Cydonia [Import]

The Orb | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 14, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: Ume Imports
• ASIN: B001A2AWFA
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #332,289 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Back in the mid-1990s, the release of a new Orb album would have been something of an event. By 2001, most people had probably forgotten that they still existed (their previous album, Orblivion, was released three years before that, an eternity in the world of modern electronic music). Some music critics even questioned the band's relevance in the 21st century. In an age of sophisticated chill-out tastes, could the Orb still cut it? From the evidence on Cydonia, the answer is a resounding yes. The album sees mainman Alex Paterson fusing rolling dub bass lines and classic Orb ambiance with crisp breaks, shimmering synths, and off-kilter electronics. There are spacious vocal numbers (singers Aki and Nina Walsh sound remarkably like Björk); short, dub-house instrumentals; and spooky, other-worldly drum & bass pieces. It's like rave-era ambient house given a new millennium makeover. It's hardly revolutionary, but that's not the point. As far as space-age chill-out music goes, the Orb are still in a class of their own. --Matt Anniss

Product Description

2008 digitally remastered and expanded two CD edition of this long-deleted classic from the British Ambient House outfit, originally released in 2001. Features a bonus disc containing 11 rare and previously unreleased remixes compiled by main Orbman, Dr. Alex Paterson: 'Centuries' (Eurofen mix), 'Ghostdancing' (Version), 'Hamlet Of Kings' (Version), ' Firestar' (Front Bits), 'Centuries' (Wine, Women and King Mix), 'Once More' (Scorge of the Earth - Long Mix), 'Plum Island' (Flat Mix), 'Promis' (Version), 'Once More' (Bedrock Edit 2), 'Turn It Down' (Long Version) and 'Terminus' (Andy's Mix). Enhanced packaging features brilliant sleevenotes by long time Orb collaborator Kris Needs. Universal. 2008.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Martian northern summer in the afternoon., February 27, 2001

By 

Carl Benzino "NIN fan since Halo One." (Long Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cydonia (Audio CD)

I have to admit to being pretty biased. I've been a fan of the Orb for probably 10 years now and have stuck with them through thick (Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld, "Blue Room", Orblivion) and thin (Pomme Fritz)... Many web-savvy Orb fans may have heard (or heard of) the various differing advance versions of Cydonia that have been traded about since the album was put in limbo due to situations beyond their control (hmm... I notice they're no longer on longtime label Island Records). I had a copy of Cydonia version 1.0 last summer and am pleased to report that the official release is definitely worth purchasing still. It contains several new tracks not on the earlier versions (although it does leave a few off, too) and the whole thing sounds more produced and finished in general. For those who weren't so fortunate to hear that earlier non-release, the new album retains the thick dubby layered style we've seen Orb develop since '89 but even adds a new dimension with vocalists Aki Omori & Nina Walsh contributing actual (non-sampled, that is) vocals to two tracks each. The vocals work especially well on the stand-out track, "Once More" (featuring Aki) which sounds much stronger here than it did on Sasha & Digweed's mixed double-cd from last year (no disrespect to the dj's intended). Other standouds include the bouncy dub of "Promis" the slightly more subdued but still massive "Ghostdancing" (featuring Nina), the controlled mayhem of "A Mile Long Lump Of Lard", the slightly relaxed groove of "Hamlet of Kings", the off-the-wall vaguely retro "Thursday's Keeper" and the epic album closer "Terminus". Doubting Orb fans, unless you only like their mellower early stuff, should doubt no more. Anyone wanting to check out the Orb for the first time might do better with their best of set, U.F.Off, but should come back to this if they like that one.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A long wait for disappointment, March 5, 2001

By 

Raymond Weidner "ballisticpedigree" (Stony Brook, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cydonia (Audio CD)

I've been an Orb fan for the last seven years, and I've spent half of them waiting for this album. Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the Orb for the first time. I have always been keen on the way Paterson and co. would create their tracks as auditory explorations, which they undertook at a leisurely pace. When I play Orbus Terrarum, I become immersed in a world of sound that unfolds at its own pace and creates its own rules. I've always loved the way the Orb densely layers its sound like a sonic sandwich.

Cydonia lacks the spirit of previous Orb efforts, in my opinion. The songs are too short, and instead of creating a musical terrain to explore, they present a single idea and play with it for a little while before moving on. In addition, I don't feel like the sounds themselves are as dense or complex as previous efforts. The songs aren't bad, per se, and there are no real stinkers, so you may think my rating is overly harsh. However, Cydonia lacks the qualities that made me a fan of the Orb in the first place without replacing them with something new.

I should also mention that this is the first Orb album that lacks anything resembling a theme (as far as I can tell, I could be wrong). Like I said, each Orb album sort of creates its own world of sound, but Cydonia sounds like a retread of the sounds of Orblivion. I haven't given up on the Orb, but if I have to wait another three years or so, it won't be with baited breath.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but not great, August 1, 2001

By 

"littleoldme" (Fort Collins, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cydonia (Audio CD)

The Orb was one of the first acts in electronic music I really got into. Their smooth, chilled ambience was a great soundtrack to just relaxing and being mellow. "Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld" was a great, great album, and "U.F. Orb" is an absolute masterpiece. So when I heard of new Orb on the way, I was very eager.

Unfortunately, it wasn't as great as I had hoped. There are definite highlights, such as "Once More", "A Mile Long Lump Of Lard", "Terminus", "Hamlet of Kings", "Centuries", and "Plum Island", but there's a lot of filler too. It wouldn't have hurt to cut the length some. The production is wonderful, as always, but often it just disguises the emptiness that lies in the song.

I'd still rank it above "Orblivion" because of its' more cheerful vibe, but it's not the best out there. Pick up their first two albums, the live disc, and the greatest-hits compilation first.