Disco de The Orb: “The Dream [Digipak]”

If you like the positive, trippy side of The Orb, you'll love this. I bought it quite a while ago, gave it a few listens, and hadn't been back. Last week I randomly hit Katskills in a shuffle, and was mesmerized into an inside-out exploration of something I'd dismissed. I saw The Orb last time they were in Washington DC, and The Dream really reminds me of that.

Key tracks for me are Katskills, Codes. This is music that needs to be loud, and the bass needs to shake you.

I have been a huge fan of The Orb since I stumbled upon The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld way back in 1993.

I own every single regular-issue CD of The Orb, and I have to say (after about 5 listens now) that this is the BEST album yet.

It's UBER-modern sounding, has GREAT grooves with the occasional smooth vocal, and has a TON of progressive, positive, ethereal samples.

If you consider yourself a fan of this band and you do not have this album yet -- BUY IT. You'll be gratified when you listen and understand that you have purchased the best album that you've heard in a Long, Long Time...

My history with the Orb goes back to the early '90s, including seeing them live in Chicago in '93. I've followed Alex Paterson over the years, watching him shift around with different styles. I think this is the best Orb album. It has a great mix of beats, melodies, trippy arrangement, with an overall delicious dub feeling. It's full of layers of sound which add to the compositions, a sense of humor without being stupid. I love listening to this when I'm traveling and alone in my hotel room, it's upbeat and it keeps me company when I'm alone. I can't recommend this highly enough. Alex has out-done himself on this one.

The Orb, the acclaimed English electronic music group of the past two decades is still pumping out music. Their new album" The Dream" is sure to please the ears of new fans and old, as I have just become newly acclimated with them. The album on the whole is a very diverse one, consisting of many different sounds and textures and each song revealing something different. Although the album on the whole is a rather interesting one, there is one specific song that has caught my ear by being different. Track number nine titled "Lost & Found" is a song that stands out kind of like a sore thumb, a good kind of sore thumb that is.

"Lost and Found" like all of The Orb's song is a compilation of sound and music samples, yielding a perfect example of the French engineer Pierre Schaeffer's "Musique Concrete". However, unlike most of their songs "Lost and Found" seems to depart from the usual and stereotypical electronic, drum and driven (fast paced) bass music of the past as well as today. Unlike the majority of the other songs on the album, this on is instead a very laid back and relaxing song that seems to the listener to almost calm and slow down. It is a song that is very reminiscent of another genre of music that has been pioneered by the infamous Lee Scratch Perry, Dub music. Dub music was founded by Mr. Perry and rose to prominence in the 1970s. It features typically a heavy bass with added effects to make it more electronic. "Lost & Found" contains the familiar guitar chord riff on every upbeat that is so familiar to dub music that features Bob Marley. Specifically, "Lost & Found" sounds eerily similar to Lee Scratch Perry's "Soul Rebel Dub" and "Rainy Night Dub". In all three songs (especially "Soul Rebel" and "Lost and Found") there is also a voice that has obviously been sampled and manipulated in some way. However, the voice is not singing, it is merely talking and acting as a sound as the actually lyrics are a little difficult to hear at some parts. Nevertheless they still have their desired effect with the most audible phrase being "You won't find it" which is where the name "Lost ant Found" comes from.

This risk in deviating from the norm by The Orb was enormous, but it is also the risk that makes the song more enjoyable to listen to. You wouldn't expect to hear this Dub music coming from this English group, it is a long way away from their other hit tracks on the album such as "Vuja De" and "Codes" but it still satisfies the ears. Also, one could look at this change as the group experimenting with a different sound, attempting to branch out on show their versatility in order to gather a larger following. In any event, I feel the song pays a rightful tribute to Lee Scratch Perry and his work and adds diversity to the album as a whole.

The Orb, in my opinion, is still the most important band to come out of the 'electronica' or whatever you want to call it, movement. This new cd is definitely a step back for them, ie, a return to their early days instead of exploring new directions, but that's ok, it's all big beats, weird samples, lots of dub influences, etc. It's an incredibly fun record to listen to, and you will not be disppointed by it. Groundbreaking, no, not this Orb album. But a great listen, definitely. Kudos to Alex and his current compatriots for a great disc! Hope there is a US tour!!!