Giles

I read in NME that Orbital's final album entitled 'The Blue Album' is getting a UK release on June 28th with a subsequent UK tour to follow. My question is one, I would assume the album is slated for a US release - right? June 29th? Has there been any mention if the 'final' tour will make it across the Atlantic for some US dates?

SubZeri

There are no tour plans for the new album. They will release the album, play one final gig at Glastonbury and call it quits. It's quite sad actually, but good to see them go out on top. As of now, there are no plans for an American "Blue Album" release.

Paul Hartnoll:
“...it’s nice to have our last gig at Glastonbury. It’s gonna be a party set, a best of Orbital. We’re not gonna sit there and try and promote the new album. I think if we’re gonna do a last gig we should do distilled set of all the best stuff we’ve done. And that’s what we’re gonna do, play all the stuff that’s stuck around for all this time because they are the favourite ones. This will definitely be our last ever live show."

Giles

having bought the import, I have to say I feel that "The Blue Album", is lacklustre and very, very disappointing. It's so laid back and non-aggressive that it feels like they just kind of gave up on trying to write songs. This album and the equally flawed,' The Altogether' should have signified that the Hartnol's should have stopped while they were ahead.

MJKTool

Sucks to hear that. What album would you say it most resembles? Please don't say it's worse than The Altogether......

Giles

suffice to say, yes, I think it is worse than 'The Altogether'

SomeVoices

well crap

mbrunet

Another opinion: the blue album is considerably better than the Altogether, and grows better with each listen.

I've been a long time Orbital fan, believing the Brown Album and In Sides to be their best, and the Altogether close to an abomination. This album *is* uneven, and sounds more like a collection of unrelated songs than a true album in the vein of the brown album, sniv, or in sides. However, the majority of the songs on blue are quite a bit better than those on the Altogether.

I will certainly agree with Giles that this album is much less aggressive than some of their former tracks, but to me "Satan" and "P.E.T.R.O.L" have never been what Orbital are all about. Many of the tracks on this album were created after the Hartnolls scored "Octane", and are thus more orchestral in nature. There are some embarassing moments (Acid Pants), but there are also some tracks that might end up as classics for the band (You Lot, Perfect Sunrise).

Just one person's opinion, of course. Perhaps the album is not worth paying import prices, especially since the US releases of In Sides and the Altogether had bonus discs that made them "better" releases than their overseas counterparts. But certainly worth buying.

For more information on the album and the last few live dates, check out www.loopz.co.uk. Also, as to those live dates, recordings of both glastonbury and brixton performances (their last ever performances in the UK) are obtainable from various sources: some are listed in the forum at that site.

Hope that helps,

Mike

Giles

but even with songs like 'The Box' 'Halcyon and on and on' 'Girl with the sun in her hair', 'Oi!' (my favourite song from off of 'The Altogether') as well as others, Orbital always wrote and composed these songs that had a distinct structure and pattern, whether it was aggressive or not, each song seemed different and cohesive. On the 'Blue Album' they don't come across as such. 'Pants' (not 'Acid Pants') is the only memorable song that strives to duplicate their 'original' sound. The rest of the album's songs feel like half attempts. Their last album should have gone out with a bang, here it all culminates to a flawed awkward album.

Giles

Update:

US album release was August 10th

Gunshy

[blink] hmmm, I liked In Sides and really like Alltogether...

[shrug] guess I'll take a look at some of their other stuff, too bad they are retiring

-Gunshy