Cydonia

The Orb | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: February 27, 2001
• Release Date: February 27, 2001
• Label: Geffen
• Copyright: (C) 2001 Universal Island Records Ltd. A Universal Music Company.
• Record Company Required Metadata: Music file contains unique purchase identifier. Learn more.
• Total Length: 1:08:38
• Genres: Dance & DJ/Electronica, Dance & DJ/Techno, Pop/Dance Pop, Pop/Pop Rock
• ASIN: B000V63C76
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #176,292 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

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
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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.