(Hexus/Shock)

Long before chill out compilations were filling the discount bins in department stores there had already been a movement for making music to come down to. At the end of the 1980s and beginning of 1990s ambient music was a reaction to the need for something at the end of a night of hard banging beats, music for the head more than the feet. Pioneers in this field were British outfit The Orb who had early success with the single Little Fluffy Clouds. Whilst the lineup has been ever changing the one constant has been main man Alex Paterson. Interestingly enough Bicycles & Tricycles, The Orb’s seventh studio album of new material, reunites Paterson with past contributors such as Jim Cauty (KLF, Custerd). An interesting piece of trivia regarding the albums title is that it’s a reference to the number 23 (number of pairs of human chromosomes, number of seconds for blood to circulate the body… for more info head HERE) which if anything gives a little insight into the psyche of the albums creators.

It’s interesting that even during upbeat moments on Bicycles & Tricylces that an ambient, laidback feel is still at the core of it. Opening with the strumming of a harp and strung out Blade Runneresque synth bursts the introductory Orb Is (shopping version) breaks down with a raw and acoustic sounding beat and deep fuzzy bass lines that draw you down out of your immediate comfort levels. Aftermath follows and features the rhyming vocals of Soom-T to take on a downbeat filtered hip hop feel. The Land of Green Ginger sounds more like the Orb of old with its sampled non-sensical lyric, floating acid synth lines and punchy accentuated beat creating a sense of dreaminess. This feel is continued with tracks like Hell’s Kitchen. Whilst not as lush, Gee Strings is a crisp, upbeat more club based track which offers light relief before heading back down with Prime Evil and it’s combination of sampled kooky lyrics, warped bass lines and layers of twisted effects and bleeps.

Where The Orb succeed is in building layers upon layers of different sounds to create a soundscape type feel. Paterson takes great pride in scouring thrift shops for old gems and oddball rarities to sample, play with and work within the often lushly programmed beats. It’s not all instantly accessible and the album takes a few listens to fully appreciate, especially in the latter half. However give it a chance of a few listens at volume whilst pottering around the house and you’ll soon find yourself swinging along to the deep and driving rhythms of From a Distance or spacing out to the strung out Kompania. The masters of ambient are back and give you every reason to have faith that after fifteen years they can still make music to please the head. Not twisted in the sense of Aphex Twin or the likes but strung out and ambient, like, well, The Orb.