The Orb And David Gilmour - Metallic Spheres
- Written by Alex Kavanagh
Here is a collaboration that promises a great deal. The pioneers of ambient house, catering to comedown clubbers and smoked-out stoners for more than two decades, and David Gilmour, a guitar legend from a Golden Era of British music, whose style was one of many The Orb drew inspiration from.
Although Alex Patterson has stated that The Orb’s music shares more in common with experimental electronica than ‘70s progressive rock, the parallels are obvious nonetheless. Journalists labelled The Orb as “the Pink Floyd of the Nineties” on more than one occasion and while that’s a lazy comparison, there is some truth in it. In live visual style as well as musical bloodline, there is a spiritual kinship between the two that would appear to make them ideal bed-fellows.
The album, as one long, sweeping soundscape, is broken into a pair of 20-odd minute tracks, in the same vein as Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells. It drifts from one psychedelic movement to the next, utilising different instruments, sounds and rhythms as the record progresses. The transitions are smooth and understated, which would in fact be a rather accurate way to describe the whole package. This is a group that knows its audience.
The good news is the album does exactly what it says on the tin. The Orb pick up where Baghdad Batteries, and indeed much of their work over the last decade, left off. Accomplished minimalistic ambience, given a pleasing spin by David Gilmour’s electric guitar, blending nameless samples and noises to mesmerising, and often majestic, effect. It is something they do better than anybody else, and fans of their music will not only be appeased, but will find the maturing refinement of their sound over the last several years continues here.
The bad news is the album does exactly what it says on the tin. There are no surprises, and when held up against other current electronica, it begins to sound a little dated. While for some, the addition of Gilmour’s trademark noodling will be a match made in heaven, you can’t help but wonder if it should have made more of an impact. Given the genre, “impact” may not necessarily be a welcome quality, but such a compelling and well-judged pairing of talents should perhaps leave a bigger impression. Many will argue that a successful collaboration improves a style or sound without changing it – which is certainly true here – but it still feels like an opportunity that was grabbed with one hand instead of two.