Customer Reviews

Middle Of Nowhere, The

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Before I say anything else, I should make it clear that if you do not like the first song, chances are that you won't like anything else on the album. Having said that, this album is nothing short of brilliant! It's clear that Orbital set out to make a dance'ish album, unlike their others in which they set out to make a point. It has a more synthesizer kind of feel (Style). I am surprized that so many people I know think this kind of stuff is boring, because in reality each song manages to have the same "mood" and "feel" while constantly changing over the course of 7 or 8 minutes.

To sum it all up, it's fresh, it's brilliant, and it's ORBITAL.

Ask anyone to name the most innovative and influential band in the history of rock and chances are they'll name the Beatles. Believe or not, I think Orbital had/has the same trailblazing potential. Sadly, that potential is squandered on their latest release. Some people have hailed "Middle of Nowhere" as Orbital's return to their roots, to the danceable, straightforward style that put them on the map in the first place. They're right: as a collection of driving, catchy, psychedelic dance tunes, the album is a success. But Orbital is capable of much, much more. On their previous two releases, "In Sides" and "Snivilization," the band demonstrated an ability to craft sophisticated, subtle, immensely moving compositions that transcended the narrow confines of the dance/trance genre. Each song was not only complete in itself, passing through many changes in rhythm and structure yet managing to build to an incredible conclusion, but all the tracks fit together to form a coherent musical statement.

"MoN" shares none of the elegance of its predecessors; ethereal vocals are repeated ad nauseum, beats are continuous and unremarkable, all the spaces where the songs might be allowed to breathe are filled with odd noises, white noise, and other clutter. Worst of all, with the possible exception of "Style," none of the tracks moved me in any way. Admittedly, some of them did sound kind of "cool," but cool only goes so far. To return to the Beatles analogy, "Snivilization" and "In Sides" might be compared to "Revolver" and "Sgt. Pepper's," while "MoN" is "The Magical Mystery Tour." In short, if you're looking for nothing more than a dance album, you'll probably like this one, and it may even expand your horizons, but if you're looking for a knock-your-socks-off, brain-warping musical odyssey, pick up "In Sides" and then "Snivilization," and prepare to be blown away.

I'd put Middle of Nowhere in my car CD player and although at first I found it unmoving, I felt a silent urging to keep listening. Over time I liked it more and more. Then one afternoon on the way home, I was listening to Otono and realized the instruments were SPEAKING TO ME.

No, I wasn't doing crack or anything stronger than music for that matter. But music is a form of language. What I heard that afternoon was the language of this album. The "words" were foreign to me but an underlying emotion and meaning was connecting to me through a mechanism deeper than verbalization, deeper than the surface of overt meaning. I still don't find this the grooviest of all Orbital albums, and certainly not the most approachable, but I think it is a harbinger of something great to come. Meanwhile, if you do what I did and listen with an open mind, you may hear the language of those weird sounds too.

Being a fan of Orbital from 'In Sides' forward, The Middle of Nowhere continues the tradition of Orbital's top quality music.

Unlike most common techno music played in the United States, Orbital has a very fresh approach to electronic music, often done with great inspiration and not simply for the sake of banging on keys on a synthesizer.

Nothing that Orbital plays is annoying music that plays out of rhythm and drag on repeating sections too many times. GET THIS.

This is perhaps the best Cd of 1999.. I bought this CD at Best Buy after hearing a little about them.. I never really listened to techno before I got this cd... i popped it in AND WHOA... it was extrermely good.. I bought all other orbital CD's but this one is one of the best. This is a MUST BUY. period.

I feel the need to disagree with previous reviews which have been posted about Middle of Nowhere. I myself did not like this CD at first, and felt it was too much of a departure from their previous CDs, especially InSides. Well, after listening to it a few more times, I realized that Orbital's music has always been changing. Throughout the years, they have progressed from simple dance music to something much more intelligent and personal. I think that they actually forshadowed the changes that they have made at the end of InSides with Out There Somewhere- less grounded, but much more emotional. In fact, i would consider this to be one of the most emotional CDs I own. Don't buy this expecting more of the same. Expect something you've never experienced before.

I really have mixed feelings about this release. Having discovered Orbital in 92, I've purchased every album, every single, every vinyl release, and I've never traded in anything of theirs until now.It's almost a pantomime of In Sides. It's almost a good album, too (and I love the idea of sampling all the BBC radiophonic stuff). But after 3 listens (in headphones), I just didn't find anything worth holding on to.I regret having missed them live this time around, but I don't regret the day I sold this CD back to the store.My Advice:Borrow a copy from a friend and wait for their next release, but save your money for something else this year.