Orbital - Monsters Exist

[Gazebo4]

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[Gazebo4]

I really don't like that track at all, the video is kind of cheap too.

[PresidentSquidward]

An online friend of mine recommended In Sides to me a few days ago. I enjoyed it and plan on listening to their other albums before this one comes out. I did give Snivilisation a try and it was alright, I prefered In Sides though.

In Sides is also my favorite album by them. It was also the first one I heard. It's a masterpiece imo. Good trip material too

I'm more of an Adnans guy though, but I love all of it obviously.

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Adnans is the best

[Gazebo4]

Anyone listened to this one yet?

[Aesthetics]

Yeah I did and can't really make my mind up atm. I think I'll have to judge it on its own without realizing it is created by Orbital.

What about yourself?

[Gazebo4]

Yeah I did and can't really make my mind up atm. I think I'll have to judge it on its own without realizing it is created by Orbital.

What about yourself?

Yeah I'm in the same boat... On the one hand I can't help but think, how on earth can you come up with this after achieving stuff like Green, Brown, In Sides, Sniv, etc. But that would mean I'm in compare-mode, which is not really useful (to me at least).

On the other hand, there are some alright tracks here if, like you say, you judge the album on its own.

The first track is a nice build-up and after a some repeated listens I really dig it. Has some epic moments and quite groovy towards the end! Good album starter.

The second one sounds like a nitrous oxide party gone horribly bad. It's a track that would fit nicely on The Altogether as a fun track, but I can't say I really like it, it's just super weird. I mean, wtf? However, I must say it's one of those tracks that is one hell of a fun time when I am in the right mood though haha! Maybe when a balloon or two are inhaled or something

The Raid and The End Is Nigh I don't like at all, ugh...

As for Buried Deep Within, well that track defines mediocrity.

PHUK is okay, the intro part before the synth kicks in feels very cheap production-wise, but the synth line is really, really gorgeous though. But I really think these two recurring parts of the track do not go well together at all. It sounds very wrong to my ears. Could've been a really amazing track.

The last track is kind of boring and takes itself and the theme very seriously, but somehow it really fails to do that imo. A wonderful speech about humanity and the universe by Brian Cox ain't gonna change that.

The highlight tracks for me are Tiny Foldable Cities and Vision OnE. Those two I genuinely like, especially the former.

But as always, I guess I need more time with the album to see if my perception changes. But for now, I think it's their weakest album, except for The Altogether which I still don't really like after all this time. I'd personally give it a 5/10 or something.

Edit: I must add I haven't listened to any of the extra bonus material yet. Maybe there is some good stuff there.

[chemical_si]

Is there nothing on The Altogether that you like? How about Meltdown or Dr??

[Gazebo4]

Is there nothing on The Altogether that you like? How about Meltdown or Dr??

Oh yeah definitely. I like Last Thing and especially Dr.? and Shadows. Illuminate almost feels like a guilty pleasure at this point lol, love that happy vibe, good memories. Meltdown not so much.

I just really dislike the 1st half of that album. And Waving Not Drowning, that track is immensely annoying.

[Opothecary]

From the perspective of someone who never really got that excited about Orbital, this album seems to fall in line with my past experiences with them - half the tunes are pretty decent, half are really annoying to me. I've just never had a lot of middle ground with them, but I'll also admit I've probably never given the stuff that I didn't enjoy enough of a chance to grow on me either.

[Negamuse]

There's just not a track on here that doesn't have at least one synth sound on it that's just annoying. Even the good ones. It feels like they're rolling with the accusations of being sonically lightweight and trying to make some more confrontational sounds but there's confrontational like being punched in the gut, and there's confrontational like being trapped in a lift with a wasp and this album is definitely the latter. So OK, it gets away from the sounds they used on the more pilled up hands in the air days and that's a thing I guess, but I don't much want to listen to it.

[Gazebo4]

It feels like they're rolling with the accusations of being sonically lightweight and trying to make some more confrontational sounds but there's confrontational like being punched in the gut, and there's confrontational like being trapped in a lift with a wasp and this album is definitely the latter. So OK, it gets away from the sounds they used on the more pilled up hands in the air days and that's a thing I guess, but I don't much want to listen to it.

Good points, couldn't have said it better myself. I mean, I still hold them to a high standard because of their excellent early work, especially In Sides, which is really somewhere high in my top albums ever. It's almost impossible to believe it's the same two guys that made this album.

I wish they would get back to making more mature sort of music again, but I don't think they have it anymore tbh. Now we're stuck with this "fun" type of post-rave sound, which is, like you said, not something I really want to listen to anymore that much. Shame, but I guess there are still plenty of people who like this album for what it is.

[Gazebo4]

From the perspective of someone who never really got that excited about Orbital, this album seems to fall in line with my past experiences with them - half the tunes are pretty decent, half are really annoying to me. I've just never had a lot of middle ground with them, but I'll also admit I've probably never given the stuff that I didn't enjoy enough of a chance to grow on me either.

Have you listened to In Sides or Snivilisation though? It's a night and day difference with their later releases. Though I have to say I really like Wonky, despite the horrible album title

Edit: Listening to Dwr Budr and Adnans again just now for old times sake, remembering doing lines of K to In Sides in my drug-fueled days, being Out There Somewhere, part 3

[Opothecary]

Have you listened to In Sides or Snivilisation though? It's a night and day difference with their later releases. Though I have to say I really like Wonky, despite the horrible album title

Edit: Listening to Dwr Budr and Adnans again just now for old times sake, remembering doing lines of K to In Sides in my drug-fueled days, being Out There Somewhere, part 3

I have probably listened to most of their albums just once or twice, with the exception of In Sides quite a bit actually, and I do carry some nostalgia for that album - that wasn't really down to personal choice though.

It came out right around when I graduated high school and The Box was played by our indie station quite a bit so that's how we got turned onto Orbital here. It hadn't worn out its welcome a year later, our friend who liked to drive owned the CD and we would all go up to Niagara Falls to drink at age 19 because we weren't legal yet in the states, and he had run of the music since he was doing all the heavy lifting getting us there. I remembered it had come with a second CD with the extended version of The Box and that was always a lot of fun to listen to after the main album.

Strange how we both have oddly specific memories surrounding listening to this album, haha

[chemical_si]

Both at college and university I would do an all nighter listening to their whole discography whilst filling in photo scratch books making notes ready to hand in the next day with no sleep. Became a bit of a ritual.

[Gazebo4]

I really like those little anecdotes people, cheers!