''In Sides'' is the fourth album by British electronic group
Orbital, released in the UK on Internal on 29 April 1996.
The album's title is a reference to the fact that the original vinyl LP release of the album was as a 3-LP vinyl box set, with one track per side of each disc.
''In Sides'' saw the band continue the process, begun on their previous album ''
Snivilisation
''Snivilisation'' is the third studio album by British electronic music duo Orbital, released on 23 August 1994 by FFRR Records.
The album peaked at number 4 on the UK Albums Chart, and had sold over 80,000 copies in the United Kingdom by Apr ...
'', of moving away from making music for the
rave
A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...
scene towards more intricately crafted melodies and reflective, downtempo tracks. Gathering widespread acclaim not just from dance music magazines but also the UK's more traditional rock music papers such as ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' and ''
Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'', the album is considered by many reviewers and fans to be among Orbital's best work.
The album spent 12 weeks in the
UK charts in 1996, and reached a high of No. 5 in the week of its release.
Recording
The album was recorded at Orbital's rented studio space at The Strongroom in central London. It was mostly programmed and recorded on
Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
Mac computers using
Logic Audio
Logic Pro is a digital audio workstation (DAW) and MIDI sequencer software application for the macOS platform. It was originally created in the early 1990s as Notator Logic, or Logic, by German software developer C-Lab which later went by Em ...
software and an
E-mu Emax
The Emax was a line of samplers, developed, manufactured, and sold by E-mu Systems from 1986 to 1995. Sold alongside their more expensive Emulator II and III samplers, the Emax line was conceived after the release of the Akai S-612 and Sequen ...
2 E64
sampler. Various
analogue synthesizer
An analog (or analogue) synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog signals to generate sound electronically.
The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s, such as the Trautonium, were built with a variety of ...
s were also used to create the album, such as the
ARP 2600
The ARP 2600 is a semi-modular analog subtractive audio synthesizer produced by ARP Instruments, Inc.
History
Developed by a design team headed by ARP namesake Allen R. Pearlman and engineer Dennis Colin, the ARP 2600 was introduced in 1971 a ...
,
Roland SH-101
The Roland SH-101 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by the Roland Corporation between 1982 and 1986. Though it was something of a commercial failure during the time of its manufacture, it later became a staple of electronic music in the 1990 ...
,
Oberheim Xpander
The Oberheim Xpander () is an analog synthesizer launched by Oberheim in 1984 and discontinued in 1988. It is essentially a keyboardless, six-voice version of the Matrix-12 (released a year later, in 1985). Utilizing Oberheim's Matrix Modulation ...
and
Roland Jupiter-6
The Roland Jupiter-6 (JP-6) is a discontinued synthesizer, manufactured and introduced by the Roland Corporation in January 1983.
Background
Although introduced as a less expensive ($2,500-$3,000 market price) alternative to the Roland Jupiter- ...
. A
Roland TR-808
The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, commonly known as the 808, is a drum machine manufactured by the Roland Corporation between 1980 and 1983. It was one of the first drum machines to allow users to program rhythms instead of using preset patte ...
drum machine was used, but many tracks sampled the Hartnolls' friend Clune drumming live instead: Phil Hartnoll told ''
Music Week
''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future.
History
Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...
'', "We recorded him with about 15 mics
icrophonesplaying along to click tracks and doing things on his own".
The vocals on three of the album's tracks are credited to "Auntie", a pseudonym used by long-time collaborator
Alison Goldfrapp on this release. Her singing on "Dŵr Budr" is nonsensical chanting, and has been rumoured to have been played backwards, which the band finally confirmed in 2020.
Release
Several versions of the album have been released. The original UK vinyl LP release in April 1996 consisted of six tracks, one track on each side of a 3-LP set. For the CD version the tracks "
The Box" and "Out There Somewhere?" were each split into two parts, creating eight tracks. In the US the first 30,000 copies of the album came packaged with a second bonus disc which included the four tracks from the 1995 ''Times Fly'' EP and the four versions of "The Box" from the single merged as a single 28-minute track – none of the five tracks had been available in the US up to that point.
In May 1997 the album was re-released in the UK with the then-current single "
The Saint
The Saint may refer to:
Fiction
* Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations:
** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...
" added on to the end of the CD album. The vinyl re-release was a 4-LP box set, featuring the three LPs of the original release and a fourth LP with "The Saint" on one side and its B-side "The Sinner" on the other. The US version of the re-released album contained a different bonus CD to the 1996 version, featuring both tracks of "The Saint" single along with live recordings of "Halcyon" and "Satan" (previously found on Orbital's ''III'' EP and the ''Satan Live'' EP respectively).
Musical composition and themes
The album was preceded by a single, "The Box", starring the actress
Tilda Swinton
Katherine Matilda Swinton (born 5 November 1960) is a British actress. Known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition to ...
in the single's video. Paul Hartnoll told the ''NME'' that the song was based on a recurring dream he had about the discovery of a mysterious wooden box in the Welsh countryside, but that he would always wake up just at the point he was opening the box, so he never found out what was inside it.
Environmental concerns are one of the major themes of the album: "Dŵr Budr",
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
for "dirty water", was inspired by the
Sea Empress oil spill
The ''Sea Empress'' oil spill occurred at the entrance to the Milford Haven Waterway in Pembrokeshire, Wales on 16 February 1996. The ''Sea Empress'' was en route to the Texaco oil refinery near Pembroke when she became grounded on mid-channe ...
environmental disaster which took place just off the southern coast of Wales in February 1996. Paul Hartnoll told ''
Vox'', "We came up with the chords that start the track, and I thought: 'That sounds nice, it sounds like the sea'. And it reminded me of staring at the murky water in
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
from one of the sea-breakers, thinking, 'Uh! ''God! So I thought: 'Let's make this track about the horrible dirty water that everybody has to swim in.
The song was written and recorded in a single day before the album's scheduled mastering.
An early version of the album's opening track "The Girl with the Sun in Her Head" was recorded for the ''
Hackers
A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who uses their technical knowledge to achieve a goal or overcome an obstacle, within a computerized system by non-standard means. Though the term ''hacker'' has become associated in popu ...
'' film soundtrack, but was not included in the film. The final piece was entirely recorded using electricity provided by
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...
's mobile
solar power
Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovoltaic e ...
generator, Cyrus.
It is dedicated to the memory of
''Volume'' magazine photographer Sally Harding, a friend of the Hartnolls, who died in December 1995. It opens with an emulated heartbeat sound created with an ARP 2600, which serves as bass and develops into what many critics hold as one of Orbital's most accomplished pieces.
"P.E.T.R.O.L." was written and recorded for the video game ''
Wipeout'' (and included on its later soundtrack album); it is also featured on the soundtrack to the film ''
π''. "Adnan's" is a longer version of the track originally included on 1995's charity album ''
The Help Album
''The Help Album'' is a 1995 charity album to raise funds for the War Child charity, which provided aid to war-stricken areas, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina. All the songs were recorded in a single day. The album features British and Irish ar ...
'', benefitting
War Child.
Paul Hartnoll said that "the name comes from the sympathy story of the day on the news about a family evacuated from the former
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
. The father had to stay behind to work, and his 16-year-old son decided he had to go back and stay with him. He felt he couldn't leave him on his own. After a few days the son, Adnan, got blown up and killed."
The two-part closing track "Out There Somewhere?" deals with another of the Hartnolls' preoccupations, science fiction and
extraterrestrials. Paul said, "I was looking for samples from this TV programme about the way people react to
UFO
An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...
s. It's not about UFOs, it's about that spiritual gap being filled by the aliens coming down to save us... Then the second half is the euphoria of what the person ''wants'' to feel when they've been abducted."
Artwork
The album's cover art is by John Greenwood, who is also responsible for creating the covers of previous Orbital releases. The collage for the internal artwork was created by Foul End Trauma, an anagrammatical alias for the design artists Fultano Mauder. The design group also contribute lyrics to the vocal version of "The Box" on the single's release, with one half of the group, Grant Fulton, providing vocals.
Critical reception
The album was positively received by critics. The leading UK dance music magazines ''
Mixmag
''Mixmag'' is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine published in London. Launched in 1983 as a print magazine, it has branched into dance events, including festivals and club nights.
History
The first issue of ''Mixmag'' was prin ...
'' and ''
Muzik
''Muzik'' was a British dance music magazine published by IPC Media from June 1995 to August 2003.
''Muzik'' was created by two former ''Melody Maker'' journalists, Push and Ben Turner. Push was the editor of ''Muzik'' from its launch until he ...
'' were enthusiastic, with ''Mixmag'' saying that "Orbital are still light-years ahead of the competition" while ''Muzik'' said that "billed as six unrelated 'sound scenarios', ''In Sides'' neatly illustrates why Orbital remain light years ahead of the competition. While much of the album is set on a dial marked 'home listening', it is still some way in front of the soporific easy-listening muzak of much of today's ambient fare. At times, it startles with its raw simplicity, while at others it impresses with its sheer complexity. But in the end, what it comes down to is that only Orbital could mix 'n' match the simple and the complex and turn out something this good. After all these years, they're still ahead of the pack. Way ahead."
The more guitar-orientated rock magazines were equally impressed. ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' said that "after the undeniable but heavy-handed gravitas of ''Snivilisation'', ''In Sides'' feels like an emphatic retreat into the personal domain. Despite its many shifts in temper, the prevailing demeanour is one of sensitivity to the eddies of life's swollen stream... ''In Sides'' is the best of Orbital thus far. It refines their previous tricks further taking them into the realm of what now feels dangerously close to perfection, while also standing tall and utterly distinct from both its contemporaries and historic predecessors."
David Bennun of ''
Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'' called ''In Sides'' "a very approachable record" and awarded it a "recommended" star rating. He noted that the album was not as intense as its predecessors and said, "It strikes me as simply a sweet experience, an infusion of mild pleasure to the body and brain. Maybe the Hartnolls needed a rest from all that rage and anomie. Maybe I should just call it the first beautiful album of the summer." ''
Q'' wrote that "on this, their fourth album, Orbital explore six unrelated sound scenarios, from the veiled, shimmering passion of "The Box", with its layer upon layer of chimes, to the rich orchestral moods of "Out There Somewhere", a 24-minute track underpinned by a firm, focussed beat. More anchored and evocative than the preceding ''Snivilisation'', ''In Sides'' is not just about intelligent abstraction and a wicked tempo."
''
Vox'' said that "Orbital are maturing and expanding without losing the plot. There's a newly mellow mood to these grandiose electronic vistas, but the brothers are stopping to admire the view rather than rest their aching bones. They no longer make dance music for people who don't dance, but they are making soundtracks for movies which don't exist... Some might feel it lacks the coherent overall feel and irreverent, idea-stuffed urgency which made ''Snivilisation'' such a milestone. But at their inspired best, as they are for a good three-quarters of ''In Sides'', Orbital transport you to a glistening
sensurround Sensurround is the brand name for a process developed by Cerwin-Vega in conjunction with Universal Studios to enhance the audio experience during film screenings, specifically for the 1974 film ''Earthquake''. The process was intended for subsequent ...
universe unlike anything else in pop."
''
Select'' said "the word
echnoalready seems too small to encompass what this band is about... On the evidence of ''In Sides'', it's easy to see them going on to make music every bit as moving and lastingly satisfying as the dance records that got them started, and as emblematic of their time as the punk records they listened to before that".
In ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', David Bennun stated that "''In Sides'' has a lightness and lucidity that is rare in the rather solemn world of dance music". He described the work of the Hartnoll brothers as "a kind of sequencer origami, tucking their tracks into intriguing shapes" and that "the result is more than an intellectual exercise for the connoisseur of electronics. As pop music, it's thrilling." He concluded, "Few albums merit repeated exploration; even fewer reward it so generously."
Accolades
By late May 1996, over 60,000 copies of the album had been sold.
The album was certified gold by the
BPI in January 1997 for sales of 100,000 copies in the UK. As of 2004, the album had sold 158,000 copies in United States.
The single "The Box" also made ''NME''s list of the best singles of 1996, coming in at number five.
''In Sides'' was also included in ''Q'' magazine's "90 Best albums of the 1990s".
Track listing
All tracks written by Paul and Phil Hartnoll, except where noted.
* On vinyl, "The Box" and "Out There Somewhere" are not separated into parts.
;1997 UK & Europe re-release
1996 US bonus disc
1997 US bonus disc
Additional personnel
*Auntie (
Alison Goldfrapp) – vocals
*Clune – drumming
References
External links
*
Full details of Orbital ''In Sides''Reason for album name explainedOrbital Gear List including a list of synths used on ''In Sides''
{{Authority control
Orbital (band) albums
1996 albums
FFRR Records albums