Orbital's newest album, released on
April 30, 2001 in the UK on
FFrr/London Records. It scheduled to be released in the United States in early
September. Like
Middle of Nowhere, it's produced by
Mickey Mann.
- Tension
- Funny Break (One Is Enough)
- oi!
- Pay Per View
- Tootled
- Last Thing
- Doctor ?
- Shadows
- Waving Not Drowning
- Illuminate
- Meltdown
It's an okay little album, much more suitable for the car than the dancefloor. Minimalistic, lighthearted, retro-futuristic, and chock full of samples, this should give back a little of the credibility the big O has been shedding since the release of 1999's beat-heavy Middle of Nowhere. However, the long-term Orbital fan is likely to be disappointed with the lack of cohesion, as well as the emotional sterility of many of the tracks. It's album-oriented (though seemingly without concept), meaning that all of the tunes sound better in context than they do individually. Sonically, it weaves Q-Burns type grooves with video game sounds and a little bit of μziq-ian messed-up jazz. Well, on some tracks. It's probably their most diverse album since Snivilisation. You get "Voodoo Ray"-like tracks ("oi!") and David Gray collaborations ("Illuminate") on the same LP.
Then... "Meltdown" singes everything in a haunting, blistering ten minute burst of drums, synths, and evil! Yes! This may be Orbital's best closer ever. But overall, one might be inclined to take the skeletal album cover seriously – the Brothers Hartnoll have never sounded so dead.