Orbital - Optical Delusion. 17th February.

[Friendly Stranger]

2 hours ago, NewSchoolScience said:

I always liked ‘You Lot’ from the Blue

You Lot is amazing

[Pirtek]

Initiation would have been the best, if it hadn't been taken off and put on the Japanese version.

 

 

[hayhook]

Need me the all-instrumental version from the blu-ray.

[sexagon hun]

I'm in the minority, but Blue Album is my fav of everything they've done, followed by the early stuff, then Wonky and Monsters. This new album is in the middle but Blue I put on the most I'd say..

Wish they'd do a small US tour, they did a few dates here for Monsters so we'll see.

Edited March 9, 2023 by sexagon hun

[Pirtek]

Well for me, the best two tracks from the Blue Album era are Initiation and What Happens Next?

From the actual album I like Pants (stupid name though!) Tunnel Vision, Lost and You Lot.

Acid Pants is one of their worst tracks ever imo.

[mcbpete]

9 minutes ago, Pirtek said:

Acid Pants is one of their worst tracks ever imo.

That track to me sounds like Orbital trying to sound like The Chemical Brothers. Orbital are the best when they just sound like Orbital, but at their worst when they try to mimic a different musician or music style

[NewSchoolScience]

It all went to shit when Orbital stopped making albums featuring tracks split across parts 1 and 2.

Edited March 9, 2023 by NewSchoolScience

[Somanymachines]

There seemed to be a trend in the early 00s onwards of a lot of bands deciding to make shorter tracks instead of the lengthier tracks they were known for during the 90s. No surprise that much of the quality of their work from then on went down the toilet with that decision.

[Pirtek]

You can't beat the long tracks by Orbital. Out There Somewhere being one of their best.

[mcbpete]

There's also the 'hidden' 22 minute version of Meltdown on the Altogether DVD - Is this the longest single track they've done ?

EDIT: Nope of course we had this one too -

 

[sexagon hun]

On 3/9/2023 at 1:19 AM, hayhook said:

Need me the all-instrumental version from the blu-ray.

why it's only available via the bluray is dumb, I have it and there's a few tracks I didn't love on the album (mainly You Are The Frequency) but the instrumental ended up being great - I even like the instrumental Home better even tho I also quite like the album/vocal version. There's tracks I'd like to hear what they'd have sounded like with vocals like New Abnormal, but the instrumental bonus is a nice touch and should be made available soon you would think - I'd like a few more outtakes to pop up as well, we'll see.

[Pirtek]

18 minutes ago, sexagon hun said:

why it's only available via the bluray is dumb, I have it and there's a few tracks I didn't love on the album (mainly You Are The Frequency) but the instrumental ended up being great - I even like the instrumental Home better even tho I also quite like the album/vocal version. There's tracks I'd like to hear what they'd have sounded like with vocals like New Abnormal, but the instrumental bonus is a nice touch and should be made available soon you would think - I'd like a few more outtakes to pop up as well, we'll see.

Don't worry, on their questions and answers, Orbital said they wanted everything available on all formats, but London Recordings wanted things this way to increase sales. 

After a period of time, this will change apparently. I'm guessing all exclusive and instrumental versions will appear on streaming services.

22 minutes ago, sexagon hun said:

I'd like a few more outtakes to pop up as well, we'll see.

I know someone who's got demo versions, but there's no way he'll share them!

[Pirtek]

I rank thier albums from best to worst like this:

1. In Sides.

2. Snivilisation

3. Brown Album

4. The Middle of Nowhere

5. Green Album

6. The Altogether

7. Wonky

8. Monsters Exist

9. Optical Delusion

10. Blue Album

[purlieu]

On 2/16/2023 at 3:21 PM, fumi said:

@purlieu What's your take on this Blu-Ray, NFT, limited editions etc, etc. Honestly, can't keep track of all these variations.

I guess the the question I need to be asking is, "Is any of this stuff actually any good?"

Been away - sorry!

But in response I fucking hate it. Just make a fucking album and release it, don't ask people to buy four versions. 

I grabbed the bonus tracks from slsk, the first one from the Amazon version is superb but none of the others are worth bothering with. The fall from working with Greenpeace to doing an Amazon exclusive and an NFT is abysmal. 

Hard to know what to make of the album so far. I'm definitely baffled by the glowing reviews, but then again Blue got better reviews than The Altogether, so fuck knows what critics are on about. The Altogether is naff in places, but it's also them embracing their pop and electro influences in a way that was genuinely unexpected and experimental for them at the time, over time I've grown to appreciate it, even if it's not '90s Orbital standard. 

This is the first time an album has obviously been split between two people: there are seven Paul tracks and three Phil ones. Orbital, as it was, is dead. I suppose this isn't massively surprising or unusual - the AE AMA here suggested a lot of their tracks are solo ones; FSOL is mostly Brian's IDM stuff with a scattering of Gaz's not-quite-psych-enough-for-Amorphous tracks these days - but it has a very nasty effect on the flow of the album. Phil's tracks are fucking awful, or at least they're fucking awful Orbital tracks. Why anyone would want a brickwalled trap track on an Orbital album is beyond me, especially in 2023, but Phil has clearly provided for those people. None of his pieces feel remotely related to anything on the album or in the band's back catalogue. While 8:58 was clearly subpar even by Paul's standards, compared to these three it shows where the band's compositional skills lie.

I do like all of Paul's tracks, except 'Dirty Rat', which has grown on me a tiny bit, but I still dislike intensely. I'm glad there aren't many obvious lyrics, despite the number of credited vocalists. I suppose after 8:58, a full-on lyricy vocal album was still a possibility, but it's still mostly Orbital-style vagueness with the voices.

Not sure I get the hate for 'Ringa Ringa', the Medieval Babes sample isn't the greatest moment in Orbital history, but the backing track is pretty solid. 'Day One' and 'The New Abnormal' and 'Home' are pretty solid, 'Requiem for the Pre-Apocalypse' feels fairly underdeveloped but is inoffensive enough, and 'Are You Alive?' has grown on me now I'm used to the vocals. 

As an album, it's probably only above Blue Album for me, though. It doesn't have that album's dull, flat production or total lack of ideas (I do love 'Transient', but everything else sounds like b-sides to me), but with literally half of the album on the 'I would happily never hear it again' pile, it's pretty poor by Orbital standards. Better than I expected from the initial announcement, but only just.

My rankings, currently:

Snivilisation
In Sides
Brown
Green
The Middle of Nowhere
The Altogether
Monsters Exist
Wonky
Optical Delusion
Blue Album

[springymajig]

To be fair, one thing I've realized is that Orbital have ALWAYS made music like this... They have always had a very cheesy, intentionally goofy side...I mean... Macro Head sounds like something that could fit on any album they did from Altogether onward... Others like The Saint and The Sinner fit the bill too.

I think that tracks like that were just never the focus, they were oddities they seemed to have lying around and tacked onto obscure releases or as b sides etc.

Anyway that was an important revelation for me cos for years Altogether seemed like it came out of nowhere (although all the Middle of Nowhere b sides also fit this era of orbital, doctor lookout, beached etc. As much as I love the style remixes, they're goofy as fuck)

[Pirtek]

8 hours ago, purlieu said:

Just make a fucking album and release it, don't ask people to buy four versions. 

That's London Recordings for you!

8 hours ago, purlieu said:

Phil's tracks are fucking awful, or at least they're fucking awful Orbital tracks.

Yeah, they just don't go and make the album very disjointed. 

[LC1]

Having finally listened to all of the available tracks including the instrumental versions enough times to form an opinion, here's my track-by-track take on the new album:

 

1. Ringa Ringa (The Old Pandemic Folk Song)

Like others here, I was a bit underwhelmed by "Ringa Ringa" at first, not because of the nursery rhyme vocal, but because there is too little variation in the music and it's basically a take on the main synth riff from "Please" together with the beat that "Wonky" kicks in with. It just sounded a bit uninspired at first, but I've come to appreciate it as an album opener and it fits the pandemic theme of lots of the other tracks.

It also sounds refreshingly like from the early 90s with the synth stabs á la Opus III's "It's A Fine Day". It's nice to have the instrumental, but I think this works best with the vocal.

4/5

 

 

2. Day One

I’m relieved that this isn’t a retitled “One Day”, which Paul introduced a few years ago in the occasional live set and was a major disappointment due to its generic and grating diva vocal samples. In contrast, I don't mind the vocals from Dina Ipavic on "Day One" and (to a lesser degree) "The Crane" as they really suit the music and are more used like another instrument. On “Day One”, her contribution definitely feels a bit like the vocal on “Belfast”.

Actually, “Day One” is one of my favourite tracks here: the rhythm harks back to "Sunday" and the last third is breathtaking with the bass similar to "Vision OnE" and the synth to "Where Is It Going?"

5/5

 

3. Are You Alive?

"Are You Alive?" is sublime! Definitely my favourite single and track from the album. I had heard the snippet from last summer's BBC DJ mix and was already looking forward to the full version. The instrumental is absolutely marvellous on its own as an alternative listening option, but I also love the vocals from Penelope Isles' Lily Wolter. They remind me of Pixx in places. She's featured on several of last year's Royksopp albums, but her debut The Age of Anxiety was my favourite album of 2017 and the follow-up Small Mercies (with occasional forays into post-punk and alternative in addition to the weird synth pop) is very good as well. I would love her to collaborate with Orbital, but this almost sounds like I would imagine it to anyway, so I'm very pleased.

The French "Oygène" version offers a nice variation as well, but I prefer Lily Wolter's vocals and the original second half of the backing track, which is pure bliss.

5/5

 

4. You Are The Frequency

On 3/11/2023 at 6:11 PM, sexagon hun said:

there's a few tracks I didn't love on the album (mainly You Are The Frequency) but the instrumental ended up being great

The Little Pest is certainly an apt moniker for Phil's alter ego on his first offering here. The grating vocals make it sound like a novelty record, which is a shame as the parts of the backing track that I can hear underneath sound really good. Thankfully, "You Are The Frequency" sounds a lot less abrasive as an instrumental and works quite well. It even has a callback to "Tiny Foldable Cities" with the familiar melody quietly playing in the background at 0:20 like an echo from the Monsters Exist track.

3.5/5 (instrumental), 2.5/5 (with vocals)

 

5. The New Abnormal

"The New Abnormal" was an instant favourite, which isn't a surprise as it's their latest take on the classic "Impact" riff vibe. Since that is my all-time favourite Orbital track, I can't complain and everything flows together wonderfully and sounds like vintage Orbital. The big beats coming in midway remind me of The Chemical Brothers.

5/5

 

6. Home

On 3/11/2023 at 6:11 PM, sexagon hun said:

I even like the instrumental Home better even tho I also quite like the album/vocal version

Even though I find Anna B Savage's vocals on "Home" a bit too theatrical and the chorus grates on me, I have to admit that the instrumental is slightly repetitive and long without them. That said, after "Fun With The System" from Monsters Exist, this is another track with some nods to classic Leftfield, and it sounds good. However, I think the "Hottest Day On Record Mix" is a good compromise. It sounds more interesting musically (with a more aggressive Prodigy vibe) and it doesn't overstay its welcome. Also, it thankfully loses the bit with the irritating mispronunciation of "skeletal".

4/5 (instrumental, Hottest Day On Record Mix), 3/5 (album version with vocals)

 

7. Dirty Rat

I thought "Dirty Rat" would be a more enjoyable listen without vocals (not too keen on the Sleaford Mods vocal style in the verses, though I do like the chorus), but something vital is missing in the instrumental without them. And I really love the vocoder bits, maybe that's the main reason the instrumental alone doesn't work as well. This is really a protest song in the vein of "Choice", where the rap doesn't scan too well either and is meant to be obtrusive.

4/5

 

8. Requiem For The Pre-Apocalypse

This brings back breakbeats similar to "Are We Here?" but sounds even more like a mixture of "P.E.T.R.O.L." and "Dwr Budr", which should please all the In Sides fans. It's also my favourite album (together with Brown), but I prefer the other four tracks on there as they're richer in melody. That said, they both have more atmosphere than "Requiem", which hasn't really grabbed me yet although it sounds great. Nevertheless, a solid track.

4/5

 

9. What A Surprise

As with the first Phil track, "What A Surprise" sounds too messy and abrasive with too many vocal samples, and is much more enjoyable in its instrumental form. It doesn’t sound as “huggy” (to quote Paul’s description of the majority of his tracks) as something like “Are You Alive?”, but instead expands on the more sinister atmosphere introduced by parts of the previous track, which gives it more of a Snivilisation vibe (even though the music is totally different).

4/5 (instrumental), 3/5 (with vocals)

 

10. Moon Princess

While I find the instrumentals of Phil's tracks superior in general, the one for "Moon Princess" is the exception to this rule: unfortunately it still has the annoying vocal sample that serves as part of the rhythm. I feel that's even more grating in isolation than as (occasionally buried) part of the vocal version. So I actually prefer it with the Coppé vocals even though the whole thing sounds too messy and is still my least favourite track on the album by far.

3/5 (with vocals), 1.5/5 (instrumental)

 

11. The Crane

I was a bit unimpressed hearing this track when it was still called "Treadmill", but it's grown on me. It's very melancholy and atmospheric but uplifting at the same time, mainly because of the bassline. Dina Ipavic sounds quite oriental here, which reminds me of Ofra Haza, and adds some mystery to the track. However, I think I slightly prefer the instrumenal version.

4.5/5 (instrumental), 4/5 (with vocals)

 

12. Year Of The Bat

I really like the pulsing "Year Of The Bat", which sounds like Orbital doing a more symphonic version of something like Underworld's "Rowla" or "Kittens", basically a cross between Paul’s “Risky” and “Nearly There”. An atmospheric banger in the vein of underrated B-side "Mock Tudor".

4.5/5

 

13. Lost In Time

While the main three Phil contributions are not great, I was surprised to find that I really love his "Lost In Time", which sounds a lot like Kraftwerk and early OMD. Even the vocal sample fits well this time, but it's a bit repetitive near the end, so I again prefer the instrumental. If I hadn’t known, I would have actually thought this track was Paul’s. The ticking clock also links it to "The Box" EP and ironically Paul's 8:58 theme. "Lost In Time" is my favourite Phil track here by far and even one of my top 5 tracks.

5/5

 

All in all, I'm very satisfied with Optical Delusion. Even though there is nothing on it that's up there with "Vision OnE" and "Dressing Up In Other People’s Clothes" in my opinion, overall it's not as hit and miss as Monsters Exist (at least compared to the 9-track main album). The whole album has so many callbacks to sounds, beats and tunes from previous Orbital eras that one can't help but smile when listening to it.

The three bonus tracks exclusive to Amazon UK and Blu-ray really are too good to leave off the main album (especially "Year Of The Bat" and "Lost In Time", which also work perfectly as album closers) compared to some of the other tracks. It's like the "Dressing Up In Other People's Clothes" situation again.

 

On 3/16/2023 at 2:46 AM, purlieu said:

Phil's tracks are fucking awful, or at least they're fucking awful Orbital tracks. Why anyone would want a brickwalled trap track on an Orbital album is beyond me, especially in 2023, but Phil has clearly provided for those people. None of his pieces feel remotely related to anything on the album or in the band's back catalogue.

On 2/26/2023 at 2:41 PM, Pirtek said:

All the Phil Hartnoll tracks are mastered louder than the others. The only one I've included of his is Lost in Time. To me, Paul Hartnoll is the heart of Orbital and should always be the main writer.

I was very surprised to see four contributions from Phil, though in my heart it's the signature Orbital sound from most of Paul's compositions that I crave most. I'm still struggling a bit with Phil's three main offerings, not because they are more experimental, but because they sound too messy and chaotic to me with all the vocals. That said, at least two of them are vastly improved as instrumental versions. Also, there's one callback to "Tiny Foldable Cities" on "You Are The Frequency".

While it's nice that Phil has a bit more input than previously, his main three offerings are not as good as the rest of the album. As a 10-track version, it would be much better with the three bonus tracks instead (including his own "Lost In Time").

You're right that the Phil tracks are mastered louder. The difference was even more jarring on the 3rd Monsters Exist disc with the quieter master of "Copenhagen". I also noticed that Phil co-wrote most of the tracks with Jimmy/James Day who also collaborated with him on Long Range.

 

I've now made my personal tracklist with 5 instrumentals (besides the 3 instrumental-only tracks) and 5 vocal versions plus two alternative vocal versions:

1. Ring Ringa (The Old Pandemic Folk Song)

2. Day One

3. Are You Alive?

4. You Are The Frequency (instrumental)

5. The New Abnormal

6. Home (instrumental - getting some Leftfield vibes here)

7. Dirty Rat

8. Requiem For The Pre-Apocalypse

9. What A Surprise (instrumental)

10. Moon Princess

11. The Crane (instrumental)

12. Year Of The Bat

13. Lost In Time (instrumental)

14. Home (Hottest Day On Record Mix)

15. Oxygène (Extended Version)

Edited March 17, 2023 by LC1

[NewSchoolScience]

5 hours ago, LC1 said:

Having finally listened to all of the available tracks including the instrumental versions enough times to form an opinion, here's my track-by-track take on the new album:

 

1. Ringa Ringa (The Old Pandemic Folk Song)

Like others here, I was a bit underwhelmed by "Ringa Ringa" at first, not because of the nursery rhyme vocal, but because there is too little variation in the music and it's basically a take on the main synth riff from "Please" together with the beat that "Wonky" kicks in with. It just sounded a bit uninspired at first, but I've come to appreciate it as an album opener and it fits the pandemic theme of lots of the other tracks.

It also sounds refreshingly like from the early 90s with the synth stabs á la Opus III's "It's A Fine Day". It's nice to have the instrumental, but I think this works best with the vocal.

4/5

 

 

2. Day One

I’m relieved that this isn’t a retitled “One Day”, which Paul introduced a few years ago in the occasional live set and was a major disappointment due to its generic and grating diva vocal samples. In contrast, I don't mind the vocals from Dina Ipavic on "Day One" and (to a lesser degree) "The Crane" as they really suit the music and are more used like another instrument. On “Day One”, her contribution definitely feels a bit like the vocal on “Belfast”.

Actually, “Day One” is one of my favourite tracks here: the rhythm harks back to "Sunday" and the last third is breathtaking with the bass similar to "Vision OnE" and the synth to "Where Is It Going?"

5/5

 

3. Are You Alive?

"Are You Alive?" is sublime! Definitely my favourite single and track from the album. I had heard the snippet from last summer's BBC DJ mix and was already looking forward to the full version. The instrumental is absolutely marvellous on its own as an alternative listening option, but I also love the vocals from Penelope Isles' Lily Wolter. They remind me of Pixx in places. She's featured on several of last year's Royksopp albums, but her debut The Age of Anxiety was my favourite album of 2017 and the follow-up Small Mercies (with occasional forays into post-punk and alternative in addition to the weird synth pop) is very good as well. I would love her to collaborate with Orbital, but this almost sounds like I would imagine it to anyway, so I'm very pleased.

The French "Oygène" version offers a nice variation as well, but I prefer Lily Wolter's vocals and the original second half of the backing track, which is pure bliss.

5/5

 

4. You Are The Frequency

The Little Pest is certainly an apt moniker for Phil's alter ego on his first offering here. The grating vocals make it sound like a novelty record, which is a shame as the parts of the backing track that I can hear underneath sound really good. Thankfully, "You Are The Frequency" sounds a lot less abrasive as an instrumental and works quite well. It even has a callback to "Tiny Foldable Cities" with the familiar melody quietly playing in the background at 0:20 like an echo from the Monsters Exist track.

3.5/5 (instrumental), 2.5/5 (with vocals)

 

5. The New Abnormal

"The New Abnormal" was an instant favourite, which isn't a surprise as it's their latest take on the classic "Impact" riff vibe. Since that is my all-time favourite Orbital track, I can't complain and everything flows together wonderfully and sounds like vintage Orbital. The big beats coming in midway remind me of The Chemical Brothers.

5/5

 

6. Home

Even though I find Anna B Savage's vocals on "Home" a bit too theatrical and the chorus grates on me, I have to admit that the instrumental is slightly repetitive and long without them. That said, after "Fun With The System" from Monsters Exist, this is another track with some nods to classic Leftfield, and it sounds good. However, I think the "Hottest Day On Record Mix" is a good compromise. It sounds more interesting musically (with a more aggressive Prodigy vibe) and it doesn't overstay its welcome. Also, it thankfully loses the bit with the irritating mispronunciation of "skeletal".

4/5 (instrumental, Hottest Day On Record Mix), 3/5 (album version with vocals)

 

7. Dirty Rat

I thought "Dirty Rat" would be a more enjoyable listen without vocals (not too keen on the Sleaford Mods vocal style in the verses, though I do like the chorus), but something vital is missing in the instrumental without them. And I really love the vocoder bits, maybe that's the main reason the instrumental alone doesn't work as well. This is really a protest song in the vein of "Choice", where the rap doesn't scan too well either and is meant to be obtrusive.

4/5

 

8. Requiem For The Pre-Apocalypse

This brings back breakbeats similar to "Are We Here?" but sounds even more like a mixture of "P.E.T.R.O.L." and "Dwr Budr", which should please all the In Sides fans. It's also my favourite album (together with Brown), but I prefer the other four tracks on there as they're richer in melody. That said, they both have more atmosphere than "Requiem", which hasn't really grabbed me yet although it sounds great. Nevertheless, a solid track.

4/5

 

9. What A Surprise

As with the first Phil track, "What A Surprise" sounds too messy and abrasive with too many vocal samples, and is much more enjoyable in its instrumental form. It doesn’t sound as “huggy” (to quote Paul’s description of the majority of his tracks) as something like “Are You Alive?”, but instead expands on the more sinister atmosphere introduced by parts of the previous track, which gives it more of a Snivilisation vibe (even though the music is totally different).

4/5 (instrumental), 3/5 (with vocals)

 

10. Moon Princess

While I find the instrumentals of Phil's tracks superior in general, the one for "Moon Princess" is the exception to this rule: unfortunately it still has the annoying vocal sample that serves as part of the rhythm. I feel that's even more grating in isolation than as (occasionally buried) part of the vocal version. So I actually prefer it with the Coppé vocals even though the whole thing sounds too messy and is still my least favourite track on the album by far.

3/5 (with vocals), 1.5/5 (instrumental)

 

11. The Crane

I was a bit unimpressed hearing this track when it was still called "Treadmill", but it's grown on me. It's very melancholy and atmospheric but uplifting at the same time, mainly because of the bassline. Dina Ipavic sounds quite oriental here, which reminds me of Ofra Haza, and adds some mystery to the track. However, I think I slightly prefer the instrumenal version.

4.5/5 (instrumental), 4/5 (with vocals)

 

12. Year Of The Bat

I really like the pulsing "Year Of The Bat", which sounds like Orbital doing a more symphonic version of something like Underworld's "Rowla" or "Kittens", basically a cross between Paul’s “Risky” and “Nearly There”. An atmospheric banger in the vein of underrated B-side "Mock Tudor".

4.5/5

 

13. Lost In Time

While the main three Phil contributions are not great, I was surprised to find that I really love his "Lost In Time", which sounds a lot like Kraftwerk and early OMD. Even the vocal sample fits well this time, but it's a bit repetitive near the end, so I again prefer the instrumental. If I hadn’t known, I would have actually thought this track was Paul’s. The ticking clock also links it to "The Box" EP and ironically Paul's 8:58 theme. "Lost In Time" is my favourite Phil track here by far and even one of my top 5 tracks.

5/5

 

All in all, I'm very satisfied with Optical Delusion. Even though there is nothing on it that's up there with "Vision OnE" and "Dressing Up In Other People’s Clothes" in my opinion, overall it's not as hit and miss as Monsters Exist (at least compared to the 9-track main album). The whole album has so many callbacks to sounds, beats and tunes from previous Orbital eras that one can't help but smile when listening to it.

The three bonus tracks exclusive to Amazon UK and Blu-ray really are too good to leave off the main album (especially "Year Of The Bat" and "Lost In Time", which also work perfectly as album closers) compared to some of the other tracks. It's like the "Dressing Up In Other People's Clothes" situation again.

 

I was very surprised to see four contributions from Phil, though in my heart it's the signature Orbital sound from most of Paul's compositions that I crave most. I'm still struggling a bit with Phil's three main offerings, not because they are more experimental, but because they sound too messy and chaotic to me with all the vocals. That said, at least two of them are vastly improved as instrumental versions. Also, there's one callback to "Tiny Foldable Cities" on "You Are The Frequency".

While it's nice that Phil has a bit more input than previously, his main three offerings are not as good as the rest of the album. As a 10-track version, it would be much better with the three bonus tracks instead (including his own "Lost In Time").

You're right that the Phil tracks are mastered louder. The difference was even more jarring on the 3rd Monsters Exist disc with the quieter master of "Copenhagen". I also noticed that Phil co-wrote most of the tracks with Jimmy/James Day who also collaborated with him on Long Range.

 

I've now made my personal tracklist with 5 instrumentals (besides the 3 instrumental-only tracks) and 5 vocal versions plus two alternative vocal versions:

1. Ring Ringa (The Old Pandemic Folk Song)

2. Day One

3. Are You Alive?

4. You Are The Frequency (instrumental)

5. The New Abnormal

6. Home (instrumental - getting some Leftfield vibes here)

7. Dirty Rat

8. Requiem For The Pre-Apocalypse

9. What A Surprise (instrumental)

10. Moon Princess

11. The Crane (instrumental)

12. Year Of The Bat

13. Lost In Time (instrumental)

14. Home (Hottest Day On Record Mix)

15. Oxygène (Extended Version)

 

Hi Paul, how's Phil doing these days?

 

[Pirtek]

[Pirtek]

I still listen to Day One, The New Abnormal and Requiem by Paul.

I don't listen to any of Phil's!

[Pirtek]

Speaking of Phil's tracks:

 

 

[Pirtek]

Going to see them tonight with my wife and youngest daughter. Can't wait!!!

[Pirtek]

Amazing night! Plus, meeting and having a good chat with Paul before the gig was an absolute treat!!

 

[Extralife]

26 minutes ago, Pirtek said:

Amazing night! Plus, meeting and having a good chat with Paul before the gig was an absolute treat!!

 

That’s pretty damn cool! How was the set?

[Pirtek]

28 minutes ago, Extralife said:

That’s pretty damn cool! How was the set?

Brilliant! My daughter got some amazing footage. Highlights for me were Smiley, New Abnormal, Requiem, Nothing Left 2, Satan (fantastic visuals!!) and Out There Somewhere? Frequency was really good too!