Orbital - Classic or Dud?

The only album of theirs that isn't fantastic is The Altogether which is merely "good".

I should probably finish my Orbital collection. then there'd be no more war

Much love for "One Perfect Sunrise"...at the time it just had the feel of "Halycon"/"Sad But True" rip, but it definitely grew on me a lot and became a great swansong for these guys. Bumping this in honor of the new compilation album Orbital 20 which should hopefully lead to some new material. It's by far the best comp they've ever had for what its worth.

Anyone else hear Paul's solo album? It's actually quite good if not a little overly cinematic. But I enjoyed it quite a bit. Better than Blue and maybe Altogether. Phil's Long Range project is mostly a dud though.

still probably my favorite electronic band

It's actually quite good if not a little overly cinematic.

yeah, you can really feel that he went too hard on the "must make something different! must prove self srs musician!" tip, with the strong weighting of strings over electronics. but this just means he's not playing to his strengths, rather than it actually sucking. and it has the third-best Robert Smith track of the '00s on it.

I wish "Gloopy" had made the album. That's an ace track

just wrote a review on that album, I actually found out I like it quite a bit but it's kinda disposable.

any news of their reunion album?

I haven't heard anything, but then again I haven't been looking for any news on it either.

the only thing I've seen is that they weren't planning on doing an album. though presumably releasing more singles if they get more new songs written.

http://www.crowdsurge.com/mailer/orbital/

New album and tour announced.

They're playing the Royal Albert Hall instead of the usual Brixton which suggests a more Snivilisation/In Sides direction.

One can but hope.

Why do they hate the south west?!

They're playing the Royal Albert Hall instead of the usual Brixton which suggests a more Snivilisation/In Sides direction.

Judging from the track on that site... could go either way. Better than that "The Gun is Good" nonsense from last year certainly.

I kinda liked The Gun Is Good on a musical note actually, although I wish I could erase the vocal samples.

wait, ppl didn't like "The Gun Is Good"? Where was I when that happened?

This new one is terrific actually, they played it at Glastonbury this year and it immediately stood out in their set.

to be honest, I really liked Paul's solo album "The Ideal Condition". not exactly great, but I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. they definitely needed the break but damnit I wanted them to come back. maybe even tour the States. a man can dream.

Shit title

Dunno, getting a bit of an Altogether vibe from some of this. Zola Jesus should work well with them. Lady Leshurr less so.

i'd honestly be surprised if it was shit. i'm sure it won't be In Sides/Sniv level genius but it should at least be better than their last two. album title is definitely weird but they did title an album Snivilisation so I'm not sure what you expected.

Enjoying the Pusher soundtrack on Spotify. Imagine it took them all of a day, but hey, pretty noises.

this "christmas chime" track is cute

Well, the audio is ok yes

I haven't actually listened to this yet, but I'm assuming it's just Chime with sleigh-bells on it?

Basically.

Make sure you open it in a separate tab so you don't have to watch it whilst you listen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJwLcFgWR8c

No more.

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/21/orbital-announce-split-25-years

Again? Time becomes a loop.

damn. was hoping this was being bumped to announce a new album. their last one was really good...at least they ended things on a high note!

Yeah, Wonky was really good and I was hoping they'd make another!

Am I right in the thinking that the last time they appeared live was at the Paralympics closing ceremony with Stephen Hawking 'singing' over the top? If so that's kind of an untoppable moment that also indicates that you are over.

no, looks like they played over 30 shows in the four months after that, in the UK, USA, Europe and Japan

re previous solo careers.

the ideal condition >>> long range

if i remember correctly the PH mix of please (remember 1992??) feat. robert smith was immense.

going to dig it out and give it an airing

I liked The Ideal Condition - very filmic and evocative, kind of discombobulated, but better than I thought a Paul Hartnoll solo album would be

Long Range was kind of a dud. I thought "Dispell the Clouds" was amazing and the rest very forgettable

I liked The Ideal Condition - very filmic and evocative, kind of discombobulated, but better than I thought a Paul Hartnoll solo album would be

yup.

a definite precursor to his involvement with the soundtrack to the ultimate electronica vs goth groove of the bbc drama, peaky blinders ..

was not surprised at all when i saw his involvement.

bloody hell, 'for silence' off 'ideal condition' = bloody brilliant ..

the mix of orchestra and electronics is very impressive on this album ..

All the more infuriating that Murray Gold didn't get fired off nu-? in 2009 and replaced with Paul.

if i remember correctly the PH mix of please (remember 1992??) feat. robert smith was immense.

You do rc.

yeah.
found that mix and made the walls of hq shake ..
tis indeed special.

Paul Hartnoll is now recording solo under the name 8:58 and has an album out:

https://soundcloud.com/eightfiftyeight

I still think The Ideal Condition was unfairly ignored - definitely preferred it to the last couple of Orbital albums (until Wonky came around)

First two and last two tracks on this are really good. Stuff in the middle...not so convinced. But if you're going through Orbital withdrawl, give it a shot?

I'm having a late night, deep listen to The Middle of Nowhere, and I've always considered it to be an incredibly underrated album, I'm actually beginning to feel that it may actually be their masterpiece. It retains the thoughtful approach of Snivilisation and In Sides, but it comes across as far less ponderous and much more fun than those records, and the production is absolutely impeccable.

absolutely - relistening to it a few months ago I realized it sounded like they thought it would be the last record (or, last great record) they'd ever make. I wrote about it here.

I have been SO into Orbital lately. In Sides and MoN were my introductions to them, but I'd never properly gotten into Oribtal 2 (despite several attempts) until quite recently. Is Middle of Nowhere not highly regarded?? It seems like quite a high point for them.

Hope you plan on adding Snivilization and Diversions to your playlists!

from what i remember at the time NoW was not v well received... tho - that could have been mostly with my friends. i fell in love right away with the sounds they had used but no one i knew was sharing my enthusiasm.

xp Diversions I love but Sniv I'm still lukewarm on :-/

I like it a lot but the first half (the best bit imo) is very Kraftwerky. Sometimes I just think I might as well listen to Computer World.

never got into Diversions much, but Sniv is one of my favorite albums ever :)

Diversions is solid but not a masterpiece, with the exception of "Impact USA" which is prob in their top 5

Diversions was not a proper album though was it? Just some of the Peel Sessions and Lush remixes

Yeah, it was a US only release I think that we could get on import?