Orbital
The Altogether
London Records

If Orbital I was a med-student turned raver, and Snivilisation was a mad poetic street prophet predicting society's implosion, then In Sides was an astronomy professor, in love with you and explaining the horrors and charms of an infinite universe. And if Orbital II was an artist in his prime, outraging the world with the full force of his technocolor genius, then The Altogether is that artist as an old man: cynical, tremendously angry and sitting out on the porch in the rain, smoking a cigar.

Not since "The Box" have British techno artists Phil and Paul Hartnoll presented music with such a relentless brand of goofy morbidity. The Altogether's mournful edge comes from the minor key of so many of its tracks, and the keening wails of most of its vocals. This is by no means a tired piece of music, however. A dark, fluid energy pulses through the disc, and its beat-driven tracks roar smoothly along, as neatly assembled as anything Orbital's ever built.

As usual, Orbital presents techno that is more than techno. There's a cunning intelligence behind these tracks. And while a number of them fall back on old conventions like pitch-wheel melodies and mile-a-minute dance beats, the disc boasts a few substantial surprises.

For starters, there's a cover of the "Doctor Who" theme song. Although Orbital certainly hails from Who-crazy Britain, it's a goofball shot in the dark for a generally serious-minded band. In America, it would be like REM releasing its new serious album and then throwing in a cover of "Shaft" — it would be clear that they're up to something, but not exactly what. Critics who laugh miss the point, though; "Doctor" is a sweet song. It has exactly the sort of shadowy energy and drive required, and it's diggably dancey.

Tracks like "Shadows" and "Tootled" are also eerie as hell. They're digital spectres floating through the abandoned warehouse where techno once lived, and they capture the essence of The Altogether.

But just as the album shapes up as a dark jewel of depression and loss, Orbital hits the listener with "Waving Not Drowning" (a Radiohead song title if I've ever heard one) and "Illuminate." These tracks bring the end of the album up to a level of playfulness and melodic fury that most of the other tracks lack.

"Waving Not Drowning" has a Casio-sounding synth line that sounds like something The Beach Boys would've hacked out on a good day — God DAMN it's fun. You cannot avoid tapping your feet. Try not to like the song — Orbital has stacked the odds against you.

The next track, "Illuminate," is stacked with prominent vocals and warm, chiming melodies that create a sound reminiscent of Moby's work on "Play." It's listener-friendly, but never insulting.

The Altogether, which is due for U.S. release late this summer, is akin to The Middle of Nowhere in quality, if not tone — it's a smart, nicely crafted bit of sock-rocking dance music. But it's not the odyssey that Orbital II, Snivilisation or In Sides were — the concepts and experimental orchestration of those discs lift them out of the realm of the normal. The Altogether doesn't transcend its genre, but it's a crisp disc of beautiful beats. The Orbital adventure continues.

— James Norton (jrnorton@flakmag.com)