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William Orbit's an extremely busy man when it comes
to production, but his own solo artist work has taken
something of a back seat in the meantime - this is
his first record since the adaptations of classical
works that became Pieces In A Modern Style back in
2000. As one of the recognised godfathers of
ambient electronic music through his Strange Cargo
albums, it's difficult to begrudge him the opportunity
to revel in what he does best once again - namely
chill out music.
That's not to dismiss his music as mood over
content, for any close listen to his compositions has
always revealed plenty to be going on in the
ever-shifting textures, melodies and wave patterns
that build each track. And so it is that Sea Green
drifts onto the listener's consciousness like an
internal brain massage, intricate construction in the
background but washed over by waves of synthesized
sound, rather like water on a deserted beach. The
composer keeps all this moving with a subtle yet
fulsome bass and the slightest of drum tracks.
One of Orbit's strongest qualities is his ability
to conjure a dream-like state from so many
interweaving lines that all complement each other, yet
somehow don't over-complicate things. As mood music to
involve the listener it works extremely well, but
becomes far more substantial when voices are added.
For this reason the Sugababes collaboration
Spiral is key, drawing inevitable parallels to Orbit's
work with All Saints. Although more introverted
than Pure Shores, Spiral makes an understated mark,
and Keisha's voice in particular has a melting,
beautiful tone.
Meanwhile the rest of the album drifts past in a
more than pleasant sky blue haze. Surfin' works really
well, adding a close-in guitar to the far-away
keyboard sounds. The X-file hints of the title You
Know Too Much About Flying Saucers is interpreted by a
lightly melancholic guitar melody. Who Owns The
Octopus - not sure where that came from! - features a
pleasingly distorted line, threatening to beef up the
music a bit.
This is one of the principal criticisms
of the record - the intricate lines are admirably
realised, but now and then a more solid drum beat or
hook wouldn't go amiss, like They Live In The Sky only
even more so. As would a few more vocal additions -
while Bubble Universe features nicely murmured, dreamy
vocals from Orbit's old-time collaborator Laurie
Mayer, a track like Fragamosia would benefit
hugely from more vocalising.
However, this music sounds lovely on pretty much
any audio equipment, from the most basic laptop
speaker to the widest sound picture of a home cinema.
And that's where Orbit really succeeds - his consonant
harmonies and blue textures will bring tranquillity to
even the most frantic day.
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Mercury Prize 2009 nominees
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