Orbital - Wonky

maybe I will be sick Thursday

mmmm.

djp will just ask them about dr who.

"what's he REALLY like"

then Aldo will join and say how much nu-who sucks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9675nvyses

OMG.

Now that's how to do a fucking build.

This has leaked by the way and 'Stringy Acid' is sending me in paroxysms of 90s throwback techno joy. It would be a standout on the Brown album, it's that good.

STOP TALKING ABOUT IT! I am embargoing it until I can buy it in a record shop on Monday.

Nick it's hardly my fault you refuse to live in the modern world!

I felt the same as Matt DC but this is an amazing record - their best since In Sides. The title's a red herring because there's very little goofy humour and lots of what they're best at without being too self-referential. I'd be interested to see what younger listeners make of it because it doesn't sound nostalgic at all.

Cosign this entire post really. My copy arrived in the post this morning actually. I've listened to it twice and it is astonishingly good, definitely best since InSides. It's merely very good for the first four tracks or so and then really takes off from Distractions onwards.

There's a bit of almost everything they're good at actually - extreme prettiness (Never), aching Adnan's-style sadness (Distractions), widescreen rave (Stringy Acid) and proper hands-in-the-air anthems - I want at least 10 minutes more of the last track, Where's It Going? which is kinda like the first half of Impact with the cinematic swoop of Out There Somewhere pt. 2.

Also, Stringy Acid aside, I'm surprised how contemporary it sounds, partly because most of the elements of their sound are vogueish again, in M83-style indie electronica when not in dance music itself. And the nods to current music (wobbly dubstep on Beelzebub, Azealia Banks style electro on the title track) work because they maintain the personality of the rest of the album.

You're torturing me.

i really love this

i mean i guess this should've been obvious because this is an orbital record but listening to the disconnected youtubes kind of misses out on the incredible weaving they do between tracks

for instance before now it was hard to tell how similar the outro of "straight sun" and the intro of "never" were

Excited.

This is the first album they've done that actually flows like an album in absolutely ages. I would have given it a colour name if I were them. A colour that's patently not as good as green or brown.

Orange maybe.

There's a bit of almost everything they're good at actually

^^ this. i only listened to it once, so i still don't know if i prefer it over 'middle of nowhere'. i could do without 'belzedub', tbh. 'stringy acid' is all i could hope for a rave throwback - and even better that what such "statement" could imply.

*even better than

damn, still waiting for my copy...so this is better than The Altogether I take it? :D

another one hour thing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XT_ZKP9_Oo

listened to the album yesterday. fucking love it.

Absolutely fantastic.

The build on One Big Moment is just masterful, I love how they keep adding more and more layers an then suddenly there's one chiming synth line over the top that changes the melodic complexion of the track altogether. I wish they'd taken a bit more time with it actually, if there's one mild criticism I might have of this record it's they could have been a bit more patient with the pacing of some of the tracks, Where's It Going? in particular could have a much slower build and a longer outro.

But this is already above Middle of Nowhere for me, which sagged quite badly in the middle with I Don't Know You People and Otono.

True but the highs ("Spare Parts Express", "Know Where To Run", "Nothing Left") on Middle of Nowhere probably were higher for the reason you cite - the build on those tracks is at once astonishing and yet totally inevitable sounding. There's a slight "radio edit" quality to the tunes here.

Though it's not really a bad thing that with nearly every track I'm thinking "oh, that ended too soon."

At the same time I'm not sure many of them actually need to be much longer - its only really the first and last tracks that would benefit from it really.

Conversely Beelzedub feels longer than it actually is and not in a bad way particularly, because there are so many sections to it and all of them feel exactly the right length. Also I love that you're sitting listening to the drill and bass bit and wondering if it could get any more gleefully ridiculous and then they throw the Kirk Hammett guitars in there as well.

Also, Distractions is a really astonishing piece of music.

Flood probably had a hand in tightening the structures and keeping the song short.

Duh @ StanM reposting that Maida Vale thing and not even noticing until now. Wtf, dude.

glad i listened to this, i doubt i'd have bothered without the leshurr hook. i think it sounds pretty dated in places and "beelzedub" got serious side-eye from me, but "straight sun" is amazing and the leshurr track is easily the best - that build!

This is pretty good! It does feel a bit like it's missing that final mysterious ingredient to take it to "really great", but In Sides didn't click for me until I had it on the Walkman (lol 90s) for a coach journey through brilliant sunshine and scenery, and this one sounds like it's going to go well with summertime walks, so I'm hoping it'll really hit me then.

Though I do kind of prefer my Orbital with no hints of the 21st century, so I'll admit I prefer it if I skip Beelzedub (second half with the breaks is ok tho) and the Lady Leshurr track. I am aware this says more about me being a corny indie fuck than about the album.

you guys are getting me hella psyched here!
title cut sounds great.

ne-v-er

I like how this album is a bit of a parental rebuke of Scuba.

"Straight Sun" is amazing, yes.

another one hour thing:

― StanM, Sunday, 1 April 2012 02:35 (Yesterday)

this is a DJ set btw not a live session

3 hours till I get to buy this.

Anyone heard the second disc of the 2CD version? (Five live tracks). I'm currently debating which edition to order.

i doubt i'd have bothered without the leshurr hook

http://media.bigoo.ws/content/gif/music/music_139.gif

I don't really think much of this sounds dated at all actually - the exception being Stringy Acid and that at least is consciously so. Also even if it were some old acid house record I'd still probably lose my shit if I heard it in a club.

I'm surprised Straight Sun is getting so many props, it's one of the weaker tracks for me, feels a bit Orbital by numbers and could maybe do with a bit more melodic development. I'm not mad keen on Zola Jesus's eurohouse bluster on New France either, the rest of the track is good but I keep thinking how amazing Alison Goldfrapp was over the top of Orbital tracks and it doesn't compare.

xp- I'd think a lot of fans already own a bunch of live versions of those tracks, so I personally wouldn't spend money on it. Orbital have yet to really release a great live album, like Underworld, Daft Punk, and now the Chemical Brothers have - I mean the Live in Glastonbury comp had some great performances, but it was basically a glorified bootleg.

The three UK CD re-releases of Satan had b-sides which made up a really great live album- but yes, no dedicated release does this.

"Anyone heard the second disc of the 2CD version? (Five live tracks). I'm currently debating which edition to order.

― Jeff W,

I just bought the 2CD version. It was only £2 more than the single disc one so wasn't that difficult a decision.

And if anyone wanted to complete their Orbital back catalogue on CD then surely this represents value for money:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-Series-Orbital/dp/B005DEVGUQ/ref=ntt_mus_dp_dpt_2

Yeah, this seems pretty ace.

Yeah, this is really fucking good.

They're almost as good as they were in the first part of their career, it's as if time has become a loop

i like "beelzedub", just don't fit in the album

hm, not on spotify. wonder if that's a long term thing or?

It's now available in Europe http://spotimy.co.uk/albumpage.php?album=5059

The three UK CD re-releases of Satan had b-sides which made up a really great live album- but yes, no dedicated release does this.

― good luck in your pyramid (Neil S), Monday, April 2, 2012 1:59 PM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

The live version of "Impact" on this is sometimes my favourite Orbital thing ever.

I was right to be excited. As someone said upthread only disappointment is that the tracks aren't longer. So may great Orbital touches, favourite so far the breakdown in 'Straight Sun' then kicks in again with the little 'chime' at 4:25.

it's streaming on NME too. Didn't have time to check it out yet, dig the first two singles though.

been listening to snivilization and insides all day

Anyone heard the second disc of the 2CD version? (Five live tracks).

Haven't heard the CD, but I think I was probably at the actual show, and based on that I'd say buy it

Is it worth buying both live shows?

The digital download for both is $20; I assume I should go ahead and pony up?

the set lists are basically identical - only difference is Hammersmith has "Doctor". I don't see why you'd need both.

New music forthcoming?

🔘 OUR NEW ORBITAL 12" GIVES YOU THE SIZE OF A REGULAR VINYL AND THE MUSIC OF A 7" 🔘 pic.twitter.com/zBc56gTwuU

— Orbital (@orbitalband) February 21, 2018

yea I definitely think they're releasing an album this year

"a regular vinyl" 8(

I enjoyed (and still enjoy) Wonky a lot, but outside of 'P.H.U.K.', I don't enjoy the new album at all - sonically, it doesn't particularly sound great and a lot of it sounds phoned in.