Orb: Cydonia

Orb's massive international success in the early '90s signaled the arrival of so-called "ambient techno," but those who thought its influence stopped at post-drugs-and-debauchery chill-out rooms only had half the story. Orb was more akin to a Bloody Mary, an easily digestible mix that enabled the debauchery (and different drugs) to continue even after the sun came up. Combined with its trademark light show, Orb's music became the underground's answer to Pink Floyd (cleverly referenced on the cover of its Live '93 disc), proving that under the right conditions, it is possible to listen to a light show. While the group's earlier efforts mined psychedelic music and trippy dub for much of their inspiration, incorporating soundbites and environmental noise to impressive effect, Orb subtly altered its sound throughout the past decade. Cydonia, recorded more than two years ago but trapped in major-label limbo while corporations sorted out and consolidated their various holdings, finally arrives with the band's eccentric identity intact. One of Orb's most interesting qualities is its timelessness: The music looks backward as much as forward, so each of Orb's many and varied works manages, despite the passage of clubland trends, to sound contemporary. Cydonia's dreamy soundscapes are slightly more focused than in the past, with singers Aki Omari and Nina Walsh giving "Once More" and "Ghostdancing" an accessible trip-hop feel. Since-departed engineer Andy Hughes proves a perfect foil for Orb mainstay and mastermind Alex Paterson, juggling the music's disparate elements so dexterously that it sounds far more relaxed and spare than it really is. Aggressive, guitar-laden tracks such as "A Mile Long Lump Of Lard" go down easy, though Paterson keeps the maxim of one-time colleague Brian Eno in mind by keeping the music menacing. Cydonia, like much of Orb's output, shows a dual inclination toward ambient backgrounds and melodic, Massive Attack-style foregrounds—a tendency no doubt encouraged by its additional collaborators, who range from a host of engineers to old friend Robert Fripp. However, considering how few electronic acts have translated the indulgences of studio tomfoolery into consistently great records, it's reassuring that Orb has weathered its unplanned hiatus and released another winner.