Blue Album
The Blue Albumis the seventh and supposedly final album by one of dance music's most enduring pioneers. Orbital's blend of techno, breaks, and acid has been mimicked but never quite copied in their 10-plus years at the top. Fans looking for sweeping cinematic dance numbers may be confused by first track "Transient," six minutes of techno bubbles, awash with echo, but not so much as a bass drum in sight. However, as it is common for their songs to be progressive, here it is the album itself that progs. Beginning in a chilled style best described as techno-Enya, the beats pick up and the synths get spikier until "You Lot," a classic Orbital piece complete with theological dialogue and a swirling melody."Bath Time" is more downbeat, a warm baroque number that slows the pace only to enhance the impact of next track "Acid Pants," a twisted acid monster featuring Sparks on vocals, which could well be the highlight of the album. The closing song featuringLisa Gerrardis upbeat, jolly tech-house with her ethereal vocal soaring over the top--a fitting end to an album and indeed career that brought techno to the mainstream and kept analog synthesizers cool. --David Trueman