The Orb - Abolition of the Royal Familia

[Extralife]

Spoiler

https://www.theorb.com/abolition/

 

Maybe it’s cause I’ve been inside too long; maybe it’s cause I’m high. Maybe it’s cause of both.

Really grooving to their new album at the moment. Alex seems to have found a great writer in Rendell and has a stellar line of of guests. First non-Thomas album I’ve liked all the way through.

[dr lopez]

i personally didn't like it. I don't do drugs except alcohol so that could be a problem here.

[Extralife]

Nothing groundbreaking, but some really catchy songs that are very well produced.

[sexagon hun]

def diggin this one, can agree w 1st post (First non-Thomas I've liked all the way thru too - good mix as well on it)

[goDel]

wait, no digitals. only streaming!? mweh

couple of good tracks in there. some good ol' uforb vibes on a couple of them. also some more housey tracks. not sure what to make of those. give me a call when digitals are avail

[Alcofribas]

the real orb would’ve called it Orbolition

[mcbpete]

On 3/30/2020 at 9:08 PM, goDel said:

. give me a call when digitals are avail

Digitals are avail  

Well this was nice surprise ..... Despite the really horrible single/video, despite no sign of Fehlmann, and despite the pretty cringy title this is actually quite good. Quite a lot of non-Orb sounding ambient tracks -  The Afros, Afghans ... track in particular is lovely, and thankfully very little of the garish pop/dub that seems to appear on the non-Fehlmann Orb albums (Aside from the aforementioned Single/opening track)

A few unnecessary 'silly' samples ruin a a track or two (convinced that's pretty much all Alex contributes to Orb tracks - the track's already completed and he just triggers samples at random from his 'recordings of drug stuff and silly news and that' folder over the top), but apart from that - pleasantly surprised and quite a mighty length (especially the deluxe digital version I nabbed from Boomkat)

[Extralife]

1 hour ago, mcbpete said:

Digitals are avail  

Well this was nice surprise ..... Despite the really horrible single video & mix, despite no sign of Fehlmann, and despite the ham-fisted title this is actually quite good. Quite a lot of non-Orb sounding ambient tracks -  The Afros, Afghans ... track in particular is lovely, and thankfully very little of the garish pop/dub that seems to appear on the non-Fehlmann Orb albums (Aside from the aforementioned Single/opening track)

A few unnecessary 'silly' samples ruin a a track or two (convinced that's pretty much all Alex contributes to Orb tracks - the track's already completed and he just triggers samples at random from his 'recordings of drug stuff and silly news and that' folder over the top), but apart from that - pleasantly surprised and quite a mighty length (especially the deluxe digital version I nabbed from Boomkat)

I dig the opening track!  Daze has been stuck in my head for days.  

But yes -- this album was a really nice surprise and keeps getting better with repeat listens.  While I know Alex is notorious for "just dropping samples" (and it does sound like it here at points), I think he has learned a lot from Fehlmann production wise.  I definitely can hear a Thomas/J Dilla influence coming out on a lot of these tracks with some of the looped orchestral and instrumental samples.  Anyway, it is clear that this Rendall guy has chops - look forward to seeing where this project continues to go into the future.  

[purlieu]

Could really do without the run of anonymous-sounding house tracks at the beginning. I almost turned off. Thankfully the ambient and dub stuff later almost makes up for it - some of the most well-rounded productions under the Orb name since the '90s. Agreed that there are touches of Fehlmann influence, only without the overtly Kompakty dub-techno production. The dub stuff is definitely the most impressive of this style since the mid-'90s. Generally impressed, but those four opening tracks are really fucking tedious.

Going to have a listen to the 'dub' bonus album in a bit. 

[mcbpete]

I enjoyed a few of the mixes better in the dub bonus version than the main one (Daze seemed less annoying, The Weekend It Rained Forever stuck to the lovely ambient Jello - Pequill sound for a bit longer). You could probably do a good ol mix'n'match to make a cracking version of the album.

[zkom]

I just checked the video and the first couple of tracks and hated them but I guess I'll go listen to the later tracks also if they are better..

[Extralife]

I think the opening run of tracks are great - Hawk Kings in particular. Just fun, upbeat tunes.

[zkom]

9 hours ago, zkom said:

I just checked the video and the first couple of tracks and hated them but I guess I'll go listen to the later tracks also if they are better..

Yeah, no. Just going to pass this one. It's poppy in a way that I really don't like. Just the whole production is very plastic and artificial.

But I went and bought the "More Tales from the Orbservatory" album that is much more to my liking and I somehow didn't have yet.

[purlieu]

Given that half the album is quite droney ambient, 'poppy' seems a strange descriptor.

[zkom]

28 minutes ago, purlieu said:

Given that half the album is quite droney ambient, 'poppy' seems a strange descriptor.

It's just how it sounds to me. Maybe "poppy" is a wrong word but it's more mixed like modern dance music instead of ambient or dub. Sounds like cheesy psydub and I don't like it. It's just a preference and I'm not really saying if it's right or wrong.

Also there are maybe 3 real ambient tracks? Pervitin and the last two?

[purlieu]

Pervitin, Afros Afghans and Angels, the first part of Shape Shifters and Slave Till U Die. So yeah, not quite half. 

Not to criticise your opinion or anything obviously, I just thought it was an odd way to describe those tracks if nothing else, as they're quite textural ambient.

[President Squidward]

Not their best work, but pretty damn good stuff. I like it more than No Sounds Are Out of Bounds. Daze is a fantastic track

[Extralife]

1 hour ago, President Squidward said:

Not their best work, but pretty damn good stuff. I like it more than No Sounds Are Out of Bounds. Daze is a fantastic track

Tried relistening to No Sounds yesterday and could barely get through it. Maybe a couple decent tracks, but overall a huge mishmash. The Thomas tracks there are pretty lackluster actually.

Abolition keeps getting better with each listen though. Loving it.

[thumbass]

 

[hayhook]

Deluxe version up on bandcamp.

[Friendly Stranger]

I'm happy there are new Orb tunes, and in general the album is a pleasant listen, but I've gotta be honest. Any time The Orb comes up I get violently upset that there hasn't been an Orbus Terrarum repress. I want it on wax SO bad, but can't justify the $100-$200 price tag on discogs. 

[Extralife]

5 hours ago, thumbass said:

 

Not sure I needed a 15 minute review, but the dude is pretty spot on.

Love Daze.

4 minutes ago, Friendly Stranger said:

I'm happy there are new Orb tunes, and in general the album is a pleasant listen, but I've gotta be honest. Any time The Orb comes up I get violently upset that there hasn't been an Orbus Terrarum repress. I want it on wax SO bad, but can't justify the $100-$200 price tag on discogs. 

Yeah I have a copy, but it’s in pretty rough shape. Beautiful package though - would hope a repress would stay true to original album art.

[caze]

Just listening now, first couple of tracks were pretty bland, a few nice orchestral samples were the only things of interest, next two were still a bit middle of the road, but better. Agreed though that despite the blandness it's still much better than all the other recent non-Fehlmann stuff. Fifth and sixth tracks are decent, very pleasant background music if nothing else.

[Extralife]

https://www.echoesanddust.com/2020/03/the-orb-abolition-of-the-royal-familia/

[caze]

...rest of the album was better, pretty good overall, but not a classic. some of the dubby parts were a bit cheesy, but nothing too bad.