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Music : Madness and Me
Rating: 
- all icing and not much cake
This album ranges from nice to not very interesting, and there are no real flashes of inspiration or ideas that make it greater than the sum of it's parts. Nearly all of the tracks consist of a simple repeating bassline which doesn't change throughout the track and is simply decorated with pretty electronic riffs, some improvised vocals and various slick sounds. The immediate effect is very pleasant but there are almost no chord changes or key changes or surprising melodies that make you sit up and take notice, the tracks are more like simple sketches that have been highly polished and extended to a ponderous length and tend to leave you craving something really interesting that never actually arrives. It's a shame that they are so good at production but their musical ideas are quite basic and uninspiring (in that respect it reminds me a lot of the most recent album by Way Out West where they tried to flesh out their productions with the addition of a vocalist). I should probably mention that the track "your face" contains some horrible pub-rock vocals which to my ear are too painful to listen to. As a whole the album is like a cake which is all icing, very artfully decorated, but cut into it and there's very little inside for you to enjoy. When you compare it with the (flawed but in a different way) album by Paul Hartnoll, it does finally make clear where the talents lay within the Orbital camp!
Rating:
- Excellent CD
This is totally not an Orbital CD. The whole CD is much more varied, especially the use of percussion which I always thought was Orbital's weak point, much as I love them. This is beautifully crafted with rich washes of sound and intricate textures. Really exquisite.
I do disagree with Skechy about the breakbeat scene, I don't think he has heard enough, go out to Beatport or Proton Radio and there is a whole universe of really fine stuff there.
Definitely a must-buy!
Rating:
- A quality debut
I think this is a superb debut...it has everything I could hope for in an electronic album, filthy basslines, great beats and production, melodies to make your heart flutter.
There are a few things that these guys are being judged by which I think are totally unfair...firstly this is not an Orbital album, its something new and incomparable. Secondly, its a debut, a record from which a fine foundation is being laid. And lastly, the assumption that (because they have been playing these tracks live for a while) record deals and albums just materialise and distribute themselves in a timely way when you have finished writing some songs...It may have been nicer to have the album 12 months ago, but that decision is not in necessarily their hands (i am guessing).
As far as the music goes, lush electronica that is stirring and compelling throughout. 'Madness and Me' really is a stand-out track...Kelly Malone's voice is literally breathtaking and as a song it is perfectly formed, from the piano and string intro to an eye watering but understated crescendo and deep and sublime drum programming and layered analogue pads throughout.
Ambient tracks in there, as with all the tracks are well produced and nicely arranged, particularly 'Three' with echoes of Asteroth and Arovane.
'Which Way Now' is a bullet train breakbeat number, which is completely unique from anything in the breaks scene and quite frankly that is because the scene is missing something! And although I said its unfair to compare these guys to Orbital, if you like Orbital you will love this (Yes ok...I am a hypocrite!).
Personally I think it is 2 or three tracks short of a full album and I think I may have preferred to wait another 3 months or so for those to complete 'my' Long Range long player.
If you like your electronica diverse and uplifting then add this to your basket without hesitation.
Rating: - Too little too late
I have to agree with the previous reviewers comments. I find that Paul Hartnoll's new album 'The Ideal Condition' is much more interesting and I can listen to that album all the way through without skipping tracks. This one however seems to have included tracks that we used to fill up the CD. Don't get me wrong, 'Madness and Me' and a couple of other tracks are amazing but there is no direction throughout the album. I'm just not that impressed and also heard these tracks over 7 months ago on MySpace so I'm pretty bored already. Perhaps if you merge the best tracks from each of the brothers albums, you have a new Orbital album.
Rating: - What took them so long?
This release has been eagerly awaited by Orbital fans, and in particular those who saw Long Range's fine set at the Big Chill a year ago.
The burning question is: why the year wait? Most of the tracks premiered last year are here, and they were fully realised then from the sounds of things - I hear very few tweaks on the album versions from tracks I either heard then, at a subsequent gig, and on various Long Range websites, and there are also few tracks here that I haven't heard before.
Make no mistake - there are some cracking tunes - 'Lie Down', 'Madness and Me' and 'Run with the Rain' in particular. 'Dispel the Clouds' is almost there - but a bit too poppy for my liking.
The album falls down a bit due to some rather non-descript ambient tracks - quite frankly they come across as filler material to me.
If you are an Orbital fan and new to the material this is likely to be a worthwhile purchase - more long-term followers of Long Range might however be a bit let down after a year's wait.
Round one to brother Paul then - The Ideal Condition being a far more diverse, interesting and rewarding experience, overall.
- all icing and not much cakeThis album ranges from nice to not very interesting, and there are no real flashes of inspiration or ideas that make it greater than the sum of it's parts. Nearly all of the tracks consist of a simple repeating bassline which doesn't change throughout the track and is simply decorated with pretty electronic riffs, some improvised vocals and various slick sounds. The immediate effect is very pleasant but there are almost no chord changes or key changes or surprising melodies that make you sit up and take notice, the tracks are more like simple sketches that have been highly polished and extended to a ponderous length and tend to leave you craving something really interesting that never actually arrives. It's a shame that they are so good at production but their musical ideas are quite basic and uninspiring (in that respect it reminds me a lot of the most recent album by Way Out West where they tried to flesh out their productions with the addition of a vocalist). I should probably mention that the track "your face" contains some horrible pub-rock vocals which to my ear are too painful to listen to. As a whole the album is like a cake which is all icing, very artfully decorated, but cut into it and there's very little inside for you to enjoy. When you compare it with the (flawed but in a different way) album by Paul Hartnoll, it does finally make clear where the talents lay within the Orbital camp!
Rating:
- Excellent CDThis is totally not an Orbital CD. The whole CD is much more varied, especially the use of percussion which I always thought was Orbital's weak point, much as I love them. This is beautifully crafted with rich washes of sound and intricate textures. Really exquisite.
I do disagree with Skechy about the breakbeat scene, I don't think he has heard enough, go out to Beatport or Proton Radio and there is a whole universe of really fine stuff there.
Definitely a must-buy!
Rating:
- A quality debutI think this is a superb debut...it has everything I could hope for in an electronic album, filthy basslines, great beats and production, melodies to make your heart flutter.
There are a few things that these guys are being judged by which I think are totally unfair...firstly this is not an Orbital album, its something new and incomparable. Secondly, its a debut, a record from which a fine foundation is being laid. And lastly, the assumption that (because they have been playing these tracks live for a while) record deals and albums just materialise and distribute themselves in a timely way when you have finished writing some songs...It may have been nicer to have the album 12 months ago, but that decision is not in necessarily their hands (i am guessing).
As far as the music goes, lush electronica that is stirring and compelling throughout. 'Madness and Me' really is a stand-out track...Kelly Malone's voice is literally breathtaking and as a song it is perfectly formed, from the piano and string intro to an eye watering but understated crescendo and deep and sublime drum programming and layered analogue pads throughout.
Ambient tracks in there, as with all the tracks are well produced and nicely arranged, particularly 'Three' with echoes of Asteroth and Arovane.
'Which Way Now' is a bullet train breakbeat number, which is completely unique from anything in the breaks scene and quite frankly that is because the scene is missing something! And although I said its unfair to compare these guys to Orbital, if you like Orbital you will love this (Yes ok...I am a hypocrite!).
Personally I think it is 2 or three tracks short of a full album and I think I may have preferred to wait another 3 months or so for those to complete 'my' Long Range long player.
If you like your electronica diverse and uplifting then add this to your basket without hesitation.
Rating:
- Too little too lateI have to agree with the previous reviewers comments. I find that Paul Hartnoll's new album 'The Ideal Condition' is much more interesting and I can listen to that album all the way through without skipping tracks. This one however seems to have included tracks that we used to fill up the CD. Don't get me wrong, 'Madness and Me' and a couple of other tracks are amazing but there is no direction throughout the album. I'm just not that impressed and also heard these tracks over 7 months ago on MySpace so I'm pretty bored already. Perhaps if you merge the best tracks from each of the brothers albums, you have a new Orbital album.
Rating:
- What took them so long?This release has been eagerly awaited by Orbital fans, and in particular those who saw Long Range's fine set at the Big Chill a year ago.
The burning question is: why the year wait? Most of the tracks premiered last year are here, and they were fully realised then from the sounds of things - I hear very few tweaks on the album versions from tracks I either heard then, at a subsequent gig, and on various Long Range websites, and there are also few tracks here that I haven't heard before.
Make no mistake - there are some cracking tunes - 'Lie Down', 'Madness and Me' and 'Run with the Rain' in particular. 'Dispel the Clouds' is almost there - but a bit too poppy for my liking.
The album falls down a bit due to some rather non-descript ambient tracks - quite frankly they come across as filler material to me.
If you are an Orbital fan and new to the material this is likely to be a worthwhile purchase - more long-term followers of Long Range might however be a bit let down after a year's wait.
Round one to brother Paul then - The Ideal Condition being a far more diverse, interesting and rewarding experience, overall.