PRISM

Description

The Orb's thrilling discography is growing ever larger, with this 18th album, the third led by the duo of Alex Paterson and Michael Rendall. Despite the connotations of its title, "Prism," The Orb here continues to freely and uninhibitedly roll through ambient, house, and dub, but also veers into poetry, pop, full-fledged drum'n'bass, and even contemporary reggae. The album features contributions from musicians David Harrow (Anne Clarke, Psychic TV, Razormaid, Adrian Sherwood, and Andy Weatherall) and Gaudi (Max Romeo, Capleton, Johnny Clarke, and Desmond Dekker). Other guests include well-known figures from The Orb's circle such as Youth, violinist Violeta Vicci, Kompakt Records alumnus Leonardo Fresco, Metamono's Jono Podmore, guitarist and Alex's old bandmate David Lofts, as well as vocalists Eric Von Skywalker, Andy Cain, and Rachel D'Arcy. "Prism" opens with the epic and winding journey of "H.O.M.E," before "Why Can You Be In Two Places At Once…" kicks off with a funk-up and afrobeat blend. With Paterson's decades-long love for Jamaican music and often dubwise-infused production, it's no surprise that The Orb has now fully embraced reggae on some tracks. But the band isn't afraid to flip the script entirely, sprinkling in a large bag of disco glitter, or igniting into a full-fledged, rave-ready Drum & Bass fire for over ten minutes, which, while outside their comfort zone, still sounds very much like The Orb. Music for the "prism" of your mind, the album concludes with its title track – a grand ambient epic crafted with style – as impressive as the cold, infinite expanse from which it came.