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 | Orb:Orbus Terrarum (Island - 1995) A divinely interesting musical journey. There is plenty of clamor about The Orb on the web. Be assured all the praise is warranted. |
| Like a hearty stew, there are many ingredients thrown into the mix of the opener,Valley. A slow rhythm is the base into which various vocal snatches, bird sounds, chimes, etc. are liberally sprinkled. Despite the overwhelming amount and variety of effects, the result is smooth, never too busy.
Plateau spans a leisurely 13 minutes. A relaxed electronic rhythm carries the piece along, occasionally fading as the background synths swell up to the front. Once again, a variety of sounds season the track, but never overpower it. Masterfully mixed, this could just flow forever. Piano strains are prominent in Oxbow Lake. Beats and electronics play deeper in the mix, until they rise to the forefront. They too fade out and a haze of keyboard blips quietly ends the track. Montagne D'Or swirls to life without aid of percussion. Vocal samples (advertising of some sort?) blur in and out with some slow synthesizer tones. Pattering cymbals blend in, everything pulses. Faraway drumming appears about 7 minutes into the track and is soon overtaken by another vocal sample, before the piece explodes into a furious bass, drum and guitar crescendo, which is in turn engulfed by a grinding, electric force. Definitely, the most chaotic leg of the journey. A more peaceful environment awaits at White River Junction, at first anyway. The quiet speech and soft synths are eventually sped along by rhythmic cymbals and various sounds. The track mellows again, changing form several different times. Occidental is a distorted sideshow, and not as smooth or even as listenable as the previous works. Parts of it I enjoy quite well; others grate. While artfully done and not uninteresting, this track is bit too discordant for me. And if Occidental is a distorted sideshow, then what is Slug Dub? A fractured fairytale, I suppose. I'm genuinely curious as to the origins of the bizarre child's story about slugs. (It can't be "real", can it?) The entire piece is built around the (literally) mutated reading, complete with slug sound effects. I like it, but am somewhat distracted at the same time. |
| I was going to give one thumb up originally, but as I listen with critical ear, I'm upping the other also. This is great stuff; everything ambient should be... an interesting, eclectic work of musical art. Highly recommended! |  |
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