Reviews (page 5 of 8)
Wow. Not my type of music at all but it does take you on a journey
It's alright. I don't tend to like to just listen to electronica so this isn't for me. Those who like electronica will dig it though.
I dug this, but I wanted the pieces to not flow into each other. It made it difficult to get a sense of what each song truly was. Definitely a bigger step in evolution of electronica from Kraftwerk, but not something I would listen to on a regular basis.
Good techno music. Accessible and interesting but nothing really stood out to me. 3.
Favs: Halcyon And On And On, Impact Mehs: Walk Now I like Orbital. They remind me of Mortal Kombat, Hackers, and middle school. A lot of their music is more jangly 90s techno than I'd prefer, though.
I'm usually more of a fan of Detroit and Acid Techno (particularly in the style of Richie Hawtin/Plastikman) as the British variety can be a bit more rave oriented as seen by the Two-Step and Breaks influences, but overall not bad.
If I ever need to pick music at a luxury resort ocean / poolside happy hour I have my album
This album probably deserves 4 stars. It's innovative, interesting, and unique. But, I feel like "my kitchen table at 8am while I'm checking my emails" is not the ideal environment to experience something like this. I shouldn't hold it against the album, and yet I do.
Halcyon + On + On was the only track I knew coming into this album, and happily the rest of it was pretty solid too.
What can I say? It was Orbital being Orbital. Weirdly I've seen them live twice.
Sounds like a sci-fi fps ost. Halcyon+on+on is really dope.
Not great but not all bad EDM. Not sure if revist. Stand out track - Lush 3-1
alright. a couple of bright spots but overall way to long. forgettable background music. wish i could give 1/2 star ratings
Like orbital
Electronic music like this is not something I listen to very often, or really at all, at least not on purpose, but I like this one. I don't know anything about how this kind of music is made, which is maybe why it feels less accessible to me; however, this album has some interesting elements, like sampling of movie quotes that fit well with the feel of the music. Even though I doubt I'll listen to this or any electronic music all that regularly, at least not now, I am glad I got to hear it.
Couple of good ones but not super into it
Funky, but just not my jam.
5? Seemed cool but just ended up being grating. Not super enjoyable to listen to
Good ambient/mood-creating music. Experimental.
Treibt gut an, hat durchaus freie improvisiert anmutende, spielfreudige Momente, poppiger Collagen-Techno. Etwas einfach gestrickt aber wie gesagt: gut Druck dahinter. Keine großen Überraschungen dafür sehr klare Schlagrichtung Vorwärts 3.4
5/10 - ok music
sounds like early trance. 90s disco/edm music. HALCYON+ON+ON is nice and probably most listened to in this album.
Input out and time becomes were awful to listen to Walk now and Monday felt like a fever dream Halcyon + on + on was prob the best on the album
I couldn’t handle the first and last tracks. The rest were ok.
Ikke mere af det til mig. Det var en kedelig omgang.
Overall: 3/10 At this point in my journey, I think I've had enough of these types of repetitive albums. I just don't want to hear the same thing on a loop for 10 minute tracks, I want variety and spontaneity. This was boring. Fav Song: Remind
I'm sure there is something in this music for me, if I had the patience for it. It rolls out like a lot of the ambient stuff that I actually like, but there's just something lacking.
Not my thang
In terms of background-music quite o.k. but really not my preferred style of music.
An enjoyable record but nothing groundbreaking, not even within its own genre. This list has a huge issue of choosing random British top of the pop chart albums that really aren’t that good.
Ehh, background dance music that is mostly fine and occasionally annoying.
Просто нудне техно. Не можу сказати, що це було прям погано, але зацікавити мене альбом не зміг. Оцінка: висока 4/низька 5
This made me really want to find a roller disco.
That is definitely an assortment of sounds.
2.5
it was fine. Nothing noteworthy that piqued my curiosity. Seemed like early house music.
I'm not angry, just bored.
I skipped the first track halfway through, the rest of the album wasn’t the worst electronic music I’ve heard but also not the best
Ohh ahhmm... actually, I quite liked this. Great rhythms. Interesting loops. I can see why it would have been a hit with the rave fans. However, 20 to 30m listening is more than enough (when not dancing).
90's electronica garbo
Idk. I think EDM is good, and sure this is a pioneering album...but "must listen to?" Maybe I missed something. It's not Orbitals best work. It's not the best EDM for the time. It's not the first EDM record ever. It's simply not something I can figure out why it was invited.
Nothing on here was bad per se, it’s just the length that holds this back for me. I don’t see myself returning to this album as a whole, but I might put on a song or two in the right setting (“Lush 3-1” and “Lush 3-2” were probably my favourites)
21/05/2026 This was a very close call between 1 or 2 stars for me. This was a bad album but I do understand the influence it may have had on other music at the time. Spotify listeners: 911.8k
Uninteresting noise.
Nice enough in places, but many tracks are too long and some of the sounds they've used clearly come from a crap early 90s keyboard, and are really jarring to the ear. Also starts and finishes with two completely pointless and annoying sound experiments (if that's a thing), and loses a mark for that. One of many on this list that was probably pushing the boundaries when it came out, but these days doesn't stand out at all.
Where time becomes a loop. Where time becomes a loop. Where where time time becomes becomes a a loop loop. This is a victim of literally every single electronic album that’s been featured on here so far. Repetitiveness. It’s almost like they make a 4 bar beat, repeat it for 5-10 minutes and throw in some subtle new sound every once in a while.
What was that saying about clocks? It's on the tip of my tongue :/
I quite liked track 3 “Lush 3-1”, other than that I wasn’t really feeling it. Maybe this was innovative at the time it was released, but in 2026 most tracks just sounded like they were trying to annoy the listener.
The first and last tracks are just obnoxious
Very 90s era electronic sound. I bet if you're at a club and/or on drugs, this is great. Otherwise, not something I'd ever sit down and listen to.
Was good when there weren't overlaying, repeating lyrics. Good background music
This album can be summed up as "I'm going to just loop the same phrase over and over again in an obnoxious manner, but it's fine because I'm saying it's about being stuck in time. It's art!" Ugh.
Album algab ja lõppeb ikka väga tüütult. Vahepeal on täitsa kuulatavaid lugusid ja ma näen, kuidas see inspireeris paljusid elektroonilise muusika tegijaid, aga siinne kraam on ikka täitsa toores vahepeal. Nagu lihtsalt loopiks mõnda suvalist lauset ja närvisöövat meloodiat mitu minutit järjest. Ma usun, et isegi tolleaegse tehnoloogia ja võimalustega oleks mingi vähem tüütu plaat võimalik olnud. 2.4/5
Nothing was cooler to 13 year old me than the Hackers soundtrack which had Halcyon + On + On but this album is so repetitive...
Nothing offensive, but nothing I'm coming back to, either. I should probably give it a 3, but I think I'm going to give it a 2 because I never even thought, "oh, okay"
primeiro q n gostei
I don’t think I can be an effective judge of electronica. No idea if this is supposed to be good. At no point did I have the urge to dance. Head bop, sure. But not dance.
I’m actually a fan of electronic music, but for some reason the progressive electro and techno of the 1990s never really grabbed me. For one thing, I prefer the warm analogue synth sounds of the 1970s and early 1980s; for another, I generally find techno too rhythm-driven and, at the same time, too monotonous. I feel much the same about this album: it’s all very artfully crafted, visionary and certainly groundbreaking for the genre, but the music just doesn’t do it for me. It doesn’t stick. It doesn’t trigger anything. Not my cup of tea.
Okay, so...obviously a lot of people older than me have super pleasant memories with this album. That's awesome. And I do love lots of techno, for example I'm very happy to see a Floating Points album on the user albums list. I enjoy his entire discography. But this is something I just can't get into. It came out in 1993, and it sounds like it. I love techno that's really aggressive, trunk-knocking, heavy. Unless it's something I'm actively trying to fall asleep to, like anything Gas puts out. I don't think this fits in either category, so I find myself just bored by it. Of course, if you love early 90s techno, you're gonna love this, because it captures that era perfectly. A bit of ambience, tons of repetition across very long tracks, a suite-like presentation...that's all fine. But it is so far removed from the kind of techno that I really enjoy.
Maybe if I’m at the after after afters at noon the next day and want to have a chill comedown..
Nah man
Uhhhhh sure? I’m just not moved by this kind of music at all.
Meh……………
Look, this is my 100th album and so far the only thing I'm realising is that maybe I don't like music... Well, at least not the albums I've been offered so far. There have been no Beatles albums, no Beach Boys, no Tom Waits, no Zeppelin, but two Orbital albums?!?!? that being said, I have this album on as I work and I'm like way more focused than when I have Law & Order: SVU episodes in the background. the didgeridoo solo to start WALK NOW... slaps! it's such a menacing sound... As I meander my way back into art I feel as though this, or albums like this, may serve more of a purpose, but I don't "like" it, I've just found a space for this music in my life, I guess.
3 - atmospheric 90’s electronica.
One song wasn’t too bad, but this album falls into the same routine as a lot of edm which is very repetitive with not very interesting music so it’s very hard for me to get into. I like edm that is smart with samples and/or interpolations that create a new piece of art and for me this is not it
I don’t know if intentional but feels like one big run on song
Simplemente no. Me gusto lush 3.1
The actual meat of this record was decent, but the ends of it were straight garbage. Favourite Track(s): Monday Least Favourite Track(s): Time Becomes, Input Out
This was a snoozefest and for the mixing is terrible.
I knew within the first 3 seconds I would not enjoy this. But I gave it a chance and it went from a 1 to a 2!
I’m not super into 90’s electronic music
idk, this was released when I was 1, so it's not for me. weird, yes. cool, maybe? the last song made me feel like I was going insane. I'm once again questioning how these 1001 albums were selected.
Thought I’d enjoy this more
Great. Now I'll never be able to rewatch 'Time Squared' without wincing. Thanks for that. I love spacey electronica, so it's both puzzling and disappointing that I wasn't able to fully connect with this album. Maybe it's because this is less spacey electronica and more repetitive club music? Or maybe Orbital's just not my thing? I reread my review for 'Snivilisation', and I see it also left me feeling lukewarm. This time, however, there's no Alison Goldfrapp to save the experience.
Profoundly boring.
Was hoping for something more transcendent, but what I got instead feels like being stuck in the world’s longest buildup with no real payoff. For an album that’s often hailed as a landmark of early‑’90s rave culture, the experience at home can come across as oddly flat — like the energy that was meant to lift these tracks just isn’t there. A lot of the record leans heavily on looping motifs, and when those loops don’t evolve enough, it really does start to feel like the needle’s caught in a groove. Tracks drift on and on with a kind of relentless repetition that probably did make more sense in a heaving warehouse setting — but sitting at home in 2026, it can just feel, well… boring. There are glimpses of something great (“Halcyon + On + On” nearly rescues the whole experience), but as a full album journey it’s easy to feel underwhelmed. A classic of its time, sure — but maybe only truly magical in its time, with the right crowd, the right volume, and the right context.
Let’s start positively. I really liked Lush 3.1. On the negative side I hated everything else on this album. A lacklustre way to bring in the big five double zero.
I get that this was cool and innovative, I just couldn't get into it. 3/21/26
Meh
It was a weird start and hard to get into (the first track was rough!). Electronic dance music is not really my thing but it does pick up and has energy.
At 65 minutes duration listening to "Orbital 2" felt like a chore. The tracks blend into one another without ever being engaging, and it is an album that occupies space without ever becoming memorable. For me it was a somewhat charmless and dull listen. Two stars. 1. "Time Becomes" (2/5) 2. "Planet of the Shapes" (3/5) 3. "Lush 3-1" (2/5) 4. "Lush 3-2" (2/5) 5. "Impact (The Earth Is Burning)" (2/5) 6. "Remind" (2/5) 7. "Walk Now..." (2/5) 8. "Monday" (2/5) 9. "Halcyon + On + On" (2/5) 10. "Input Out" (2/5) Total - 21 Average - 2.1 274/1001 148/274 albums reviewed were new to me
Album number 299 and another electronica one. To this point I've been pretty positive about the genre, as the selections have been a bit different than what I think of as EDM. I liked that they didn't sound like I was at a rave and just dancing to the same thing non-stop. When this album began I thought I might be in for another interesting take. But then PLANET OF THE SHAPES began and it sounded like every song my youngest child used to play in the car on the way to his hockey games back in high school. And I didn't enjoy that aspect of the drives. There were two songs on this record that didn't sound like that, so they were the ones I liked the most - LUSH 3-2 and HALCYON + ON + ON. I didn't hate this, but I also didn't like it all that much. It's a 2.5 that can go either way when I finally decide in the morning. Now I'll be a bit more skeptical with the rest of the electronic albums as we move forward.
These tracks are kind of rudimentary. Sound like something a teenager would make. Was it groundbreaking, though? The opening, Time Becomes (a loop), needed to do much more to justify its 1:44 runtime. I understand that it is mirrored by the closing track, btu neither is particularly good. The penultimate track Halcyon On And On was the most enjoyable for me, but I also enjoyed parts of Walk On... Another Orbital album, Snivilisation is also in this list, and is much better for my money. Do we really need two Orbital albums on the list anyway? It would have been nice to include some Lemon Jelly or something instead.
Okay so do you remember those math problems in grade school where two kids started running laps around a track at different speeds and you had to figure out how long it would be before they lined up next to each other again? That’s track 1. Answer: too long. As is the rest of the album. This is nothing. There is nothing here. I guess it is probably pretty fun if you're at the club though
I don’t know. Not so great. 2 songs made me “move”? Extremely repetitive.
Not my thing but I guess it's good dance music.
do not have the patience for this, almost turned it off, dabbled in some of the more favorited songs in spotify to avoid giving it a 1 outright
2* for Orbital 2
From the first song, I kind of knew this album was going to go downhill. I loved and listened to a lot of techno in the late 90s. I tried to be open minded because this was early 90s. They were on the forefront but this album is just blah. It is definitely not one of the albums I needed to listen to before I die.
The beginning and end are barely music - just some weird chanting. Did not like. It got better in the middle, electronic without lyrics, decent upbeat background music, got my head bopping.
While I am not as negative as many others here, I feel... disappointed I suppose? It feels as if the music is constantly building towards something but just doesn't find that crescendo. The songs also become very repetitive after a while. Of course I know that this is the point but I would've preferred some more variations. Once a song is built up, it just doesn't innovate and keeps the same loop for 5 minutes. Best songs are PLANTES OF THE SHAPES and HALYCON + ON + ON. 4/10, make them shorter or more varied.
Some cool moments. Too trancey for my likeling.
Took a deep breath when I was served my first helping of techno from the list. It's not my thing. The initial mobius time loop thing wasn't an auspicious start, but the rest was really fine, innocuous. I might really enjoy listening to this on a moving walkway in an international airport, in no great hurry and with no real thoughts in my head. Was it the best electronica I've ever heard? Yes, so far. Did it give me a new appreciation for the genre? No. Did it bother me? No. Would I call this an essential listen? No. It's a solid 2+/3-. Rounded down.
Dance music remains not my thing at all, though I found this relatively painless all things considered.
Geschmackssache.
Mostly boring. A few nice moments but rarely. Just not my thing.
Not my bag
Another influential piece that I simply don't enjoy.
At least the album doesn't sound completely lazy, but rather deliberate. So I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and assume it has some value for enthusiasts.
Comme la plupart des albums électro qu'on a eu à date : des p'tits bouttes pas pire, des longs bouttes poches. Drums pas bons. 2.49 étoiles
Oh great, Orbital again. Just what I needed... Yeah, I kinda hated Snivilisation when I listened to it in November 2024, so I was not excited in the slightest for its predecessor Orbital 2. Apparently this album is widely considered to be the better of the Orbital albums on the list, so I did go into the album with somewhat of an open mind, but I'm sorry. I just can not get into 90s UK techno at all. This is not my thing and it does not appeal to me. All of these albums are so repetitive and too long and everything feels so... mechanical and I just don't care for it! I will say that the people who have called this album better than Snivilisation are right in saying that, as this album isn't nearly as bad as that one. For one, it's 10 minutes shorter! Still over an hour, of course, but a little goes a long way with cutting the time down on these sorts of albums. Additionally, I can actually point to a song on this thing and call it good! "Halcyon and On and On" is actually a pretty solid song. Not quite good enough for my "Best of the Albums" playlist, but it actually kind of intrigued me and wasn't mind-numbing so it's practically a masterpiece in comparison to the rest of the album and the entirety of Snivilisation. I'm sorry, but I just don't care for this style of music. I'm willing to admit that that's a me issue, but I can't pretend to like what I don't like, okay? I'm not upset that I listened to this because the argument for inclusion on a list like this is there, but I am fully willing to admit that I never want to listen to Orbital again. 2/5. Somehow that's my first 2 or lower of 2026. Crazy. Here's hoping that I don't get too many more!
where time becomes a loop where time becomes a loop where time becomes a loop where time becomes a loop where time becomes a loop where time becomes a loop where time becomes a loop where time becomes a loop where time becomes a loop where time becomes a loop where time becomes a loop where time becomes a loopwhere time becomes a loop where time becomes a loop
Time is already a loop you numpty, a 24-hour one. I get the feeling you're supposed to be so off your tits that the titles become deep and profound. Woah man, if you think about it man, like, everything is made of shapes 🤯 This album sounds like a collection of rejected PS1 demo disc and puzzle game backing tracks. I guess the only good thing to say is that those were more mid-90s than early, so this might be somewhat ahead of its time? Input loads of drugs - translation - output this pile of shite.
Didn't really catch me at any point, felt a little too random
What is going on. Ok it's two white bald guys let's see what's cooking. I think time becomes a loop. Is there gonna be music orrrr. Is Orbital 1 also on this list? I feel like I should've been given that one first. Whatever though. So when's the music gonna start playing lowkey. This is interesting but not for me. I liked Darkdancer and Music Has The Right To Children better in this kinda genre. This is not checking my boxes unfortunately. Why is it so long. Ok the more you get into it the more it's a vibe but still what are we doing. This was probably never been done before in the 90s but every other song sounds like this now. This couldn't possibly be worth over an hour. It is a bunch of funky beats I'll give them that. Favourite: Lush 3.1 Least favourite: Time Becomes/Input Out
Very électronique and almost feels incomplete, like backing tracks. Favourite track: MONDAY
Uff, so many of these electronic ones aren't bad per se, but they have a place and its not an album - its tripping balls on hat rin at a full moon party, played by a dj with other songs. But as an album just to listen it's a bit boring, and the spoken word opener/closer are just silly.
Boring and repetitive, even if it does have some interesting sounds, that probably were innovative at the time.
2 many Orbital
Not good. Extra point for being somewhat original and unique but I would imagine this only gets worse the closer you listen.
Dated electronica that I am not sure was great when it was released. Middle of the road with no particular track jumping out.
Not a terrible electronic album, but it has the usual flaw of the genre: endless, mind-numbing repetition. Several times I lost track of where one song stopped and the next started. Eventually I just mentally tuned it out, like someone who lives by train tracks and no longer notices the trains rumbling past.
The entire first track is a Worf quote looped. 😆 The rest of the album is techno wavy nonsense but good background music
die Psychose im Halbschlaf war Heavy und ich konnte mir gerade die Songs nicht geben Vlt. eigentlich voll valid, aber gerade passt es nicht Was ich hörte war aber halt auch nicht scheiße 3,5/10
- 0 nummers toegevoegd aan MMMM - 0 nummers al toegevoegd aan MMMM
This was alright. Musically it had some cool moments, but honestly I was kinda bored by the halfway point and had to slog through the rest. Not really my genre. Two stars.
Bit strange
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not my personal jam
Some good tracks but the interludes are so jarring
I gave Orbital 1 a 3. I don't think I can get to a 3 on this one. It's not bad, but when it feels a lot longer than the hour and five minutes that it says it is, I can tell that it was wearing on me. I like the riff in Impact, and don't mind Monday. I guess enough people listen to the Hackers soundtrack to make Halcyon and On and On the top song by a mile for Orbital. It's good, but not good enough to save the album.
Ambient electronic music. Mediocre.
Not for me
As someone who doesn't listen to techno, I fully recognize that this one is probably a me problem, but I just couldn't figure out what the point of all this was?
The intro and outro tracks are just a clip of someone talking, played back on top of itself. It's interesting but kind of annoying to listen to. The rest of the album is dance/techno and it's OK but not really my thing.
2.0
I'm sure it did a lot for EDM and there's some good stuff in there but it's not for lounge -listening. Maybe driving or in a club 2 - a good album but not my thing
A bit boring for me, good for falling asleep to, which is what I did. I think I’d stopped doing drugs by the time this came out!
univers tres eloigné du mien, j’ai bien kiffé le dj ridou
Too much excitement
My daughter and I listened to this yesterday evening, not sure that I like it, it goes on and on through the various names of songs, maybe at. Festival this might be better?
Like I've tuned into an alien radio station. Feel like a good meal needs to be paired with a good wine this album needs to be paired with the right drug.
The intro and outro are annoying as all get out. The rest is better - repetitive, but not as bad as yesterday's Fatboy Slim. Not a bad way to start spreadsheet navigation with a big cup of coffee....but still nothing I'd ever revisit. 2.5
It is decent background music. A bit boring and repetitive, but easy enough to tune out. Wouldn't listen by choice, won't come back. I preferred Snivilisation, I think.
Some of the tracks slapped, but some of them were duds or lived out their welcome. 2.5/5
Meh Techno
Another boring electronic album. Enough already with the the 90s electronic music
Ugh. There is far too much British techno on this list. Bonus star for Halcyon + On + On which I immediately recognized from the Mortal Kombat movie
An instrumental album with responsive loops. I have never heard of this group before today, 30 Dec 2025
This album felt empty. Like it honestly felt like it barely contained more three actual songs. I really struggled with this album for the majority of the beginning, it had its moments where it was atmospheric and fun, but too much of it always grating and repetitive to a fault.
Sorry, Will, I appreciate your work, but it's not my cup of tea, as you know. It's intricate and at times uplifting, but I can't see any way to listen to some of it unless you're completely off your tits. But, you know, each to their own.
Just not a vibe. Bit of a non-entity really.
Not bad, but too repetitive. 2.5 stars
Boring
Meh
Couldn‘t find an access to the songs, but that‘s maybe on me and my current fitness level.
This album had no business being an hour long. I thought the songs were catchy and had a good groove to them, but three minutes in, I found myself checking to see how much longer I had to listen to the same repetitive beat and there’d be another 4 minutes to go. I didn’t dislike the album but I like I would’ve given it a higher rating if each song was cut in half
I'd rather have listened to Ride's Going Blank Again. "Even a stopped clock is right twice a day".
i know this is part of the territory with electronic music but if you start your album that i'm listening to as part of a (theoretically) album listening exercise with 3 straight minutes of looped spoken phrases, i'm not gonna be very charitable to the rest of your beeps and boops. that being said, there were a few good beeps and boops after all that nonsense.
65
I listened to the album. Then went and smoked a J and listened to it again. It was way better the second time. I never knew the entrance to yellow world had a sound track, but I think I just found it (hat tip to Dougie Fresh). By the end of the second listen my inner 20-something was begging me to go buy the multipack of glow sticks and have a hell of a night. I’m glad this 1001 project exposed me to some Techno, but being the Techno music aficionado that I am, this could have been any similar album and I wouldn’t have noticed the difference. Footnote: For research purposes I think it’s important to mention that by the end of my listening session I had a MONsTeR headache. It may have had to do with the steps I took during today’s listening time, but we’ll let the scientists figure that part out.
Time Becomes 1.7 Planet of the Shapes 2 Lush-3-1 1.8 Lush 3-2 1.8 Impact (The Earth Is Burning) 1.7 Remind 1.6 Walk Now… 1.4 Monday 1.5 Halcyon + On + On 1.3 Input Out 1 Score: 1.58
Strange, but not bad. Would never choose to listen to this, though.
++: Time Becomes, Impact (The Earth Is Burning), Remind, Input Out +: Planet of the Shapes, Lush 3-1, Lush 3-2, Monday +-: Walk Now... -: Halycon + On + On 4,2/10
I might feel differently about this style of music if I were in my 20s and three drinks deep at a club. But I’m not. And I don’t.
Always repetitive, often annoying. 2.5* rounded down.
Orbital has some great music, it's just not contained on this album.
I usually like the electronic stuff in this challenge, but I'm making an exception with this album. Almost a 3. The good bits were great, but there were too many dodgy repetitive tracks. Track 1 sets the tone!
Thirty years ago, I would’ve said that electronic music has no future. I live next to an arena, and year after year there are four or five huge raves that they throw. The legacy of Orbital and the like is unmistakable. I’ve been to a few of those raves in the arena, and I can attest that since I’m like the only one not on ecstasy, they’re boring as shit. They completely lack emotion, thus your brain can’t practice empathy. It’s just background music to trip to. You can have the same experience on acid listening to your vacuum cleaner. I suppose these events give people a reason to trip together en masse. But on a record, Jesus Christ, why did they have to torture us with those two minute long vocal loops?
This sounds so outdated. This is a real problem with the early techno and house music. The music developed so fast that almost none of the old songs are still fresh. Back in the days Ornital were actually the next big thing.
1.5
Lush 3-1 is amazing. The rest are so so or worse.
This kind of dance music isn’t my bag at all. The opening and closing “tracks” gave me a headache. The rest was just noise. If I had a 1.5* option it would get it, but I didn’t hate it enough to give it 1*.
C’est vraiment la semaine des rebuts de la liste! Cet album-là m’a mis dans la peau de quelqu’un qui n’aime pas la musique électronique, c’est vrai que c’est tout le temps la même crisse d’affaire! Donnez-moi de quoi de bon s’il vous plaît, je sens que je vais craquer
Just off the back of Underworld and always odd getting dance albums in the day and listening in this way. Glad to have Underworld as a comparison. Felt much more layered, accomplished and with depth. This feels a little empty and lacking in many ways. Tinny, no crescendo, basic, lacking middle. Transitions even basic. I lol’d at a review that said this was ahead of its time. Are you kidding?! It sounds ancient already and is basic for even then. I see why drugs are sometimes needed in this world. And even then I think I’d be left wanting. So boring and repetitive, without any punch. Where is your bass?! Glad for it to end. With the worst bookends of songs to an album ever. (2.5)
Took me about 12 hours to finish. Make of that what you will.
Sounds like interstitial loading screen music for PS2 game about the future. My immediate thought was the .hack game where you go in the computer but I don’t even have a clear memory of that game let alone the music. Anyways it’s fine but not something I would go out of my way to listen to
Might have been more impressive at the time. Now sounds like someone got too repetitive with garage band loops. Too precussive to be good focus music, and any vocals tend to disrupt my attention.
.......
Honestly cool conceptually but I am not feeling a techno album almost ever. Need to expand my mind
Liked this better than Snivilization but only because it was shorter.
I'm sorry. I can't. Don't hate me.
As far as bleeps and ploops go, it's not the worst.
★★½
4.5/10 Repetitiverepetitiverepetitiverepetitiverepetitiverepetitive
A bit too floaty for me
Not nearly as bad as I was expecting based on the first "song." I thought it was actually pretty decent for jamming through emails, but not a great listen if you're actually paying attention. 1.5/5
Another goddamn electronica album. 66 minutes of the following: Lt. Cmdr. Worf saying “Time is a loop” on a loop for 2 minutes, static & silence for 2 minutes, a Super Mario 64 desert level track, a Mortal Kombat ripoff, “HEY-AH” repeating over a beat for 4 minutes, and a track with both vuvuzelas and a fucking didgeridoo. This music is not meant to be listened to, it’s meant to be in the background at a club to dance to while you’re tripping balls on molly and trying to get laid. Anyone who puts this on in their car to earnestly listen to it is a psychopath. Now, the bar for a 1 is set at “Is it better or worse than The Shamen?” It is slightly better, so it gets the lowest of 2s, but I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone.
Initially I at all enthused about a second Orbital album, but if Halcyon is good enough for the Mean Girls end credits, it's good enough for me.
Electronic band, before their time. Good music.
One thing that this 1001 album list has taught me is that I don't like electronica. I just don't see the appeal. This album feels like a constant loop of elevator music and that music that plays when your call is placed on hold. It is slightly enjoyable so I'll give it a 2
That first song.....SOOOOOOO EDDDDDGGGGY and clever. <eyeroll> The rest is just typical EDM. Not a huge fan, so I can't really comment on quality. It was fine for background music.
Maybe playing on a large system at a rave party this would be ideal. I can almost visualize the lights and dancing bodies. On its own years later it seem too simple and doesn’t even work for me as background music. Definitely would not have included this in a top 1001.
This is not my preferred genre so anything above 3 stars was going to be a challenge. Most of the album was fine background music but not particularly interesting and could have been 3 stars because they were inoffensive. but 2-3 tracks were just weird repetitive words that were too long and very annoying so that brings it down 1.
Listening to this through headphones feels like doing drugs in the 90s.
Electronic - this album is not for me.
Day 43 It was ok, just not something I listen to. 4/10 Highlight Lush 3.1
It was a cool first listen but has absolutely no replay-ability
Rhythmic beats with other sounds overlaid on top. Not ideal for an extended family road trip.
Ambient, repetitive dance electronica. Nothing to be too excited about. At least this album has a little bit of groove to it.
This might be rated higher if I was zonked out of my mind at a rave but listening at my house while working is probably not the right frame of mind to enjoy it.
Not in my edition of the book! 1993. 2 stars. Well done electronica, but after initial interest a lot of the tracks sound the same. And no-one needs multiple 7 minute+ tracks.
2.9
I actually didn't mind a few of these songs. But damn the intro and outro were so obnoxious. Definitely early stages of house music. Not something I'll ever go back to
Decent but not my cup of tea
This is the kind of electronic dance music that I don't care for, although I can imagine that if you listen to it under the right circumstances, you will automatically enter a trance.
Dropping acid and dancing all night was never my thing. As a sit down and listen experience this is a little dull.
I usually like this sort of thing, but I found this one very (for lack of a better word) jarring.
I saw Orbital at Glastonbury 2002, headlining the Other Stage on the Saturday night, and it was a transcendentally good thing to do. Listening to them at 10.50am working from home on a Wednesday? Different, let's just say that.
The so-called Brown Album, because it's mostly shit?
Personal enjoyment: 2/5 Relevance to this list: 3/5
Their second album. Electronica. Hypnotic Dance loops. Repetitive and almost primal in a way. It's a chilled out, come down kind of album. The production is good. HALCYON + ON + ON is a decent track. It's an okay album but most of the tracks are too long and it gets boring. Without chemical enhancement it's a tough listen.
So repetitive. If I was in a dance club and on a lot of drugs, this might be more appealing. I think we all know why it's called the "Brown Album!"
I'm not the biggest techno fan
I see the influentialness of this album but it just doesn’t hold up like someone like Aphex Twins. Yes there are some good takeaways but a lot of mid electronic music I could make. A song I did like was HALCYON+ON+ON which was getting me dancing. Other then that overall pretty mid that’s why I give this a 5.4/10 2.7/5
It was pretty boring.
Almost put me to sleep
Electronic. Bear was very boring.
Nothing special just came off boring all the way through.
Wtf was this?
Really struggle with this weird ambient electronics.
Didn't quite do it for me in; though I do really enjoy some music in this genre, and can see how this has influenced other artists
Some of this I liked, some of it I felt like I was short circuiting
It's that lousy electronic dance music from the 90s made for people who didn't actually like music.
Gear: HEDD Audio HEDDphone Two Artwork: 💩💩💩 Production: 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🎛️🔄🕸️ Rating: 🕰️(🕰️)/5
I should have hated it but I didn't because I needed background music while working on a project.
Very early 90s electronica aesthetic. Decent pace, interesting enough for me to have on in the background while I crushed some work. Wouldn't likely spin this otherwise.
It was an okay experience, but I will definitely never listen to it again.
Kinda dated and monotonous, not terrible though.
Not impressed
Easily one of the most annoying beginnings to any album with "Time Becomes" - lazy/tiring throwaway to show off their early ability to utilize cut and paste. Fascinating. :/ Which leads into the beginning of the 2nd track doubling down on the same thing. Come on. We've had their album "Snivilisation" which I thought was perfect background/zone-out music but it takes too long to get into it here... I suppose this is on the list because a) they're English b) it was some sort of early adopter of EDM and c) they're English. Maybe it's unfair and it's Monday morning and I haven't had a proper coffee intake yet but I'm not feeling it even the way I was able to get a little bit into Snivilisation. Repetition is the name of the game in this genre but this was too much (or too little?). Couldn't hold my interest or vibe. 4/10 2 stars.
I can make this music on my Yamaha electric keyboard.
Dessa jävla elektroniska akter som är rena blöjsynthen.
It's OK. Need to take a few yokes or shrooms next listen. 2 and a half
2 plus
Starts off quite dull. Would last about 7 minutes if extraneous repetition was removed, but I sense this is the main feature of this music. If you can read this you may not be on enough drugs to enjoy it. If you can read this you may not be on enough drugs to enjoy it. If you can read this you may not be on enough drugs to enjoy it. Two stars. Better than Morrissey.
Probably good in the context of early electronic music. Didn’t age well
interesting...
I don’t listen to this type of music a lot, so maybe that is why I felt underwhelmed. Some good beats and riffs, but just didn’t do it for me. However, I would like to see this band pay live because I bet it would be a great night!
Fine for a 90's electronic record, but also nothing extraordinary for a 90's electronic record.
It was terrible.
Nicht so meins, aber mal ganz interessant, sich das anzuhören.
Very of its time. I like later orbital stuff, but wasn’t a huge fan of this. Always waiting for something to happen. It didn’t.
So so
Alright as far as techno goes but yeah
Slow techno
Hmm. Electronic stuff. Not terrible. Long repeated phrases.
Not much there for me. Occasionally, I was digging some of the simple melodies and vocal work, but I would never go for this. I think a big reason that I wasnt able to latch on is how far electronic music has come since 93. My ears are tuned to 2008 and beyond in the electronic world.
Bleeps and bongs away happily in its repetitive dance beats for a long long time. Never being into Electronica or the rave scene have to say it’s not too bad in a background kind of way. Definitely not as bad as thought after the 1st track. Probably better with visual stimuli and if off your face, 2 Star
Endnu et britisk 90'er electronica album... idk...... jeg har svært ved at høre om det er godt eller dårligt, den genre her løber bare gennem mig som vand
I don't know if I would have liked this more in 1993, but it sounds dated now and not really anything special.
without peaks
Not bad background music. Long, boring, repetitive Standout song: REMIND
Spacey!
Good o
This is the second orbital album on this list that I’ve listened to. I’m sure there’s more to the artistry that makes this great and worthy of this list, I just don’t get it.
Electronic dande beats
eeeee estandar
Was it entirely unpleasant to listen to while I did chores in the kitchen? No. Will I ever seek it out again? Also no.
Not great
Thumping electronics. Driving beassts with some light voices.
Album 739 of 1001 Orbital - Orbital 2 (1993) Rating : 1.5 / 5 More electronica crap. This one is a little weird, so it gets an extra 1/2 point.
Definitely not my thing. Too repetitive and just noise..
In the right scenario I understand why this works but I'm just not into the digital soundscapes anymore.
Looping nonsense. Some of the songs are ok, but it’s mostly fist pumping on repeat. Nothing exciting.
#526. Tedious and boring to the layman. 2/5: meh
White noise
Halcyon is pretty good the rest of the album is forgettable.
This is #day210 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... Eminem's "Without Me" pops into my head with the notorious line about techno. While that's aimed at Moby, it kind of fits here, too. Orbital has never crossed my orbit before, so this is my first time listening to them, and, well, it's techno... I can’t say much more beyond that. I get this is an early example of British techno and all that, but honestly, I could've lived my life just fine without hearing it. According to the Album Explorer feature, there's one more Orbital record on the list. Until then, this is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day211.
Have you ever wondered how Alex must have felt during the torture scenes in A Clockwork Orange? Listen to the opening and closing tracks of this album, and you might have some idea. More electronica, yay. While this wasn’t the worst example I’ve ever listened to, I still have no idea how anyone can enjoy this kind of music outside of the context of a club. And even then, who wants to dance to the same incessant loop for over nine minutes? No thanks. 2/5
Orbital said: let’s make one idea last an hour… and somehow made it feel longer.
Meh
Not for me. I did enjoy “Planet of the Shapes” though - sounded like it could have been a track on the PS1 Spyro games.
Electronic music. Two songs were decent, the rest was pretty bad. I was glad it is over. Stand-out: Lush 3-1
Interesting album but it didn't really "grab me by the bobo" so to speak. I found it hard to focus as i was listening and kept feeling like i was listening to the music from "How Is It Made" on the old Discovery Channel. I remember dancing to this style of music at the club, but just listening to it for pleasure is not my thing. 2.5
Not my thing but I respect it.
I feel like there have been too many electronic/rave/dance albums on this list. Perhaps I don't like that genre enough but I don't see where there is enough variety to justify the inclusion. What's worse is we get ANOTHER album by Orbital in this book. There is no reason for this. I didn't dislike the songs on here but it did not take me 65 minutes to get the point. Maybe I am not smart enough to know the difference in this and the 20 (!) other electronica albums I have gotten the opportunity to listen to. Not unpleasant, yet I would not revisit this album. Some notable tracks are: Lush 3.1 Impact (The Earth is Burning) Remind Halycon and On and On
More techno, which isn’t terrible, it’s just more of the same as far as I’m concerned. It’s ambient at best for me, it doesn’t hype me up or excite me at all. That being said, and as I’ve mentioned with other electronic/techno albums, I’m not well versed at all in that genre so a lot of it is going to be lost on me. But from what I’ve heard here it isn’t enough to pull me in to dig deeper.
Techno I think I can stand.
Video game music 2.5
Another Orbital album that sounds just like the other Orbital album I rated as a 2.
Omg why is this over an hour long? That is excessive!
As I was sitting on the couch listening to this, my skin started to vibrate and the flashing lights started to illuminate around the room in a Vicodin induced post-car-accident flashback of the early 2000’s. Yep, that was first and only time I had heard this album. In truth, was it House? Was it Trance? Was it techno? Can I name any song? Who knows, or cares for that matter. It’s repetitive music appropriate for martini bars, high-end hair salons and that artistic hipster’s house as they’re trying to tell you their most recent splatter painting is their interpretation of the friggen Mona Lisa. 1001 Must Listen? Probably not. Fun flashback. Sure.
Was hopeful for this but actually found it rather boring! Just dragged on. Maybe I wasn't in the right mood or something. Didn't capture me. Seemed basic.
Sehr experimentell. Aber durchaus hörenswert.
Some neat spacey sounds to try to keep me interested, but it's still so repetitive
I have been introduced to some excellent electronic music through this list, albums like Autobahn that I'm sure I'll enjoy for years to come... and then I have also been introduced to Orbital. If there was a media player embedded in the Wikipedia article for techno music, there to play you a generic royalty-free example of the genre, it'd probably sound a lot like something off Orbital 2. There are some tracks here that are a little better (like "Remind") but they're still not great. Lots of bloated 7+ minute runtimes on tracks that could barely justify 3. I don't mind the Michael Dorn dialog loop part too much but I bet it's very unpopular in my listening group. I was caught off-guard at the end by "Halcyon + On + On," a song I remember from the soundtrack to the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie. I was 10 in 1995 and we didn't own a whole lot of music then, but somehow that CD made it in (not a choice I would make today). I am kind of fond of "Halcyon," just maybe not for 9 minutes; it's got good "ending the movie" vibes. Apparently the track name "Halcyon + On + On" is a reference to the "Ariston and on and on" advertising slogan for Ariston washing machines; somehow this song isn't even my favorite piece of electronica related to Ariston washers.
A decent electronic album. Not really much I will commit to memory, but it was just fine background music for it's runtime. I can easily imagine this playing in a fairly decent mall in the background
Better sounds than yesterday (Stereo MCs) but songs are really long. I like this better, but not by a lot. 2.49/5
Repetitive and kinda dull
some good jams, last track was annoying
Interesting. Experimental. Not something I’d seek out again.
Another electronic album. Just doesn’t really do it for me, especially just driving around doing errands. 2/5 Won’t listen again
Doesn't really hold up at all, an absolute snoozer. The type of album you put on if you want people to leave the rave and go home.
Eh, pretty bland tbh. Another experimental noise album, another one that I tuned out of about halfway through. Nothing too impressive tbh
Pretty good electronica album with varied soundscape, but has some bad songs that kill the flow. "Time becomes" was so bad that it knocked off a star :) Favorite track: Planet of the shapes (has some Indian raga influence) other picks: lush3-1, remind, halcyon
Dull and dancey do seem to go together don't they? All the skittering gets pretty tedious pretty quickly and AI is quickly making all this sort of music pretty obsolete anyway (which seems deserved in may ways). "Impact" is maybe okay. "Halcyon On and On" is decent, too. Otherwise this is a synthed-out snoozefest.
Idk I’m not really feeling it
Not my style
Bleh, generic house. 2/5
I kind of didn't totally hate this actually? Starting off, I thought it would be extremely repetitive (and I guess it still kind of is given the nature of electronia/techno), but the album ended up being more atmospheric than I was expecting going in. It's difficult to recall specific tracks after listening, though. Nothing stood out, as everything just sort of flows along.
I’m sure I have had an orbital album show up already. This list absolutely does not need more bland early 90s Electronica
I think this record gave me a mild headache. The song \"Walk Now...\" sounds like a ten minute smoke alarm without batteries and genuinely gave me a headache. I like some noisy stuff but unlike the Zorn album from earlier this is very boring on top of being annoying. Halcyon On and On is very, very good. The rest of it though is like tinnitus simulator. I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do with myself while listening to this kind of music. It feels like a dreadful sort of purgatory. It's not like, aesthetically offensive, but I know I decisively don't like it. I don't dislike it in the same way I dislike Rush or Aerosmith where it's not only boring but also something I feel in my gut should be nuked off the face of the earth, and Halcyon On and On is again an incredible song, so it gets a 2 instead of a 1, but yeah this is definitely largely irritating and a bore. First time I have an actual headache listening to anything on this list. With one very good song to make up for it. So I guess just listen to that and skip all the rest?
I cant in good conscience give this any more than 2 stars, even though I like orbital a lot and I like about 1/3 of the album. Its just not a good album. Its too repetitive, its decent dance music but that just doesn't make it a good album. 2/5
Blind album and artist. Got very repetitive by the end and I lost a lot of interest aside from the artist's most popular track.
One hour and six minutes of background music. Thankfully there was no vulgar language, but come on why is this on the list.
Ah yes, everyone’s favorite sound of over sampling and making you go insane as a result
This was really stupid. Half the album was just some random phrase repeated over and over again, it was really frustrating. The samples were bland and repetitive. Overall a boring and uninteresting album that was way too long. Stupid.
Nope. nope. nope. so repetitive. nothing but samples over & over & over.... for over an hour. 1.5 stars