Middle Of Nowhere, The

Orbital | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 27, 2009)
• Original Release Date: June 8, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rhino Records
• ASIN: B00000J8LA
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (117 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #183,441 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazingly Refined., December 13, 1999

By 

Lorin Reed (moreno valley, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Middle Of Nowhere, The (Audio CD)

Everything about this album boasts time and effort, and this becomes apparent the moment one pops it in and hears the opening track "Way Out". I dont remember what i was expecting the first time I listened, but i do know that i had decided Orbital to be my most favorite electronic outfit of all time. Their earlier albums were all amazing, especially "In-sides", whcih blew me away. In my opinion, they had broken into new territory with both Snivilisation and Insides, and I couldn't wait to hear what they'd kept in store for "Middle of Nowhere". I couldn't wait to hear how they'd 'evolved'.

When I first heard the opening track, I was ecstatic. It had everything. It was mellodic in the most beautiful way, it had the perfect drum loops, and it feautured a really nice female vocal sample. I was impressed. I listened to the rest, and I'd decided that this was without a doubt, some of Orbital's finest material. It captured both the oddness of Snivilisation, and the under-your-skin catchiness of their self-titled albums 1 and 2. Everything sounded inreadibly refined, and i was sure that they'd evolved, and in a damned good way.

Now, I review this album having listened to it many many times. Of course, nothing soudns as impressive to me as it did the first couple times, and I'm noticing certain pieces of songs that the album could have done without. There are points in the album where I wish Orbital had decided to do something more creative, and throw in a different drum loop, or spice things up a little by shortening a couple of the track's lengths, and throwing in some new material. But thats a really picky thing for me to say, and beggars can't always be choosers. Especially considering the amount of time that i DID enjoy this album with so much enthusiasm. Tracks like "nothing left" and "otono" still keep me listening, and I highly recommend Middle of Nowhere to everyone. It doesn't have the lasting appeal that made In-Sides such a huge success, but it still scores very high in my book.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Orbital's best album?, August 19, 2002

By 

Richard Diaz - See all my reviews

This review is from: Middle Of Nowhere, The (Audio CD)

After six albums and thirteen years of music, enough has been said by now on seminal electronic dance band Orbital, British blokes Phil and Paul Hartnoll. Listening to their work anew, the 1999 release Middle of Nowhere is (begin argument here) their best work. Perhaps too much a reiteration of past ideas, or bereft of historical relevance ala the Brown Album, but packing the technical sophistication to make it an ideal starting point. All well and good, but how do you describe their signature sound?

1. Orbital are a trance band. "Way Out" and "Nothing Left" shows their penchant for 8-minute epic stirrings, with pristine synth work and the soaring vocal inflections of Barbara Cohen and (notably) Alison Goldfrapp, though the Spanish horns on "Way Out" and intricate drum programming of "Nothing Left" add an edge smoothed out of most commercial trance.

2. They're breakbeat artists. Just look at the rock drummer attitude of "Don't Know You People." There's a reason why Adam Freeland, the Plump DJs and likeminded artists all get the call for remixes; Orbital rarely hold a straight, simple drum pattern, though their soundscapes are too clean to ever call funky. Hence the beefy revisions for clubbers. And oddly, Orbital rarely use pronounced bass, making their music (especially on Middle of Nowhere) more home-friendly than dance floor minded. The exception: "Know Where to Run," with giant hoover-bass sweeps propelling it with racetrack rush.

3.They're new age noodlers. Overeager synth lines and exuberant production often lead to hodge-podge tracks crammed with half ideas (exactly, "Spare Parts Express) bearing wonky keys and acid burps. Closer "Styles" tinkers four minutes away before getting off the couch to do something.

4. They make music that defies categories. That's most of Middle of Nowhere. And when the results come together, as in the stuttery-breaks, hauntingly sublime centerpiece "Otono," well, that's why you buy Orbital albums.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars keep an open mind, January 24, 2001

By 

Andrew McCombs (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Middle Of Nowhere, The (Audio CD)

I guess there are two ways to look at this album, one if you've never heard Orbital before, and another if you're a longtime fan. If you're new to Orbital, this is an amazing album. It's undeniably weird at first, but give it a chance and you'll probably be very impressed by the way the strange intros seamlessly evolve into flowing, captivating music. The first time I heard Orbital I was like, "I paid 16 bucks for this?" and then I listened to it again... and again, and started to get it. If you're a longtime listener, you'll love the music on this album. It's as complex and mesmerizing as ever. But it's definitely missing the emotional undertones of older albums. Compared to the anti-establishment rage apparent in "Snivilization", this album doesn't have much of an underlying message. It's just music. On those terms though, it is a beautiful album and definitely deserves to be in your collection.