It would seem like Orbital have chosen the right time to throw in the fifteen year old towel. The brothers’ decision to part ways comes from their desire for a “creative kick in the arse” and from the sounds of this - their seventh album - it would seem like that is just what the doctor ordered. Not that the Blue Album is particularly bad, it’s just that it lacks in anything particularly exhilarating or climactic (as one would expect from such a farewell album). Perhaps I’m placing too many expectations upon the nine tracks that made the final cut, but suffice it to say that were it not for nostalgic value, this might well have been the album the discography forgot. Die-hard fans might well be appeased but for anyone seeking cutting edge, grab-you-by-the-cochlea dance music, then you won’t find it in this release.
The first half sounds particularly dated, and then, just when things begin to get mildly interesting, the ‘Acid Pants’ onslaught begins with its manic vocal mantra courtesy of Sparks. I wouldn’t like to imagine what that sort of behavior that tune would inspire on a dance floor. Having said that, the collection is not without some fine moments: the epic ‘You Lot’ (which features a nicely incorporated speech by Christopher Eccleston from The Second Coming) and ‘Bath Time’ (a bubbly, Kraftwerk-esque tribute to Clockwork Orange composer Wendy Carlos). The album ends with the ethereal vocals of Lisa Gerrard soaring over ‘One Perfect Sunrise’, a suitably grandiose tune which Orbital had written for - surprise, surprise - a sunrise scene in one of their film scores. Let’s hope the divided creative energies of the once pioneering Orbital get invested into some more imaginative projects in the future.