''Orblivion'' is the fourth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by English

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

group

The Orb The Orb are an English electronic music group founded in 1988 by Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty. Known for their psychedelic sound, the Orb developed a cult following among clubbers "coming down" from drug-induced highs. Their influential 19 ...

, released on 24 February 1997 by

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

. With the album, the group, reunited with

Andy Hughes Andy Hughes (11 November 1965 – 12 June 2009) was an English electronic music producer. He is best known for his work with the Orb, where he helped mix and produce ''Orbus Terrarum'', ''Orblivion'', and ''Cydonia'', as well as The Orb's sin ...

and

Steve Hillage Stephen Simpson Hillage (born 2 August 1951) is an English musician, best known as a guitarist. He is associated with the Canterbury scene and has worked in experimental domains since the late 1960s. Besides his solo sound recording and reprodu ...

, returned to their spacy sounds typical of ''

U.F.Orb ''U.F.Orb'' is the second studio album by English electronic music group The Orb. It was released on 6 July 1992 through the record label Big Life. Upon its release, the album reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart. The music database AllMusic des ...

'' (1992). Though ''Orblivion'' was recorded in May 1996, it was not released until almost a year later, due to Island Records' desire to promote it as a follow-up to U2's '' Pop''. ''Orblivion'' sold well in Europe and the United States, reaching number nineteen on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

and number 174 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, while its lead single "

Toxygene "Toxygene" is a single by electronic music artist the Orb. It was released in 1997 as the first single from the album ''Orblivion''. The song was originally commissioned as a remix of Jean-Michel Jarre's "Oxygène 8" from '' Oxygène 7–13''. H ...

" became the highest-charting single by The Orb, reaching number four in the UK. However, the album received a lukewarm reception from the British music press, but similarly to the case of ''

Orbus Terrarum ''Orbus Terrarum'' (stylized as ''Orbvs Terrarvm'') is a studio album by English electronic music group The Orb that was released on 20 March 1995 by Island Records. Member Kris Weston had begun work on the album before leaving the group. Af ...

'', it received better praise from American critics, with ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' calling it a "scintillating contrast of chaos and euphony". To support the album, The Orb embarked on the Organic Tour with Orbital,

Meat Beat Manifesto Meat Beat Manifesto, often shortened as Meat Beat, Manifesto or MBM, is an electronic music group originally consisting of Jack Dangers and Jonny Stephens that was formed in 1987 in Swindon, United Kingdom. The band, fronted by Dangers (the only ...

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

Zion Train Zion Train are a British dub ensemble that formed in Oxford, 1988. They have consistently released music and toured from 1992 to present day. Their mix of reggae and dance music was a notable innovation in the early 1990s. History Co-founder ...

, and

The Chemical Brothers The Chemical Brothers are an English electronic music duo formed by Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons in Manchester in 1989. They were pioneers (along with the Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, the Crystal Method, and other acts) in bringing the big beat genre t ...

. ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'' described The Orb as "on its way down" and the stresses of touring sat heavily on member

Alex Paterson Alex Paterson (also known as Dr Alex Paterson, born Duncan Alexander Robert Paterson; 15 October 1959 in Battersea, London) is an English musician and co-founder of ambient house group The Orb, in which he has worked since its inception. Life ...

, but The Orb decided not to "pack it in" and instead continued touring and producing.

Composition

''Orblivion'' features many samples, including "72", which features a clip from ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

'' proclaiming "the youth of America on

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...

!". The track "S.A.L.T." is based on samples taken from

Mike Leigh Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English film and theatre director, screenwriter and playwright. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and further at the Camberwell School of Art, the Central School of Art and Design ...

's film ''

Naked Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to h ...

Composition

Track listing

References

External links