Cydonia

by The Orb

Overview

Comprised of recordings made just after 1997's Orblivion (and subsequently trapped in major-label-restructuring limbo for nigh on three years), Cydonia is a hodgepodge of Orb styles and sounds, a quality production that nevertheless meanders too far and duplicates too many ideas first heard on Orb records ten years in the past. Much of Cydonia (the title is a reference to a region of Mars where astronauts reportedly found evidence of ancient civilization) aligns to the slightly spacey, slightly noisy dub heard on Orblivion and 1995's Orbus Terrarum. Thankfully, the album also has the exquisite pacing and smooth transitions of the classic Orblivion -- a spritely Indian dub piece ("Promis") leads naturally into the lazy-day ambience of "Ghostdancing" and on into "Turn It Down," a paranoid production with the conspiracy-theory airs of earlier Orb work. Also, the trademarked Orb sense of humor is in full effect on "Egnable," wherein an English-as-a-second-language instructor grows more and more confused (and incoherent) over carnival-music backing. As expected from the title, "A Mile Long Lump of Lard" is another classic Orb production, with plenty of thick, shuddering industrial percussion. The biggest shock for longtime listeners is Dr. Alex Paterson's recruitment of two female vocalists (Aki Omori, Nina Walsh) for a pair of songs apiece. The opener, "Once More" (led by Omori), is a hazy electro-pop number that brings the Orb back to the sunny pastures of 1990s "Little Fluffy Clouds." Despite a few interesting tracks though, Cydonia suffers from a pronounced lack of imagination and focus: Paterson is the only track-to-track constant in the production credits, and longtime co-producers Thomas Fehlmann and Andy Hughes make a few scattered appearances next to a parade of newer names. Despite a few tracks staking out some promising new territory merging pop, trance, and ambient-dub, Cydonia has few pleasures for the fans and not much to grab onto for those new to the band. ~ John Bush

Product Details

Release Date:	02/27/2001
Label:	Mca
UPC:	0731454820622

Tracks

1. Once More
2. Promis
3. Ghostdancing
4. Turn It Down
5. Egnable
6. Firestar
7. A Mile Long Lump of Lard
8. Centuries
9. Plum Island
10. Hamlet of Kings
11. 1, 1, 1
12. Thursday's Keeper
13. Terminus

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Orb   Primary Artist
Nina Walsh   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Aki Omori   Primary Artist,Vocals
Simon Phillips   Guitar (Bass)
Bailey Harper   Guitar (Electric)
Be-1N   Scratching
James Clancy   Flute
Robert Fripp   Guitar
Nick Burton   Guitar (Bass)

Technical Credits

Thomas Fehlmann   Composer,Audio Production,Mixing
Tom Green   Composer,Composer
Aki Omori   Composer
George Holt   Audio Engineer
Guy Pratt   Mixing,Composer,Audio Engineer,Audio Production
Brian Saunders   Composer
Andrew Paul Hughes   Composer
Simon Phillips   Mixing,Composer,Audio Engineer,Audio Production
The Orb   Audio Production,Mixing
Dr. Alex Paterson   Mixing,Composer,Audio Production
Witchman   Audio Production
Andy Sheriff   Mixing,Audio Engineer
Phillipe Le Gonidec   Composer
John Roome   Composer,Composer
Jimmy Cauty   Remixing
Andrew Hughes   Composer
Dai Davis   Composer
Azumi Omori   Composer
Phil Legonidec   Composer
Kristian Anthony Weston   Composer
Andy Hughes   Mixing,Composer,Audio Engineer,Audio Production
James Clancy   Composer
John Digweed   Remixing
Weston   Composer
Robert Fripp   Composer
Phillips   Composer
Nick Muir   Remixing
Nina Walsh   Mixing,Arranger,Composer,Audio Production