The Altogether

On paper, the potential for The Altogether is thrilling – vocals from David Gray and Naomi Bedford, samples from Tool, Ian Dury, The Cramps and Tom Baker. But the finished product sounds little more than a collection of mildly interesting doodlings that haven’t come dressed to thrill. The ‘Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick’ pastiche ‘Oi!’ glides by pleasantly but predictably – sounding like an unfinished sonic sketch for a work still in progress. Album number six has a far greater breakbeat quotient than most Orbital-long players, which despite sounding organic and uncontrived, doesn’t hit the same raw nerves or evoke the same blissed out emotions that even 1999’s Middle Of Nowhere had in abundance. Only the cute and clever ‘Doctor?’, first aired at the inaugural Homelands, hits any high spots, and that’s purely down to Dr. Who sending a shiver down your spine, rather than any great feat of original wizardry. The David Gray contribution, ‘Illuminate’, is one of the better offerings, and it’s a surefire bet that it’ll surface as a future single. But listen to it back to back with the Paul Hartnoll mix of ‘Please Forgive Me’, and you can’t help feeling cheated by its blatant tokenism.

Sure, there are some sublime moments. ‘Shadows’ is beautifully hypnotic, childlike and foreboding in a similar vein to ‘The Box’. Despite how much you dearly want to love it, The Altogether gets even more lacklustre with every listen. It’s undoubtedly interesting to listen to Orbital piddling about, but its a real shame when we’re used to them pissing on everything else.

Eamon Sweeney