Orbital
The Middle of Nowhere
FFRR

Orbital, the reigning king of intelligent electronica, has arrived with its latest offering to the listening public, and it's somewhat of a shocker.

The CD art is spare; the silhouette of a human figure and an almost imperceptible off-white "O" seem to promise an abstract, minimalist electronic experience akin to Richard H. Kirk or some of the older work put out by the Orb.

Given this, and Orbital's previous track record, it is therefore somewhat surprising that The Middle of Nowhere is both unabashedly melodic, and unrelentingly fun.

"Way Out" is the first track on the disc, and it's a killer, packing an intoxicating wallop of breakbeats and delicious, breathy vocals. Like many other tracks on The Middle of Nowhere, it should be catnip on the dance floor. But what's interesting about The Middle of Nowhere is that while it packs rich, pop-laden samples in abundance and is gorgeously melodic, it lacks some of the multilayered subtlety that made In Sides and Orbital II so amazingly fruitful to revisit, time and time again.

Tracks like "Nothing Left 1" are almost shocking, as they rely on old-school tricks like electronic voice processors, the almost-forgotten syncopated rave piano, and bleeps and bloops. They stand quite capable of transporting a willing listener back to the simpler, more innocent days of techno: the early 1990s.

This is not to say that The Middle of Nowhere is as repetitive or straightforward as anything churned out by Information Society, the Utah Saints, or any of the tracks found on the Prodigy's first terrific (but limited) album, The Prodigy Experience. Orbital's distinctive stamp of countless variation, smooth production and imaginative transitions remains firmly embossed on The Middle of Nowhere. But it does seem as though there's been a conscious sacrifice of art for listenability.

Over time, Orbital has defined itself as the leading edge of the intelligent electronic movement. Its previous release, In Sides, was a two-disc masterwork of orchestration, subtlety and seamless breaks. Its earlier albums (Orbital II, the "Chime" single, etc.) were landmarks in the electronic music world, known for their artistic quality, as well as their accessibility. The Middle of Nowhere may not measure up to the best work the band has done, but it does deliver an amazingly smooth and enjoyable techno environment to its listeners, making the best of creative samples and the superb vocal talents of the formidable Alison Goldfrapp.

With The Middle of Nowhere, Orbital has proven that it's able to not take itself too seriously, while still managing to put out a respectable and completely listenable album. With luck, its fans will prove as flexible as Orbital itself.

— James Norton (jrnorton@flakmag.com)