009 17:22 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Vocal mix of "The Box" sucks a bit, true enough.

― Drag Me to Hull (Noodle Vague), Friday, 6 November 2009 17:26 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

I like it but I kinda like the dude's voice. Prefer the original though, I guess. The nutso creaking galleon/harpsichord rock out version is fun.

― George Mucus (ledge), Friday, 6 November 2009 17:27 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

I don't actually think the Brown album is any more repetitive than InSides really.

Really all I'm just saying that when I'm not in the mood for it, "Impact" feels like it goes on for hours, whereas I think I owned In Sides for well over a year before I noticed exactly how long "Out There Somewhere" actually is. I'm blaming some of that on the dancefloor/non-dancefloor divide between the two albums.

I haven't heard a version of "The Box" that I haven't loved.

― The Dance at the Crossroads (HI DERE), Friday, 6 November 2009 17:28 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

xpost It always reminded me of the vocal mix of Roni Size's "Brown Paper Bag" i.e. please take these redundant vocals off this great tune.

― Drag Me to Hull (Noodle Vague), Friday, 6 November 2009 17:29 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Snivilisation here. Brown album is #2 for me. I had sort of lost interest by In Sides tbh. Snivilisation was a darker, uglier, bleaker, more intense sound for them. going back to that pretty sunny sound after listening to Snivilisation for two years straight was a let down for me.

The songs are nice when they finally get going, but they take too long to get started.

^^ agree with this, too.

― Buck Utah (rockapads), Friday, 6 November 2009 17:39 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

InSides is kinda the flipside of Sniv though. Snivilisation is the bleal apocalyptic one and InSides is the "look how beautiful everything is, don't fuck it up" album. The latter is ostensibly sunny but there's a real sadness in there that's absent in everything they did afterwards. The two records together would make a ridiculously amazing double album.

― Space Battle Rothko (Matt DC), Friday, 6 November 2009 18:15 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Bleak, even.

― Space Battle Rothko (Matt DC), Friday, 6 November 2009 18:16 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Speaking of "perfect example", find me a track that does amniotic synths + tight beats better than "Forever". (I recognize we're working with a small sample size.)

LFO - Blown is pretty fucking good.

― Space Battle Rothko (Matt DC), Friday, 6 November 2009 18:22 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

I kind of look at Snivilization and In Sides as a double album, pretty much exactly for the reasons Matt mentions.

― The Dance at the Crossroads (HI DERE), Friday, 6 November 2009 18:22 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

i have the 'in sides' double cd, which would make for a great triple album w/snivilisation

― jØrdån (omar little), Friday, 6 November 2009 18:24 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

"Times Fly"! *swoon*

― The Dance at the Crossroads (HI DERE), Friday, 6 November 2009 18:26 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

man i don't even know. I guess snivilization but it depends on which day you ask me.

― you get ribbons when you're in 4H (forksclovetofu), Friday, 6 November 2009 18:27 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

I don't actually think the Brown album is any more repetitive than InSides really.

really? In Sides is way more prog

― modescalator (blueski), Friday, 6 November 2009 19:00 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Having spent many years with the tape version of In Sides it makes me sad that the CD version (if you didn't get the first issue in the UK, anyway) has the tracks from the Saint single tacked on the end, cz they really kill the mood for me.

So I hope Jordan's double-cd which I just looked for on discogs is the one with the pretty good Times Fly (fast/slow) double 7" tracks on, and not the one with The Saint on.

I threw my vote behind In Sides as well - and it would have been even if the album was nothing but "The Girl With the Sun in Her Head" followed by 30 minutes of the band taunting me by name. <- OTM, except I could substitute any of the tracks and still find it true

Snivilisation by a nose over Is Sides which just beats Brown <- OTM except for the part where In Sides wins by said nose cz a) In Sides is, like, almost perfect album b) even though I loved Sniv at the time it just seems to kind of drag for me a little when I put it on now

― subtyll cauillacyons (a passing spacecadet), Friday, 6 November 2009 19:43 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Wish i knew where all my orbital/leftfield/underworld/FSOL cd singles were.

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Friday, 6 November 2009 19:56 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

You probably sold them to buy a Neurosis T-shirt.

― brotherlovesdub, Friday, 6 November 2009 20:24 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

i didnt sell any, i just dont know where they are in the loft.

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Friday, 6 November 2009 20:43 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

twas only teasing

― brotherlovesdub, Friday, 6 November 2009 22:29 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

well im still not swapping them for your beloved neurosis tour tshirt

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Friday, 6 November 2009 22:42 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

really? In Sides is way more prog

More prog, maybe. Less repetetive, no. Aside from maybe Dwr Bdr, every single track on InSides is based upon taking one loop and building or removing from it. Maybe InSides is better at distracting you from the repetition...

― Space Battle Rothko (Matt DC), Friday, 6 November 2009 23:38 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Except for that it isn't, unless you're also talking about adding and removing entire thematic sections as part of that "one loop".

― Yeah~ I can flay~~~ (HI DERE), Friday, 6 November 2009 23:58 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

I think I'd have to vote for In Sides here, but I listened to Brown last night and it's still amazing; the perfect danceable dance album. And the opening one-two punch of Snivilisation kicks ass too.

― exploding angel vagina (Scik Mouthy), Saturday, 7 November 2009 07:43 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

I voted for In Sides, which I bought on the strength of a video for "The Box". I bought the double cd version, and I remember putting it on and being blown away that "The Box" wasn't 3 minutes long but more like 30 minutes. And it was awesome.

― Euler, Saturday, 7 November 2009 08:13 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

I genuinely can't choose between any of the albums from Brown through to Middle of Nowhere. Each of those albums does its chosen thing so singularly and so well, it feels inappropriate to try to rank them.

The Altogether was such a drop-off, it actually made me depressed to listen to it at the time.

― Tim F, Saturday, 7 November 2009 11:40 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

The Brown Album, even though it does remind of that awful film about hackers with Johnny Lee Miller in it. Snivilisation is the only one I don't have.

― toofattoskate, Saturday, 7 November 2009 19:26 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

oh fuck I'd forgotten how awesome "Remind" (aka "the musical backing to Orbital's remix of Meat Beat Manifesto's 'Mindstream'") is

― a Barbie-like nub where he provates should be (HI DERE), Monday, 9 November 2009 19:34 (1 week ago) Permalink

In Sides for me, the one that works best as an album IMO. Although if there were an option for the live album that you got when buying the (reissued?) Satan CD singles, I would probably go for that.

― Neil S, Monday, 9 November 2009 20:23 (1 week ago) Permalink

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

― System, Thursday, 19 November 2009 00:01 (2 days ago) Permalink

ok i need to play those last 2 albums like i said i would

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Thursday, 19 November 2009 16:34 (2 days ago) Permalink

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

― System, Friday, 20 November 2009 00:01 (Yesterday) Permalink

interesting

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Friday, 20 November 2009 08:47 (Yesterday) Permalink

nutters

― George Mucus (ledge), Friday, 20 November 2009 09:30 (Yesterday) Permalink

Is the right answer. It's always been Brown for me - and, obviously, 38 other people.

― Dorian (Dorianlynskey), Friday, 20 November 2009 09:42 (Yesterday) Permalink

Yay! Brown ftw!

― groovypanda, Friday, 20 November 2009 09:52 (Yesterday) Permalink

Wow. Didn't expect that much of a gap at all; thought the top 3 would be pretty close.

― exploding angel vagina (Scik Mouthy), Friday, 20 November 2009 09:57 (Yesterday) Permalink

yay!

there is the theory of the moebius...

― Cosmic Dentistry (Masonic Boom), Friday, 20 November 2009 10:10 (Yesterday) Permalink

IT'S A CRY FOR SURVIVAL.
A CRY. FOR. SURVIVAL.
SURVIVAL FOR THEM AND FOR US.

― Space Battle Rothko (Matt DC), Friday, 20 November 2009 10:35 (Yesterday) Permalink

Yeah. And then the lead into Remind. Can't stand that strange wimpy whiny vocal in the middle of Impact tho.

― George Mucus (ledge), Friday, 20 November 2009 10:37 (Yesterday) Permalink

Monday is pretty rubbish too.

― George Mucus (ledge), Friday, 20 November 2009 10:55 (Yesterday) Permalink

God that crappy sax sample and pre-Robert Miles piano. It sounds so cheesily 90s.

― George Mucus (ledge), Friday, 20 November 2009 10:59 (Yesterday) Permalink

I have very fond memories of Monday. It used to send my friend's dog mental, it would just start jumping around the room whenever we played it.

― Space Battle Rothko (Matt DC), Friday, 20 November 2009 11:07 (Yesterday) Permalink

What are you guys talking about, Remind has like the best Wub in techno.

― Cosmic Dentistry (Masonic Boom), Friday, 20 November 2009 11:13 (Yesterday) Permalink

It's the right winner. When I first bought Brown (on casette!) I only played side (Lush to Remind as continous mix on the tape) for a whole week, refusing to accept that side 2 could be any better.

Largely true bar Halcyon.

― Tannenbaum Schmidt, Friday, 20 November 2009 11:38 (Yesterday) Permalink

Surprised!

I don't actually know Brown very well. A friend did me a tape of Green (which I already had) + Brown, and I got excited about one of the tracks and thought it must be on Brown which must therefore be the best thing ever, and then realised that it was actually on Green but not on my CD because I'd somehow got the US version. So I went into a bit of a sulk and haven't listened to Brown much.

This poll says I was wrong.

― subtyll cauillacyons (a passing spacecadet), Friday, 20 November 2009 11:57 (Yesterday) Permalink

In Sides would've won this a couple of years ago

― mdskltr (blueski), Friday, 20 November 2009 12:31 (Yesterday) Permalink

Maybe, but brown rules. I saw them on the insides tour, and as good as that material was despite the album only being out about 4 days, the brown album tracks were amazing.

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Friday, 20 November 2009 13:17 (Yesterday) Permalink

problys the second best album with that Withnail sample on it ;-)

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Friday, 20 November 2009 14:10 (Yesterday) Permalink