Orbital C/D

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Oh aye, I totally agree that they've done absolutey the right thing in splitting (I actually think they would have been right to split [sorry, stop] at any point post MoN - the last two albums are nice but I could totally live without them [heck, I could live without ANY piece of music; I just doubt I would WANT to live without ANY MUSIC AT ALL]) and going seperate ways, and it'll be interesting to see what happens.

However I don't think Radiohead are a good comparison for a few reasons.

a; The 'group dynamic' is totally different to the 'fraternal duo dynamic', and almost necessitates a greater level of diverse creative input and intra-group friction leading to creative change.

b; The 'experimental rock band dynamic' is totally different to the 'techno duo' dynamic (related but different to above).

c; R'head consciously set out to change (with every record but especially) with Kid A for a myriad of reasons that would and could never influence Orbital's work.

d; Shocking and dramatic change is not necessarily more radical or worthy or 'changing' than slowly evolved, subtle change.

No two Orbital albums, to me, sound 'of a kind' in the way that Kid A and Amnesiac do.

Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Friday, 2 July 2004 09:39 (nineteen years ago) link

On that last point, you are correct, however, I believe releasing Amnesiac was a mistake in the sense that it was just leftovers from the same sessions as Kid A. There is no comparison in Orbital history that I'm aware of. I'd also like to add just as a side note, that as my friends dragged me, sleeplessly along to this idea of seeing RH live, Amnesiac had just been released and was another reason why I was less than enthused about seeing them live. Bewildered, ho-hum and just trying to stay awake, RH then proceeded to completely blow my mind in a live setting, and my expectations were torn apart.

But since we're talking about Orbital, they may indeed be the kings of live performance, so...

Sick, before I peter out on this board, what's your opinion of Octane? Or is there a review I missed somewhere?

Bimble (bimble), Friday, 2 July 2004 09:50 (nineteen years ago) link

I've never really listened to it; what I've heard I see as "functional soundtrack" and little more. It's kinda like comparing my blog or Stylus with my cataloguing or "user-manual writing".

Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Friday, 2 July 2004 09:54 (nineteen years ago) link

Hmm. I see...Orbital in boring soundtrack mode...hard to imagine, frankly.

Bimble (bimble), Friday, 2 July 2004 10:07 (nineteen years ago) link

three weeks pass...
ATTENTION: Orbital are live on the John Peel Show at 11pm tonite ! i.e about 50 minutes time

tune in via the web

DJ Martian (djmartian), Wednesday, 28 July 2004 20:11 (nineteen years ago) link

ORBITAL start at 11.30 pm for 90 minutes according to Peel

DJ Martian (djmartian), Wednesday, 28 July 2004 21:07 (nineteen years ago) link

it's started.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1

DJ Martian (djmartian), Wednesday, 28 July 2004 21:35 (nineteen years ago) link

where is everyone?

DJ Martian (djmartian), Wednesday, 28 July 2004 21:38 (nineteen years ago) link

Not at a computer?

Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 28 July 2004 21:38 (nineteen years ago) link

listening to it on the "listen again" thing right now - fucking brilliant, brings a tear to the eye.

philius fogg, Thursday, 29 July 2004 07:45 (nineteen years ago) link

thanks for the reminder, off to 'listen now'

the neurotic awakening of s (blueski), Thursday, 29 July 2004 08:53 (nineteen years ago) link

this into your real player for last night's show

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/rpms/peel_wed.rpm

the news over-ran, so seek forward. orbital start at about 31 mins in

Jaunty Alan (Alan), Thursday, 29 July 2004 09:31 (nineteen years ago) link

who are these wallies who keep shouting 'BADGER!'?

the neurotic awakening of s (blueski), Thursday, 29 July 2004 09:35 (nineteen years ago) link

Haha I think I know them!

Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 29 July 2004 09:51 (nineteen years ago) link

you know there's less charm to a live gig played by a faceless techno outfit playing on the radio and heard the next day than you might imagine ;-)

Jaunty Alan (Alan), Thursday, 29 July 2004 10:03 (nineteen years ago) link

one year passes...
I am reviving this thread because "Acid Pants" came up on shuffle when I was listening to my iPod the other day and I practically had an orgasm.

Dan (WHEN THE LAUGHTRACK STARTS THEN THE FUN STARTS) Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 24 January 2006 19:44 (eighteen years ago) link

Also:

I am currently trying to figure out how I can turn "Acid Pants" into a hat.

-- VengaDan Perry (djperr...) (webmail), May 1st, 2004. (link)

Roffle.

Dan (Where Are The Earflaps?) Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 24 January 2006 19:47 (eighteen years ago) link

You haberdasher you.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 24 January 2006 19:49 (eighteen years ago) link

four months pass...
I just heard In Sides for the first time, and I felt the need to say something about it. It was amazing, how did I not hear it quicker?! What other albums of theirs, save for Orbital 2 which I also have, are as amazing as In Sides?!

Harrison Barr (Petar), Thursday, 22 June 2006 23:34 (seventeen years ago) link

Easy: Snivilisation.

Paul in Santa Cruz (Paul in Santa Cruz), Thursday, 22 June 2006 23:56 (seventeen years ago) link

Good as Orbital are, I always think they sound a bit like the soundtrack to a documentary about fish.

chap who would dare to be a nerd, not a geek (chap), Thursday, 22 June 2006 23:58 (seventeen years ago) link

Maybe that's just me.

chap who would dare to be a nerd, not a geek (chap), Thursday, 22 June 2006 23:59 (seventeen years ago) link

Halcyon and On and On was my favourite song when I was ten years old. Maybe I'm just tired but I find that to be somewhat amusing. Orbital will always have a place in my heart. From the hackers/mortal kombat soundtrack to the brown album to the stories I'd be so enamoured over about playing Impact in the dark.

Thomas Mehlt (Tokyo Ghost Stories), Friday, 23 June 2006 03:36 (seventeen years ago) link

After reading through this thread this morning I've had Chime stuck in my head all day. Not an altogether bad thing, really!

Andrew (enneff), Friday, 23 June 2006 03:58 (seventeen years ago) link

Damnit, I came this close to pulling out the Blue album recently and well...I did pull it out but didn't actually manage to get it into my CD player. I don't even know where it is right now, to be frank. Too many piles...I did pull out the Brown album though, played the whole thing, that was fabulous. It's kindof hard to believe that something of that kind of electronic style and the sounds they used could still sound so great today, what 13 years later?

I could have sworn I heard that Peel show Martian was on about upthread. Maybe it was being talked about on another Orbital thread.

Fryin' Berry, Buck Cherry (Bimble...), Friday, 23 June 2006 04:20 (seventeen years ago) link

Here's a review I found on amazon of the Brown album. It was the only one that didn't give it five stars (he gave it three):

1 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
Orbital, as in round and round on the same old trak, September 7, 2005
Reviewer: DRYWASHER-BILL (LAS VEGAS, NEVADA) - See all my reviews
The DJ must've been lacking filler on the CD to include the rather monotonous first 3 traks. Sure you get into the vibe as you clik through the traks, but musically, it takes Orbital a long time to morph into progressive takes in the songs. It's like a pounding headache- you can hear the thumps, but can't figure out if it's your head or the track.

Take an aspirin and get some other CD, maybe even a compilation which seems the best route for the genre. At least there are more hits and good traks in a comp and if you find you like certain people, then go after them specifically.

Orbital 2 is one of those disks you should play while in the car with the windows rolled up. People think you are listening to something def from the beat, but you'll know different

Fryin' Berry, Buck Cherry (Bimble...), Friday, 23 June 2006 05:07 (seventeen years ago) link

(1 star) This is techno, not IDM, November 19, 2002
Reviewer: R. Seals (UC Berkeley) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
I was fooled by many reviewers/fans of IDM who heaped praises upon this duo. Don't be a sheep. This music is 100% techno. It has some ambient moments, but that means little. The point is that these beats are for the dance floor and not for the ears/mind. Stay away from this trash... What silly music.

Andrew (enneff), Friday, 23 June 2006 05:19 (seventeen years ago) link

FOOLED by reviewers and fans of IDM! Cunts!

Andrew (enneff), Friday, 23 June 2006 05:20 (seventeen years ago) link

Geir's lost twin.

kit brash (kit brash), Friday, 23 June 2006 05:47 (seventeen years ago) link

I've got to go with C. As noted above, most of Orbital still sounds pretty good years later.

pleased to mitya (mitya), Friday, 23 June 2006 10:17 (seventeen years ago) link

If you factor out the beats, Middle of Nowhere in particular sounds really contemporary now. Some of it's chunkier moments are exactly like modern German electrohouse.

Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 23 June 2006 10:52 (seventeen years ago) link

Geir's lost twin.

Well, I couldn't give a flying crap about whether something works on the dancefloor or not. But I still love Orbital. For other reasons.

Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 23 June 2006 11:17 (seventeen years ago) link

sexy reasons

latebloomer aka rap's yoko ono (latebloomer), Friday, 23 June 2006 11:18 (seventeen years ago) link

"If you factor out the beats, Middle of Nowhere in particular sounds really contemporary now. Some of it's chunkier moments are exactly like modern German electrohouse. "

ha ha matt you're coming round to my way of thinking!

Yes Middle of Nowhere is very good, basically halfway b/w Orbital 2 and In Sides.

Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 23 June 2006 15:58 (seventeen years ago) link

one year passes...

THE GIRL WITH THE SUN IN HER HEAD IS THE BEST THING EVER YOU GUYS

Scik Mouthy, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 21:35 (sixteen years ago) link

semi-detached / attached on peel sessions says no way.

brotherlovesdub, Wednesday, 6 February 2008 00:50 (sixteen years ago) link

amen to that

blunt, Wednesday, 6 February 2008 00:54 (sixteen years ago) link

but ok, you've got a point. seeing that live in new orleans 1995 was mind (body and soul) boggling.

brotherlovesdub, Wednesday, 6 February 2008 00:54 (sixteen years ago) link

Hey, you're the guy who called me a "giant cocksucking douche"!

http://www.darktrain.org/dirty/forums/showthread.php?t=6826

Scik Mouthy, Wednesday, 6 February 2008 07:57 (sixteen years ago) link

anybody like the new solo stuff they've been up to? Long Range?

i'm a huge fan of 'Just One More', it's got a really moody riff going on.

Ste, Wednesday, 6 February 2008 14:28 (sixteen years ago) link

you're right Nick. sorry about that (http://www.darktrain.org/dirty/forums/showpost.php?p=81814&postcount=13)

i do still think your review was pretty bad. you complimented the album for most of the review then gave it a C-. anyway, i could debate the review but it's your opinion after all.

no hard feelings? btw, did you google yourself and find that post or do you check the UW forums?

brotherlovesdub, Wednesday, 6 February 2008 16:32 (sixteen years ago) link

Isn't it great when you read a thread and then spend an hour listening to stuff you've not heard for five years and remember what the meaning of life is again?

Kaliova, Wednesday, 6 February 2008 17:53 (sixteen years ago) link

http://pacside.com/underthe%20skies%20above.jpg

Noodle Vague, Wednesday, 6 February 2008 18:04 (sixteen years ago) link

no hard feelings? btw, did you google yourself and find that post or do you check the UW forums?

Googled myself - see this for my immediate response! - http://sickmouthy.blogspot.com/2007/11/google-you.html

Scik Mouthy, Wednesday, 6 February 2008 18:25 (sixteen years ago) link

one month passes...

"I was driving home from work one winter evening when I saw two lights
emanating from a strange object in front of me. My car began to lose power, and eventually stopped. It was completely dark. Then, strange circles of white light began to flash on and off. The next thing I knew it was fifteen minutes later, and I was traveling down the road in a different part of the village. I am convinced I was selected by aliens earlier in the day, and later rejected."

LC1: loving the tune but feel bad for the guy.

ledge, Monday, 17 March 2008 16:22 (sixteen years ago) link

nine years pass...

On September 21, a reunited Orbital (Brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll) will perform new music and classic cuts in the US for the first time in five years, at the inaugural Electronic Music Awards, live from downtown Los Angeles on Twitter. The performance follows a successful UK run of impressive performances at the WAM Festival in Spain, Forbidden Fruit in Dublin, Supersonic in Japan, the Brussels Summer Festival, and the Bluedot plus Standing Calling festivals in the UK. Additionally, the duo announced December 2017 dates at both London Hammersmith Apollo and Manchester Apollo which sold out in less than 24 hours upon announcement.

The duo’s new single, Copenhagen, which has been playlisted by BBC 6 Music, is streaming now. Orbital’s performance at the EMAs, personally requested by Executive Producer Paul Oakenfold himself, will be the duo’s first live show in the US in five years with a new album on the horizon.

Chocolate-covered gummy bears? Not ruling those lil' guys out. (ulysses), Wednesday, 13 September 2017 19:20 (six years ago) link

three years pass...

I am reminding myself that Blue is actually really good

80's hair metal , and good praise music ! (DJP), Wednesday, 5 May 2021 17:31 (two years ago) link

it holds a special place in my heart because it was the first album they released since I got into them, and it also led to me discovering Sparks. as a whole I'm pretty lukewarm on it though. it sounds more like fragments of several different (potentially great) albums than it does anything coherent by itself.

I kind of wonder what they're up to now. I remember they were planning to do this 30th anniversary album in the style of Kraftwerk's The Mix, along with something new. But it doesn't look like anything's on the horizon.

frogbs, Wednesday, 5 May 2021 17:38 (two years ago) link

When they are together in interviews, i'm not sure which one, but one of them looks like he's taken too much speed and has a tenuous grip on reality. They seem to not be on the same page. I don't think they're viable as a duo capable of creating interesting music anymore. At this point they should just start focusing on any live recordings they have sitting around and coast through their 60s by pressing up old live shows and reissuing 12"s and where the f is the In Sides reissue? Anyway, I don't think a 'new' Orbital release would make me shell out the cash as much as a catalog reissue would.

brotherlovesdub, Wednesday, 5 May 2021 18:27 (two years ago) link

this is a group where i mostly like their singles but their b sides are good too but i pretty much like most everything up to the altogether and i like you lot from the blue album but everything else and since does not impress me much!

xzanfar, Wednesday, 5 May 2021 19:29 (two years ago) link


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