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The Orb - Orbsessions Volume 2 The Orb have undergone something of a renaissance in recent times. Stuck, in the early noughties, on what seemed like an ever-decreasing downward spiral, many thought Alex Paterson, the group’s driving force and only true constant, had lost the plot. Struggling to get albums released against studio bureaucracy, contributors came and went and with no one on board long term to keep his trademark whimsy in check, the band began to loose focus.
Indeed Cydonia (2001) and, more succinctly, Bicycles Tricycles (2004) took the listeners on what reviewers at the time rather harshly described as "unnerving flights of fancy" with "chronically stunted ambitions", irrelevant to contemporary electronica. Whilst not entirely wide of the mark, these assessments seemed a little unfair. They did, however, raise the question: "once you've produced two genre defining albums (The Orb’s Adventure Beyond the Ultraworld [1991] and U.F.Orb [1992]), where do you go from there?" According to output up to that point, only downward it seemed.
Somewhere between Bicycles Tricycles and the release of Okie Dokie It’s The Orb On Kompact (2005), über-engineer Thomas Fehlmann took The Orb by the scruff of the neck and revitalised it's ailing form, lending his unmistakable techno-dub flavour into the mix and creating something altogether fresh. This in turn helped to rejuvenate Paterson's impetus, rescuing him from slipping too far into self-parody and allowing he and Fehlmann to produce the first Orb masterpiece of the 21st Century.
Around the same time Paterson was reunited with, and working alongside, former Orb man Jimmy Cauty on their supergroup project Transit Kings. No doubt spurred on by this nostalgic repairing, Paterson decided to delve back into The Orb's archives and compile an album of unreleased and remixed work. Long delays between releases in the Cydonia and Bicycles Tricycles era meant that tracks were constantly being tweaked and running orders revised, so Paterson had a considerable back catalogue of unreleased music from which to call upon.
The first of the Orbsessions series, Volume 1, was released in October 2005 on the ultra-independent Malicious Damage label, arriving virtually simultaneously with Okie Dokie. The LP acted as a kind of sonic timeline of the bands work, with most of the tracks identifiable against the album from which they were originally removed. Most interesting on Volume 1 was the opening number "Mummie Don't", a track from the Paterson/Cauty era, in which KLF and Orb eerily merged together before your very ears to produce something both beautiful and mildly disturbing.
As with the first, Volume 2 of the trilogy is largely concerned with the late nineties/early noughties wilderness years. The uninitiated could therefore be forgiven for feeling a slight sense of apprehension when they listen to the album for the first time. Are they letting themselves in for an over-indulgent "stoner dub" mash-up from an Orb era best forgotten?
The answer is an emphatic no! Concerns are quickly quashed as the opening track "D.A.D.O.E.S?" gets up to speed. It’s Orb with a distinctly Future Sound of London like flavour. What immediately strikes you is the craft with which this, and many of the other tracks on the album, have been put together. The style feels much fresher than the last volume, and this is likely thanks to the influence of Fehlmann and his ability to create atmosphere using the unlikeliest sonic devices.
The opener is no fluke; the superb dub-heavy "Ralph's Cupboard" (whose name alone conjures up some bizarre imagery) is a joy to listen to. With tongue firmly in cheek, The Orb's famous sense of humour is warmed up, and the sample count begins to rise exponentially. Although the track plays like a the theme tune to some demented children’s programme, the sound bites aren't overplayed and you find yourself toe-tapping along to the rhythmical cackles and healthy bass line. Cupboards aren't meant to be this much fun.
As an aside, Orb fans may recognise this tune, along with track 8 "Ba’albeck". Originally appearing on version one of Cydonia, these tunes were an unfortunate casualty of the albums lengthy gestation period. However, their demise coincided with the explosion of file sharing; the original version of the album leaked, and was made available for download through networks such as Napster and Morpheus. It's good that they have finally received an official release, as these are tracks which stand-up well on their own merit.
“2026” is a slower tempo tune, and a good one at that. The housey beats, accompanied by dub-like percussion, are peppered with vaguely alarming industrial samples. The running time too, harks back to the heady days when no Orb track ran under ten minutes.
Later, the album abandons it’s harsh futuristic landscape and takes a playful turn. In particular, “Jam on your Honey” and “Angel 4 Matrix” are so achingly cheerful, they can’t help but raise a smile every time you indulge them.
After all this gushing praise, you'd be forgiven for thinking that I'm on commission. However, I do have a few niggles with this album. One of my biggest beefs with the Orbsessions series as a whole is that because the tracks don't represent a specific timeline of concentrated creativity, as a regular album might, they tend to feel a little spasmodic. I'm sure it was Paterson's intention to get the tracks to flow as best he could but there is simply too much diversity in the running order to be entirely successful. It's not bad per se, just erratic.
Additionally, on Volume 2, there is some repetition both in terms of aural style and actual tracks. "Ralph's Cupboard" appears remixed as "It's A Small World" and whilst the two don’t sound identical, you can't help but feel a little short changed, as it’s essentially the same track. "Shem", immediately followed by "Shem Version", are merely two tracks dissected, the latter turning into a Pomme Fritz (1994) style jumble mid-way through. It's hard not to wonder whether there is a certain amount of padding going on to make sure the Orbsessions series has enough content to warrant a third in the 'trilogy'.
Don't let these minor asides put you off though. The CD comes in a beautifully designed and packaged case and whilst baring no relation to the cover of Orbsessions, Volume 1 (offering an insight into the fickle mind of Paterson), is the icing on an already handsome cake. For those interested in the band's genealogy, there's enough interesting material here to warrant a purchase, and if you're an Orb fan such as myself, you're genuinely in for a treat.
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