Reviews (page 6 of 8)
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
Not my favorite. Leans real hard into the synths and I'm not quite sold. Some fun sounds, but overall it just feels very repetitive. Not my cup of tea
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
EDM just ain’t for me
Difficult to believe this is in the top 10,000 albums
Naah
Not for me
Coworker overheard this and said, "It makes me want to drive a nail through my eye." Then I told him the group was Orbital.... coincidence? I think not.
Very little to recommend with this album - it’s nice enough in the background and quite hypnotic in places but really just kind of uneventful and forgettable techno. Should be called Orbital 2 out of 5
not awful, but pretty boring. not a lot here that goes above and beyond the typical trance playbook for me. was nice as background music, but that's about it. the first couple of tracks were a bit rough but the rest of it is ok.
I make electronic dance music in my spare time and what i often find hard is to make it hypnotic without being boring or random. This album kind of trigger me because the structuring feel very random, the sequencers often hit allot of dissonance. It really reminds me of what i did in the beginning but i guess this is the start and it was more about experimentation and trying new things. Most reviews are either people who don't get it or people who are stuck in nostalgia for a bygone era. I get the cultural impact on the rave culture and i could defiantly listen to "Halcyon and on and on". but is it a must listen, i wouldn't say that
It's okay, but very repetitive. Not for me.
This was irritating at worst and just too long at its best. I’m not the greatest aficionado of electronic music, but I’ve heard enough to know it doesn’t have to be shitty neverending loops of vocal samples and odd sounds for 6 or 7 minutes at a time.
In 2001: A Space Odyssey, this is the music that HAL 9000 had on a loop for the entirety of the two and a half year mission to Jupiter. No wonder he lost his little computer mind along the way.
This album does have some cool moments, but then those moments go on for too long and stop being cool.
Jesus, off to a bad start with this fucking time becomes a loop song. Some of these were fine in the middle but that album was not a great listen. Soft 2
very glitchy and ethereal but also very drawn out and sort of progressive - i can see the input of this style on music, but it wasn't my favorite.
Not the worst of the electronica, by far, but not that compelling either. It's just repetitive sounds and never feels that serious as a musical form.
Rating: 5/10 Meh. Choice cuts: Lush 3-1, Halcyon and On and On
For time becomes a loop
All sounded the same
MEH...only one good song from Mean Girls
Boris did Time Becomes better in Flood Did you know twitch made a DJs category? I coincidentally learned about it today. This music would fit there perfectly Some decent songs, but too repetitive. Recognised It's a Fine Day in the last song, though I thought it was the same band. I guess Orbital is not that bad if they can be confused with it.
Not my cup of tea but it was OK to listen to in the office.
This is rubbish - the tribal flutes or whatever trendy shit this was trying to emulate comes across as disingenuous and nothing else really makes up for that.
This entire album feels like an itch I can't scratch.
Got into something resembling a flow at some point but overall it wasn't the best experience
Boy, this album is draining. Like, "music that makes me want to stop listening to music for the day" kind of draining. Yet, I can't outright say I dislike it. Perhaps that is because I don't remember most of it despite just listening, or because it was criminally inoffensive, but this album just made me tired, and didn't actively make me want to rip my hair out or anything, soo I guess that's good? I don't know, I've given albums lower scores for committing the sin of boredom, but I just don't have the energy to be angry at this. A waste of an hour of music, but otherwise too relaxed to type up a rant about. Just cut the songs in half, it's not like anyone is dancing to this anyway.
liked it more than expected. Crazy how far the Electronic Genre and Music evolved in thhe meantime. nothing i would buy in a physical form tho. 2.5/5.0
01) Time Becomes - 1,0 02) Planet of the Shapes - 6,0 03) Lush 3-1 - 6,0 04) Lush 3-2 - 6,0 05) Impact (The Earth Is Burning) - 6,0 06) Remind - 6,0 07) Walk Now... - 6,5 08) Monday - 6 0 09) Halcyon + On + On - 7,5 10) Input Out - 1,0 TOTAL: 5,20 (52/100) Current ranking: 252/278 When time becomes the loop. Even a stopped clock gives the right time twice a day. It's like a cry for survival. Survival for them and for us! Output rotation. Input translation. These are the lyrics of this album. You can cross the street at song number seven. You're welcome!
Another electronic music album. Is it a good one? Hell, I don't know - it all sounds the same to me. Maybe it was ahead of its time or influential in some way to be on this list? Sure, I tapped my foot along with the beat as you do. It's something, but I'll take off one star for the obnoxious "time becomes a loop" and "input output" crap. They could have made the same point repeating it for only 5-10 seconds.
First track blows. Second track is background Third track is background It is all starting to blend together Last track blows
I used to like electronic music I used to like electronic music I used to like electronic music I used to like electronic music I used to like electronic music
nothing against this, edm is just not really my vibe 2.5/5
Just alright. Too much long winded repetitive instrumental tracks. Track 3 was pretty dope though.
interesting, kinda enjoyed it, could defo see how it'd be good live and as a night out, not really one for sitting at the desk to though - wouldn't say no to seeing them live but won't be listening to them in the meantime
Not bad, but not their best work
Just not my cup of tea.
If you're gonna go all-in on the unce-unce-unce then I'll only ever listen to it this once-once-once.
Noise with the application of rhythm and tempo ….
Fun at first but gets tiring
The Box is better.
Generic 90s dance music. *yawn* 1.5/5
Honestly, listening to this album makes me realise why i really dislike listening to dance albums from a single artist. This is not my kind of thing at all. None of the songs really gripped me at all. for a full 55 mins i thought i was in a shit bar listening to very average dance music. Then Halcyon and on and on came on. I know the song. Its one of the greatest dance songs ever imo. I absolutely love it. It was the shining light on a very dull album for me. An absolute belter. It dragged this sorry mess from a 1 to 2/5 as a result. The track as a standalone is a clear 5/5 in the genre though.
Okay, I tried to listen to this, and I really strongly dislike it. It's techno disco in it's early forms. God bless them for being pioneers of a new sound but I hate any and all music that sounds like this. 2 stars.
Ooga booga
1/2
Eh
Muzak with pace. There's even a song title that includes the words "...on and on and on" and all of this does go on.....and on....and on....
It's an album you have to let happen around you, rather than actively enjoy. The first track got on my nerves, but it did improve a bit once it got going. However, I ultimately found it a bit too repetitive.
An electronic album from the 90s that's over an hour long? I've never seen such a thing from this list. Somebody fetch me a fucking fainting couch. Normally I would say that this just isn't my cup of tea, give it three stars, and move on--but there are too many moments of recycled ideas and textures on this album that the length becomes a bigger issue. The opener "Time Becomes" encapsulates my beef with 'Orbital 2': it begins with something interesting, then keeps throwing it at the wall after it's stuck, over and over again, with diminishing returns. That's not to say every minute is a snoozefest, but it does make it difficult to enjoy this record anywhere except a club; even then I think I'd be off the floor after the first five minutes of "Impact". Highlights: Lush 3-1, Monday, Halcyon and On and On (a truly great sprawling track, despite my complaints above--but any goodwill this track generated was obliterated by the "Input Out" outro)
This music is just not for me. Perhaps if I was off my tater-tots on hallucinogenics I might appreciate more. Alas, it is a chilly Tuesday morning and I have spreadsheets to attend to.
The opening and losing track are so annoying that they almost earn a 1-star review in themselves. The second track isn’t much to write home about either. Boring same-y rhytm and noises throughout. Things start to change with lush 3-1, having more melody and danceable beats. However, it never catches my interest, and one hour with this kind of music bores me out of my mind.
not sure it is top 1000
Meh. Samplers were new at the time, I suppose. Time becomes isn't music at all, though a fascinating listen. Otherwise, it's just the usual pointless dance trance trippy rave stuff. No-one would ever sit and listen to this, unless they'd been smoking dope/dropping acid/gobbling e's.
I can see it totally working in the club or at a festival, but as a record it drags
HACK THE PLANET!!!!!
Help me I'm trapped in a loop. It did kinda improve as time went on (lush 3-1 actually qualifies as good) so I think it is just about a high 2.
I was a bit excited about the album when I heard what kind of music it was. But the two first songs are such a weak start that I think I lost focus a bit after that. My tops songs are 'Remind', 'Lush 3-1', and 'Halycon and On and On', which all definitely have something and are quite cool. But most of the other songs were quite monotonous even by electronic music standards, which brings down the overall impression. Could be that this is something that was very revolutionary when it came out, but I can think of many types of electronic music that I'd rather see on this list than this album to be honest.
Omg... heureusement que le 1er titre n'est pas représentatif de l'album ! On dirait qu'ils avaient découvert la stéréo et que cela les amusait. Confirmé par le début du 2nd titre. Sinon, un peu rébarbatif.
Pretty cool. Not something I would pick, but I'm glad I gave it a try.
It’s better than most mind-numbing techno drone. I enjoyed the Lt Worf cameo on the first track, and then it was a bit downhill from there until the penultimate track (Halcyon and On and On). I did enjoy the wit woven through. Am I going back for more? Not really.
Another '90s British electronic album, meh. It's reasonably fine, but this is just nothing more than background music to me. Probably ok in a '90s London nightclub, probably more or less fine as focus music, absolutely not interesting to me as anything else. Favorite song: Halcyon and On and On 3/17/24
Doesn’t age well
2.5, halcyon - 3.5
Boring trance
Legends, but this kind of thing ain't my bag baby. Prefer Underworld, because they occasionally use some melody rather than just beats
Am i listening to a mashup of different video games? Is time a loop? Do you travel in that loop so that you are always in the present? That's deep. I didn't need 9 minutes of PLANET OF THE SHAPES. Or eleven minutes of LUSH 3 (1 + 2). Or 10.5 minutes of IMPACT. I also assume that I need to capitalize everything since that style was prevalent on the album back cover.
There is a lot of repetition on this album, and at times it feels like certain ideas are stretched a little too far. The long builds and looping structures are clearly part of the style, but for me they can drag. That said, there are definite highlights. Impact, The Earth Is Burning is a great tune. It has drive, atmosphere and a real sense of momentum. When the album locks into that groove, it works well. Overall, it is interesting and textured, but not something I would rush back to. Some tracks blur together, and a few outstay their welcome. Favourite song: Remind Least favourite song: Time Becomes a Loop. I would not mind never hearing that again Album artwork: OK. I like the bold simplicity and the way the title elements stand out on the cover
I like electronic music, but this is not a good example of the genre.
Fyrsta og síðasta lagið voru alveg hrikalega ömurleg og þótt það hafi verið allt í lagi að hlusta á hin lögin þá voru þessi tvö lög svo ömurlega böggandi að ég náði ekki að njóta þess að hlusta á neitt. Frá fyrsta lagi var ég bara að jafna mig þangað til síðasta lagið olli relapsi og slæmum tilfinningum aftur.
Very steady electronic (not much bass)
I don't have much to say about this album, but I do have some trivia related to it. "Walk Now" features a sample of a pedestrian crossing signal that is used in Australia (not just in Sydney). Finneas O'Connell and Billie Eilish used a similar sample decades later for Bad Guy. Inspiration can come from anywhere. Overall: 3/10
bra men følte den ikke helt den dagen jeg hørte på det ass
Three songs just repeat the same phrase over and over. The rest of the songs probably sounded good on X at a club in the 90’s.
Thank you Maggie for powering through this better than I could
Too many memes
A good work listen but pretty underwhelming really
Atmospheric. Good for background noise while doing something else. Not something I would listen to on it's own though.
Not a great lover of this type of electronic music which I put in club/dance/rave bracket. But a lot of the music I do adore does have a lot of electronic elements in it by the use of synthesisers, drum machines and similar. Whilst I was very into 80’s new wave music and the way electronics were used I think I became a bit too old to appreciate the 90’s electronic groups such as Orbital. My only experience of them seems to be confined to their yearly appearance at the Glastonbury festival. I was still keen to give this album a fair listen as I had not heard it before. I began by streaming it at low volume to a small bedroom speaker which did not do it justice. Streaming it out of my hifi rig gave it the life and space needed to fully appreciate it. Whilst I heard many interesting things I cannot say that I was totally convinced by the album as a whole. I do like ambient music so was drawn more to that. Halcyon + on + on in particular is a nice piece which I enjoyed. As for the rest, well as I say, maybe I’m just a bit too old.
Not much here, Lush 3-1 was good enough to bump it up a notch.
Only gets a 2 because of a couple ok tracks. A bunch of junk on here.
A big expansion for Electronic music in the early 90's, Orbital helps to pave the way for many future artists. Most notably focusing on both dance music and lush, full environments. I didn't love it, but it has a lot of value
Some good songs But too long Cut 15 mins High 2
reminded me of an early Groove Armada but perhaps they are contemporary. Not bad but not my thing either
Twice as good as I thought it was going to be so I will give it twice the number of stars I thought I would.
Really not my thing. I don't really even notice when the songs change.
This is a dance album. Not my genre at all, would never listen again.
Melko tuskasta oli tätä kuunnella. Välillä nosti päätään sen verran, et kehtas loppuun kuunnella.
Lush 3-1 Halcyon and On and On
Next 5 songs played by my Spotify Algorithm: The Orb - Pi Aphex Twin - Analogue Bubble Bath The future sound of London - Goodbye Sky The Chemical Brothers - Fuck Up Beats Joey Beltram - Mentasm
I really don't feel the appeal of this kind of music. Sure, it never sounds particularly bad in itself. But the repetitiveness of just repeating a loop loooong after it has outstayed any semblence of being interesting is just nowhere near enjoyable for me.
Weird and weird.
I have enjoyed many electronic albums in my lifetime. This was not one of them.
Here's the main reason I don't listen to most electronica. It's seemingly endless loops, repetitious electronic sounds over and over that flow into each other and really makes me feel I'm stuck in a soundtrack to something futuristic (at least someone's idea of the "future"). I guess it's okay as background, but it got annoying and distracting after a short while. There are a couple songs that are fine and worth hearing, but overall if I want to hear music like this, play a video game and turn off the screen.
- nach Track 1 habe ich mur noch das Schlimmste erwartet… - war aber erstmal gar nicht so scheiße! - jeder Song über 5 Minuten ging mir aber spätestens nach 5 Minuten auf den Geist - irgendwie atosphärisch und tanzbar - Impact fand ich super anstrengend - Remind klingt ab 1:40 wie der Soundtrack von Test Drive 4 und wird dann schnell noch anstrengender als Impact - Planet of the Shapes, Lush 3-1, das sehr „houseartige“ Monday und Halcyon (hätte auch auf das 2 min. Intro verzichten können) haben es für mich aber wieder rausgerissen, sind coole Tracks Rating: 2/5
repetitive repetitive repetitive repetitive repetitive repetitive repetitive repetitive repetitive
Oh, Orbital, I wanted to like you. I swear I did. This album is one of two in the 1001 canon by Kent’s very own electronic duo, Orbital. Before the lofty, high-concept “let’s do a consumerism piece, dudes” of “Snivilisation”, there was “Orbital II”. It’s a more straightforward record which sees the duo focusing solely on electronic loops and meticulous production, almost no vocal samples. I barely tolerated “Snivilisation”, so was not looking forward to hearing this effort. In the end, it spent half its time threatening to win me over and the other half collapsing in a series of indistinguishable beats. What works? The production really is first-rate: I listened on decent headphones, and the low-end shook my soul. The arrangements can be decent too: for example, Remind” is one of the busiest tracks, packed to the rafters with constantly shifting layers of sound. It evolves so much that it manages not to outstay its welcome: a rare thing for an electronica instrumental. “Halcyon and On and On”, on the other hand, manages to do a lot with a little, stretching into nine and a half minutes of blissed out sweeping synths and ethereal looped vocals. It earns these two stars almost by itself. The rest is a very mixed bag which ultimately didn’t stick the landing for me. Other than the very irritating framing device (two-minute tracks of two voices repeating the same thing over and over again, falling in and out of sync) there’s overlong techno-leaning material (“Impact”) slightly dated synth work (“Walk Now”) and head-scratching navel-gazing (“Planet of the Shapes”). One day, I may appreciate “Orbital II” much more. But for the time being, I don’t think it deserves a higher rating than this.
Repetitive, but I think that's kind of the point. I see the cues from classical a bit as far as setting a theme forth and developing it. Lush 3-1 still a banger.
Interesting. Techno but a little estrange
i love electronic music but this just felt too simple. repetitive and uninteresting. 2.5
Interesting, but not my vibe haha
https://youtu.be/7MSFW8pZ-_4?si=brIWqzfHXSNabQM8&t=3799
Solid headphones on productive in the zone mode music but I can’t think of another scenario where I’d put it on
1. time becomez - 0 2. planet of the zhapez - 1.5 3. luzh 3.1 - 1.5 4. luzh 3.2 - 1.5 5. impact - 1 6. remind - 1.5 7 uualk nouu - 1 8.monday - 1.5 9. halcyon - 2 10. input out - 0
Impactless.
Better than the previous Orbital album we've had, still not really my thing though, it's just too repetitive to listen to the whole way through. Halcyon was the best of the bunch, and I actually quite enjoyed it - even after 8 tracks - which is notable, but the rest of the album not really for me. 2/5.
Meh. Rating: 2.5
1.5/5 super repetitive and not interesting
I do like some Orbital, and generally I’m a fan of techno/EDM. But this album doesn’t do much for me.
Weird
Just not really my jam.
This is pretty difficult to rate for me, because on its surface, it’s just an average repetitive electronic record, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fucking boring. This teeters between the 1 and 2 star score but I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt that it can sometimes sound less boring.
Leuk voor in een achtbaan. Ik miste nu de achtbaan
I can’t. It’s more than I can’t stand
I’m not a huge electronica fan, this album was okay, there’s a few songs I wouldn’t mind listening to while working or otherwise distracted.
There are some pleasant sounds here, but this is not for me. Almost every track ends with me thinking "Is this still going?" and then looking and seeing that I'm halfway through the song.
Definitely not my thing, but I was listening to it in my car and thought I should try cranking the volume in order to get (presumably) closer to the feel of hearing it in a club environment. It was crazy! People just started walking up to my car and shoving drugs into the tailpipe and grinding up against the side mirrors. I hit the locks real fast and turned it down immediately. Actually, it was way more enjoyable played loudly but still not my thing. I kinda liked the opening track (?) and parts of "Remind" and "Halcyon and On and On," but at the end of the day I'd rather just listen to that Kraftwerk record again.
Not a hater but this honestly just hasn’t aged well. Even the best track, Halcyon On & On, suffers because of it. Unfortunate!
Helt chill men idk kändes inte essential... ba jättedated techno
Trance techno… For sure there are groovy moments, that would work fine at late night disco Dance floor. Only as a listening album, its getting monotonous after a short while. Not for me.. prefer music with people playing instruments anyway
I did not like this