Customer Reviews

The Dream

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Orb fans may be aware of 3 other 2007 releases: Alex's trip through his favorite 70's dub and reggae classics on I'll Be Black, an ambient journey with The Art of Chill 4, and a collection of past works on Orbsessions Volume 2 (much better than Volume 1). The Dream combines the best of these elements to create the finest Orb CD in the new millennium. Picture a triangle where the points are the styles of the above mentioned albums and then place a point right in the middle of the triangle. That would be The Dream.

Joined by Youth and a host of other past collaborators, Alex Paterson (the nexus of The Orb) crafts The Dream in the same league as Orbus Terrum, U.F. Orb, and The Orb's Adventures... Dub penetrates the album; most notably on "Lost & Found" and, in prime dancehall fashion, on "Mother Earth." Showing an ability to drop a groove, "Vuja De," "A Beautiful Day," and "DDD (Dirty Disco Dub)" hint at grooves found on Cydonia and Orblivion. The more ambient tunes are the title track, "The Truth Is...," Katskills," High Noon," "Orbsonia," and my favorite: "Codes" which could easily be placed in between Floyd's "Echoes" and Zeppelin's "No Quarter" in a mix.

"Codes" is a great example of why I love The Dream: the entire album is layered and complex without getting in the way of the good groove. This type of `layering different sounds' only comes from the experience Alex and his longtime co-conspirators bring to the table. The Dream lacks the pedestrian feel of the Transit Kings release from 2006 while perhaps absorbing some of the engineering skills, resulting in a lush, full sound. All the tracks are good- there's not a filler in the bunch.

The Japanese release, which I have, contains the track "Let The Music Set You Free" which may not appear on other releases. It's a solid track - a reggae feel with a solid groove and melody. It's worth tracking down.

If you like the positive, trippy side of The Orb, you'll love this. I bought it quite a while ago, gave it a few listens, and hadn't been back. Last week I randomly hit Katskills in a shuffle, and was mesmerized into an inside-out exploration of something I'd dismissed. I saw The Orb last time they were in Washington DC, and The Dream really reminds me of that.

Key tracks for me are Katskills, Codes. This is music that needs to be loud, and the bass needs to shake you.

I'd compare it to Bicycles and Tricycles [B&T] which I don't particularly like. There's too much of a focus on the vocal elements/sampling for my taste (I prefer the sound of U.F.Orb, Okie Dokie, etc). However Dream is a much more consistent CD than B&T, with good beats and dub elements tying all the songs together. The only real track sticking out is "Let The Music Set You Free" (similar in style to the Cydonia album), but that track is only on the Japanese pressing of the CD, so its understandable why it doesn't match the overall theme.

Taken as a whole, I give the CD a positive rating. Easy and enjoyable to listen to, but probably won't see much playtime compared to my favourite Orb albums.

I have been a huge fan of The Orb since I stumbled upon The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld way back in 1993.

I own every single regular-issue CD of The Orb, and I have to say (after about 5 listens now) that this is the BEST album yet.

It's UBER-modern sounding, has GREAT grooves with the occasional smooth vocal, and has a TON of progressive, positive, ethereal samples.

If you consider yourself a fan of this band and you do not have this album yet -- BUY IT. You'll be gratified when you listen and understand that you have purchased the best album that you've heard in a Long, Long Time...

My interest for The Orb ceased with 1997's "Orblivion". I confess that I haven't kept up to date, as for the most part the curiosity for them and their music was gone. I read "The Dream" was causing a stir as a return to their former sound, so I decided to check it out.

And what a disappointment! A very awkward album and a shadow of their past. They have abandoned their vast excursions into hyperspace in order to take their sound to accessible levels. I can barely hear any if any influences from the old times apart some ambient intros that work as fillers between the... songs.

Gone are the vast spacey arrangements, the kraut influences (from Popol Vuh to Tangerine Dream) of the early albums, the Steve Hillageisms (although Mr. Rainbow Dome is present on several tracks here, his glissandos are absent) and the "open-air" ambient house feel of their early days. Instead, you get generic ambient electronica, Dreadzone influenced dub gone r'n'b, cheesy singing struggling to be catchy, slick late era Pink Floydisms, even some hillarious rap...

For completists maybe "The Dream" is a suggested listen, but be forwarned: if you are looking for a sequel to "Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld", "UFOrb" or "Orbus Terrarum", bypass! Being adventurous and innovative is ages behind this band. It would be better for Alex Paterson to do something else instead, and let the old days remain in the fond memories. A closed case for me.

My history with the Orb goes back to the early '90s, including seeing them live in Chicago in '93. I've followed Alex Paterson over the years, watching him shift around with different styles. I think this is the best Orb album. It has a great mix of beats, melodies, trippy arrangement, with an overall delicious dub feeling. It's full of layers of sound which add to the compositions, a sense of humor without being stupid. I love listening to this when I'm traveling and alone in my hotel room, it's upbeat and it keeps me company when I'm alone. I can't recommend this highly enough. Alex has out-done himself on this one.

I have been listening to this album for months & still am not tired of it . . . several tracks rotate into & out of my workout mix. Love the 1st 2 tracks 'The Dream' and 'Vuja De', the intro to 'DDD', the tracks 'Mother Nature' and 'Lost & Found'. Just a GREAT mix of songs, some danceable & lively, others more ambient & thoughtful, all very listenable to me! I'm a longtime fan & this is the album I keep returning too after listening to other Orb material.

The Orb, the acclaimed English electronic music group of the past two decades is still pumping out music. Their new album" The Dream" is sure to please the ears of new fans and old, as I have just become newly acclimated with them. The album on the whole is a very diverse one, consisting of many different sounds and textures and each song revealing something different. Although the album on the whole is a rather interesting one, there is one specific song that has caught my ear by being different. Track number nine titled "Lost & Found" is a song that stands out kind of like a sore thumb, a good kind of sore thumb that is.

"Lost and Found" like all of The Orb's song is a compilation of sound and music samples, yielding a perfect example of the French engineer Pierre Schaeffer's "Musique Concrete". However, unlike most of their songs "Lost and Found" seems to depart from the usual and stereotypical electronic, drum and driven (fast paced) bass music of the past as well as today. Unlike the majority of the other songs on the album, this on is instead a very laid back and relaxing song that seems to the listener to almost calm and slow down. It is a song that is very reminiscent of another genre of music that has been pioneered by the infamous Lee Scratch Perry, Dub music. Dub music was founded by Mr. Perry and rose to prominence in the 1970s. It features typically a heavy bass with added effects to make it more electronic. "Lost & Found" contains the familiar guitar chord riff on every upbeat that is so familiar to dub music that features Bob Marley. Specifically, "Lost & Found" sounds eerily similar to Lee Scratch Perry's "Soul Rebel Dub" and "Rainy Night Dub". In all three songs (especially "Soul Rebel" and "Lost and Found") there is also a voice that has obviously been sampled and manipulated in some way. However, the voice is not singing, it is merely talking and acting as a sound as the actually lyrics are a little difficult to hear at some parts. Nevertheless they still have their desired effect with the most audible phrase being "You won't find it" which is where the name "Lost ant Found" comes from.

This risk in deviating from the norm by The Orb was enormous, but it is also the risk that makes the song more enjoyable to listen to. You wouldn't expect to hear this Dub music coming from this English group, it is a long way away from their other hit tracks on the album such as "Vuja De" and "Codes" but it still satisfies the ears. Also, one could look at this change as the group experimenting with a different sound, attempting to branch out on show their versatility in order to gather a larger following. In any event, I feel the song pays a rightful tribute to Lee Scratch Perry and his work and adds diversity to the album as a whole.

This review is written for people who know and love The Orb and who have either recently purchased this album or are about to purchase it...

I was extremely excited after reading the AMG review of this album, that it was a "return to their true form." I had heard Veja De a couple of times, and saw its video on youtube and really liked it. I got the album as soon as it was available here in the US, and listened to the whole thing and was initially disappointed. There was some "WTF?" going on in my mind during some of the tracks. I really thought it to be pretty mediocre. The first few listens, I was left feeling, like, "hmmm. Oh well, whatever..."

But I kept popping it in every now and then..

It takes some listening to, before the some of the beauty of this album kicks in. Listen to it, listen to it, listen to it. It's great. But I don't think that it comes close to Adventures, UFOrb, Orbus Terrarum, or Orblivion, nor even Cydonia. It's kinda there with bicycles and tricycles. Basically, it's not a horrible album; it's just so mediocre for an Orb Album.

The Orb, in my opinion, is still the most important band to come out of the 'electronica' or whatever you want to call it, movement. This new cd is definitely a step back for them, ie, a return to their early days instead of exploring new directions, but that's ok, it's all big beats, weird samples, lots of dub influences, etc. It's an incredibly fun record to listen to, and you will not be disppointed by it. Groundbreaking, no, not this Orb album. But a great listen, definitely. Kudos to Alex and his current compatriots for a great disc! Hope there is a US tour!!!