Original: $24.18
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$8.46The Story
28/04/23
On Prism, The Orbâs pulsating discography grows ever more huge, with their 18th album, and 3rd helmed by core duo Alex Paterson and Michael Rendall. Despite the connotations of its title, here they continue to rollick freely without inhibition across ambient, house and dub, but also tangent into poetry, pop, full-blown drum ânâ bass and actual reggae.
The LP features electronic musicians David Harrow (whose CV includes Anne Clarke, Psychic TV, Razormaid, Adrian Sherwood and Andy Weatherall) and Gaudi (whose credits include Max Romeo, Capleton, Johnny Clarke and Desmond Dekker). Other guests include Orb regular Youth, violinist Violeta Vicci, Kompakt records alumnus Leonardo Fresco, Metamono man Jono Podmore, Guitarist and Alexâs old schoolchum David Lofts, plus vocalists Eric Von Skywalker, Andy Cain and Rachel Dâarcy.
Prism begins with the epic winding journey of âH.O.M.Eâ, which features a poem by Paterson, and traverses through dark ambient into star-surfing Fingers-style house, before âWhy Can You Be In Two Places At Once...â kicks into a funked-up, afrobeaty chug.
With Patersonâs decades-long love for Jamaican music and output oft drenched in the dubwise, it should come as little surprise that The Orb have now gone full reggae, on the ebullient nostalgia tale of Von Skywalkerâs youthful romance, âA Ghetto Love Storyâ.
The album then disappears down a wormhole of rubadub head-music called âPicking Tea and Chasing Butterfilesâ, which sounds like Colourbox meets Popul Vuh in Shanghai, and also echoes back to Weatherallâs Ultrabass II remix of âPerpetual Dawnâ.
Flipping the script entirely, by sprinkling a large bag of disco dust, is the slinky boogie wonderland of âTigerâ (the name and nickname of Patersonâs son and late brother respectively), which juxtaposes but somehow coheres with the melodica-tinged thunderous bass music of âDragon Of Oceansâ and itâs Sirius B gazing wordplay.
The expertly-executed, floaty 90s trance dance of âThe Beginning Of The Endâ works very nicely within its own familiar parameters; which contrasts sharply with âLiving In Recycled Timesâ, which ignites over ten plus minutes into fully-fledged, rave-ready D&B fire, which although out of their comfort zone still sounds very Orb.
Music for the âPrismâ of your mind, the album ends with its title track â a big ambient epic in done in fine style â as awe inspiring as the cold, infinite expanse from whence it came.
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Description
28/04/23
On Prism, The Orbâs pulsating discography grows ever more huge, with their 18th album, and 3rd helmed by core duo Alex Paterson and Michael Rendall. Despite the connotations of its title, here they continue to rollick freely without inhibition across ambient, house and dub, but also tangent into poetry, pop, full-blown drum ânâ bass and actual reggae.
The LP features electronic musicians David Harrow (whose CV includes Anne Clarke, Psychic TV, Razormaid, Adrian Sherwood and Andy Weatherall) and Gaudi (whose credits include Max Romeo, Capleton, Johnny Clarke and Desmond Dekker). Other guests include Orb regular Youth, violinist Violeta Vicci, Kompakt records alumnus Leonardo Fresco, Metamono man Jono Podmore, Guitarist and Alexâs old schoolchum David Lofts, plus vocalists Eric Von Skywalker, Andy Cain and Rachel Dâarcy.
Prism begins with the epic winding journey of âH.O.M.Eâ, which features a poem by Paterson, and traverses through dark ambient into star-surfing Fingers-style house, before âWhy Can You Be In Two Places At Once...â kicks into a funked-up, afrobeaty chug.
With Patersonâs decades-long love for Jamaican music and output oft drenched in the dubwise, it should come as little surprise that The Orb have now gone full reggae, on the ebullient nostalgia tale of Von Skywalkerâs youthful romance, âA Ghetto Love Storyâ.
The album then disappears down a wormhole of rubadub head-music called âPicking Tea and Chasing Butterfilesâ, which sounds like Colourbox meets Popul Vuh in Shanghai, and also echoes back to Weatherallâs Ultrabass II remix of âPerpetual Dawnâ.
Flipping the script entirely, by sprinkling a large bag of disco dust, is the slinky boogie wonderland of âTigerâ (the name and nickname of Patersonâs son and late brother respectively), which juxtaposes but somehow coheres with the melodica-tinged thunderous bass music of âDragon Of Oceansâ and itâs Sirius B gazing wordplay.
The expertly-executed, floaty 90s trance dance of âThe Beginning Of The Endâ works very nicely within its own familiar parameters; which contrasts sharply with âLiving In Recycled Timesâ, which ignites over ten plus minutes into fully-fledged, rave-ready D&B fire, which although out of their comfort zone still sounds very Orb.
Music for the âPrismâ of your mind, the album ends with its title track â a big ambient epic in done in fine style â as awe inspiring as the cold, infinite expanse from whence it came.
