Blue Album

This is said to be Orbital’s last album. I wish that they’d quit two-thirds of the way through this one. It starts out magnificently with trademark sequencer rhythms (except on track 1) and blurpy/blippy “verses” resolved by swooping synth chords and window-rattling synth bass. It truly is ecstatic, even if it’s familiar/formulaic to Orbital fans by now. Toward the end of the CD though, they resort to stunt casting (Orbital’s Hartnoll brothers recruit Sparks’ Mael to provide vocal samples on an inconsequential acid track – track 6 - and later, Lisa Gerrard warbles along on a syrupy track 9 that belongs on a B-side) that doesn’t befit The End. By comparison, the “Nothing Left” suite from a couple of LPs ago would have been a brilliant coda.

1. Tentative and slow tempo but the main draw is the organic violin and cello embroidery on the pretty melody; I listened to this while driving through the fog on curving Hwy. 17 at midnight and it was magical
2. Deeply burbly bass, totally pixellated feel via the arpeggiated arrangement until … yeah, you guessed it, a massive chord sequence sweeps you away; repeat
3. A deeply ominous bass line alternates with a siren-like waver
4. Orbital’s slow jam – a thumpy drum, minimal melody, nice vibe
5. A humorous track with the massive groove broken up first by a gorgeous, quiet passage, then by Christopher Eccleston (an actor) inveighing against self-appointed scientist gods (“cheeky bastards”) playing with creation; fear not, the groove returns with double the effect after the slight reprieve
6. An electronic lullaby – maybe this could have served as the ending
7. Acid squiggles and vocal sample – on the one hand outdated, on the other, not that amusing
8. Another loungy lullaby
9. No matter how big the beats, the soul is missing from this track and Lisa Gerrard’s singing, though wonderful in many contexts, does nothing to add life here; boo