The Orb
‘Buddhist Hipsters’
Album released October 10th
CD/2xLP
Cooking Vinyl
‘Spontaneously Combust’ kicks off in fine style, with Steve Hillage’s unmistakeable guitar, Miquette Giraudy on vintage EMS synth, plus blue roomy bass, backwards vocals, and gentle dream house grooves. It features a top-secret sample, suggested to Alex by shopkeeper-par-excellence Michael King, taken from his mythical basement vaults at West Norwood’s Book and Record Bar.
A recent live set starter, ‘P~1’ slowly builds into firing cosmic D&B cyclones, whilst the bleeped-up late 70s synth of ‘Baraka’ is an ode to a famous Kenyan blind rhino, who, tellingly is known as a symbol of resilience. Already a firm live favourite, ‘A Sacred Choice’ is prime leaping reggae skank, with Youth on bass, Paul Ferguson on drums, Andy Falconer on atmospherics, and vocals by Eric Von Skywalker.
The title of the eastern influenced, orchestral drama of hip hop banger ‘Arabebonics’ is a word invented by rapper Rrome Alone, who lends vocals to the track, with added BVs and strings from Violeta Vicci.
Andy Cain’s dulcet tones grace the plaintive-arpeggiated-prog-throbber ‘It’s Coming Soon’, on which Alex managed to smuggle a nod to his aunties Rose and June into the lyrics. Coining a genre that might just catch on, the dusty nostalgic vibes of ‘Doll’s House’ glows and pulsates in all the right ways, scattering sound beams like a planet sized disco ball.
With Alex having met lovers rock legend Trevor Waters and discovering his classic ‘Love Me Tonight’, Rendall isolated the vocal using Logic, transforming the original into the pinnacle of the LP’s house music passage. Newly titled ‘The Oort Cloud (Too Night)’ and aided by cult Manchester disc jockey Dr D, they embark on a classic NYC deepside journey, for a moment of dancefloor ecstasy.
Joined by cohort Andy Falconer whom Alex calls “an ambient god”, the pair go so many fathoms deep that they aren’t merely out of their pit, but ‘Under The Bed’, which displays of the awe of the cosmos like a planetarium from heaven. Named after the sister planet of Pluto, the delightful ‘Khàron’ conjures a universe alive with light and celestial beings, largely aided by Rober Eno’s stunningly sparing piano. Finishing on a high, it bids us a warm goodnight.
‘Buddhist Hipsters’ will be available on CD with a 6 panel fold out sleeve, black double LP vinyl with a gatefold sleeve and limited-edition rust red, pink marble and yellow marble vinyl.
Tracklisting
- ‘Spontaneously Combust’
- ‘P~1’
- ‘Baraka’
- ‘A Sacred Choice’
- ‘Arabebonics’
- ‘It’s Coming Soon’
- ‘Doll’s House’
- ‘The Oort Cloud (Too Night)’
- ‘Under The Bed’
- ‘Khàron’
Tour dates
Fri 12 Sep – Mucky Weekender – Briantspuddle, Dorset
Sat 13 Sep – Glastonbury Abbey – Glastonbury
Sat 20 Sep – How The Light Gets In – London
Thu 16 Oct – Opium – Dublin
Fri 17 Oct – St Lukes – Cork
Sat 18 Oct – Mandela House – Belfast
Fri 24 Oct – Patterns – Brighton
Sat 25 Oct – The Brook – Southampton
Fri 31 Oct – Hanger 34 – Liverpool
Sat 01 Nov – Kanteena – Lancaster
Thu 06 Nov – MUZIEKGIETERIJ – MAASTRICHT
Fri 07 Nov – Waterfront – Norwich
Fri 14 Nov – Project House – Leeds
Sat 15 Nov – QMC – Glasgow
Fri 21 Nov – Things Happen Here – Totnes
Sat 22 Nov – Princess Pavillion – Falmouth
Fri 28 Nov – O2 – Birmingham
Sat 29 Nov – Bristol – Bristol
Fri 05 Dec – New Century Hall – Manchester
Sat 06 Dec – Brixton Electric – London
Fri 12 Dec – Academy 02 – Oxford
Sat 13 Dec – Cheese and Grain – Frome
