ORBITAL 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: This is the original soundtrack for Canadian comedy series The Pentaverate, created by and starring comedian Mike Myers, and whose OST was commissioned for electronic music legends Orbital (brothers Paul and Phil Hartnoll). The soundtrack features a brand-spanking 50 new motifs by Orbital, which - through its many Lynchian, hybrid-jazz-synthpop-orchestral twists and turns - reflects the series' story of a secret conspiracy of five individuals, who since the Black Plague of 1347, have been surreptitiously, insidiously working to influence world events.

Review: After the 30 Something retrospective that landed during 2022, comes a new Orbital album proper, Optical Delusion, set to be accompanied by a busy summer of gig and festival dates by the looks of it. The album's taster single 'Dirty Rat' was a corker, too, full of post-Brexit/Boris bile and a biting vocal from Sleaford Mods frontman Jason Williamson, not to mention some striking Orbital musical trademarks. It could well point the way forward for more interesting collaborations - perhaps taking a leaf out of Leftfield's book - on the album, though only time will tell. Either way, a serious portion of new material from one of the dance world's most enduring and best loved acts will be feverishly anticipated.

Review: Having set aside their musical differences following a period of reflection, the Hartnoll brothers return with their tenth studio album. The break seems to have done them some good, because "Monsters Exist" contains some material that's every bit as beguiling and impressive as their most celebrated work. Certainly, there are hints of classic Orbital in the spellbinding electronics and enveloping gloominess of "Buried Deep Within", the intergalactic ambient symphony of "There Will Come a Time" (listen out for a guest spoken word vocal by rave's favourite scientist, Professor Brian Cox), and the title track's rapidly expanding paranoia. There are a few dancefloor-centric blasts from the past, too ("Hoo Hoo Ha Ha" and the festival-friendly bounce of "PHUK"), suggesting that the veteran twosome could be ready for a late-career revival.