It’s been two years since we last heard from the electronic brothers, Paul and Phil Harnoll of Orbital. Their highly touted 1999 album, The Middle Of Nowhere, showed their electronic diversity with various tempo and styles changes on each track. The Altogether is a sign of the act’s growth as musicians, but this time around they added a few special guest appearances and some unexpected samples from artists (or television) that you wouldn’t expect to give the album a fuller flavor. This album is designed more like a pop album, unlike the previous epic-spacey tracks we’ve grown accustomed to. The greater focus is placed on producing shorter songs, using live instrumentation and clever programming to stumble across a newer Orbital sound. Change is good.
The samples gathered for The Altogether pay tribute to their punk rock roots (Crass, Ian Dury) and show how truly diverse and creative the brothers can be with a little ingenuity. “Surfin’ The Bird”, borrowed from the late 60’s, rolls steadily along to the heavy drum and bass rocker of “Tension”. They even take Tool’s “Sober” and redefine the familiar bass line opening and tool with the song a bit to give birth to the astutely titled “Tootled”. If you’re a Tool fan, it’s definitely worth a listen. The sample hit parade does not stop there as Orbital fans finally get to hear the classic “Doctor?” pulled from their live set and recreated in the studio for this release. “Doctor?” is a return to the sonic glory days of Orbital past, and for those old enough to remember the theme from science fiction television series Doctor Who, it has been successfully reworked from a theme into a dance floor number.
Other surprises include Phil’s brother-in-law David Gray collaborating on the atmospheric soul for “Illuminate”. Look for this song to be the next single for Orbital. While the brothers supply the delicate beats of “Funny Break”, Naomi Bradford lends her vocal chords over the top of this UK hit for a stunting result. Those living in the USA get an additional bonus as The Altogether is being released with a second CD that includes rare b-sides and even harder to find remixes.
+sarzyniak
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