Reviews (page 5 of 8)
This one still sticks out of the Orbital catalogue as their most experimental, as the dancefloor is cleared for more dystopian underscoring. Some great riffing on Kraftwerk's Radioactivity is in there, plus the speech samples of preachers keep up the oppressive culty feel. Easy to admire but for me hard to warm to. Hoping to encounter In Sides again on the 1001 journey.
Not to be confused with O.R.B., or The Orb, Orbital was one of those elusive bands for me in the 90's. I disassociated myself from much of the glowstick, pacifier music of this era, so I was eager to find out what I was missing. Firstly, I wish I had duck feet, it's sad but true, that way I wouldn't have to crash and carry science friction philosophy by numbers. Some people think Kein Trink Wasser was quality seconds, but I keep asking myself are we here? By the way the PDF is attached. Turns out I was missing a lot of nonsense that was fun to explore consider the meanings but quickly deduce there's really no meaning only mind altering hallucinogens, pigtails, shelltoes and nights that seem to go on forever. Sometimes its nice to step back in time and go for a ride.
I’m the opposite of hellyeah on this one. Most of “Snivilisation” is pretty boring techno, better as background than dance music. It probably was influential in its time, but now there are hundreds of lo-fi YouTube channels that are not far off from this. It’s “Are We Here?” that I liked best, so don’t listen to hellyeah. The drum and bass finally got me moving, and it consistently built to great breaks throughout its 15 minutes. +1 to a 2-star album.
Are We Here? is a dud…a 15:33 long dud…about 1/6 of the album. Not good. Other than that this album is great techno. 15-20 years ago I would have been way into this. Today, I don’t care so much for techno, but I respect how this stands out in that space. A quality listen.
I love strong, bold roasted, black coffee, in all of its various applications: in a pint of stout, for example, or a crust application on a steak, or most definitely in the Italian dessert, Tiramisu, with its foundation of coffee-soaked ladyfingers upon which to build the layers of sweetened mascarpone cheese and cocoa. Think of each of the songs on 'Snivilisation' as laying a foundation- sometimes beginning with synthesized percussion, other times with, say, the alternating use of two synth bass parts to set the beat before the electronic percussion jumps in (‘Science Friction’); once, even, on ‘Kein Trink Wasser,’ a full three minutes of simple piano chords rapidly played- upon which layers and textures are then laid, musically constructed. There’s an awful lot of creative playfulness that went into this recording. The opening song, ‘Forever,’ was led by a spritely cymbal tapping beat to which lush synthesized string chords were added, eventually settling into a nice groove, until a surprisingly catchy bridge just slithered into the song like a snake and lingered for a while, longer than most bridges, almost like a wholly other song. ‘I Wish I Had Duck Feet,’ is as good an example as any of Orbital’s flawless skill in syncopation, with a kind of a latino flavored bit of electronica. Imagine Kraftwerk covering Santana. Keys that seem to be letting off sparks are played over a crazy chord progression on ‘Philosophy by Numbers.’ A clever synthesized xylophone arrangement is featured on ‘Science Friction.’ And Allison Goldfrapp’s periodic non lyrical vocals were a welcome intrusion, all caramel sweet and rich, with just a hint of B’jork. I’m not sure if ‘Quality Seconds’ and it’s techno-meets-thrash metal fits on this particular LP, but at a minute and a half it was quickly forgotten during the next fifteen plus of ‘Are We Here?’ I really like the Ambient genre of music, and while I favor the more a piacere compositions, I’m also finding that I enjoy some of the techno-ambient stuff out there, like this LP. Scratching my head over the title, though. It’s not spelled ‘snivel,’ so we’re not talking crying eyes and runny noses. The only information I could find was that the numerical value of Sinvil (whatever that is?) in Pythagorean Numerology is 4. And the letters ‘D,’ ‘M’ and ‘V’ all carry that same value. Some subtle reference to (and perhaps ranking of?) the cultural anthropology of the Department of Motor Vehicles? (Look at the cover art before entirely dismissing this ridiculous theory.)
A fora je. Neke pjesme bi jako pasale u simsima. "I wish I had duck feet" hehe
pa men je ova glazba dobra, pogotovo kada ima ambijentalne elemente.
This falls under a group of music that I call club music without the club. While it works as a standalone listen (I do like Allison Goldfrapp's vocals), it loses power outside the club. The combination of politics and electronic music can be powerful, but some songs seem to go on a bit too long. That may work in the club, but the focus on drum and bass at the expense of melody is problematic to me.
Ill be honest and say I did not finish this one but I do not expect that I missed much. It was fine electronic music but it’s not for me. While I don’t need vocals I do like a melody and that was missing here.
Neat if a little inaccessible
Ok electronica album, probably won’t listen again
Not really my thing but I enjoyed it more than expected, especially the second half
Very consistent without hitting the high points of the 'brown' album.
Enjoyed it. Nothing ground-breaking though.
In terms of electronic music I find techno to be one of the least interesting for me, at least this era of techno. I know Orbital is considered quintessential techno and I get it, but feels so dated now in comparison to modern IDM. Listening to it in a big warehouse at a rave, now that I could get into. As a casual listening experience it's meh.
So when I saw this album come up as my listen for today, my initial reaction was "oh no, not another electro-dance album". From what I've gleaned from the previous albums I've heard (been assigned?), these albums tend to be pretty samey and way too long. Well this one is better than most I've heard of the genre. It's still much too long. I got through the 6th song and was thinking this is pretty good, actually, then I see that of 3 of the 4 remaining songs, the shortest is 9:26, with one of them clocking in at over 15 minutes. Well the last part of the album was as good as the early part. In general terms; interesting beats, not too monotonous and overall an enjoyable listen. 3.5 🌟 (extra points because Tidal chose as the next random song after the last had played something called "Water From A Vine Leaf" by someone called William Or it, which was quite excellent).
Nomas para saber
Felt like some middle of the road trance to me.
I probably would have liked it back in the day. But it sounds dated, now. I like some tracks. Some are actually annoying. Like "Quality Seconds". I like "Kein Trink Wasser".
At times great to work to, then it’d start talking to me.
Beep beep sheep
First time listening. Had it on in the background, it was alright. Couldn't tell you much about the individual tracks though.
Alhoewel ik meer van de up-tempo dance muziek ben, vind ik dit wel heel interessant. Ambient? Zwaar relaxed. De nummers hebben leuke melodie'tjes en "Forever" heeft misschien wel hit-potentie als het in een ander jasje zat. Mijn favoriet is echter het meer up-tempo nummer "Quality Seconds" :-) ***
Not really into techno these days, never heard of this Dj or album before, quiet enjoyable would listen to again.
Very Aphex Twin like... Repetitive, but not annoyingly so. Actually made some really nice background music for working. A couple of duds, but overall not too bad for being a relatively unplayed album.
Not really my style, had trouble getting into it.
eka biisi hyvä, sitten vähän suvantoa ennen kuin lopussa taas paranee. Varmaan tää pätee teknolevyihin yleensä että osa biiseistä ei iske. 3/5, voi tulevaisuudessa nousta.
Blev impulsivt skeptisk till 90-talstechno, men blev senare glatt överraskad! Det är en sorts "ambient techno", stämningsfull och härlig att ha i bakgrunden. Beaten är träffsäkra och allt känns extremt väl uttänkt. Ibland blir det väl lite för repetitivt (men det får man väl räkna med), som i avslutningslåten Attached. Gillar särskilt Forever, Science Friction, och 15-minuters-eposet Are We Here?, som är som ett äventyr genom olika stilar, känslor och platser. Bästa låt: Någon av de tre jag nämnde ^
5/10
It's really good, and a step up from the previous album, but this is the second orbital album on the list, it's not different enough for me to get too excited about.
Would be a 2.5 if possible
Interesting album. Mostly long and meandering, but the last song is really something. Damn though it takes its time getting there. 3.5 🌟
Really interesting eclectic sound
Electrónica, con un toque de psicodelia
Techno 101, very inoffensive but hardly genre defining
This upbeat electronic music wasn't bad. I wasn't over the moon about the album, but I found myself bouncing to the beat through much of it.
A solid groove of an album. Songs weren't all that distinct from one another but I danced pretty much the whole time. The last track felt like the end of a long dance party and I felt good and ready to go home.
This grew on me. Might listen to it again if I need to be hyped up during a boring work task.
Es bueno escuchar estos discos por razones históricas. Siento la música muy superada pero hay rolas que aguantan un sentón.
Orbital has been a major influencer in the British Electronica movement and genre, and this album shows a much more atmospheric approach to the genre. Intermixed with vocals and what sounds like taped conversations, the album flows into a delightful background of cacophony and noise. Unlike other groups of their era, this one feels content to dip toes into the industrial sounds without going completely in, but also stays away from any major attempt at singles.
Völlig unaufgeregte Strukturen, Beats durchgängig und ungebrochen, Schichtungs-Pop, das Copy’n’Paste Pflänzlein wird ordentlich gedüngt, seine Früchte zur Überreife gezüchtet. „Sad but True“ will eskalieren, fängt sich dabei aber etwas zu früh wieder ein; kann als programmatische Leitlinie für das gesamte Album gelten und degradiert vieles zu recht durchschaubaren Rockismen. Aufregend bleibt allein die Fülle und Balance ihrer Songideen, nicht aber deren Umsetzung. Etwas nervig ist jedoch der überbordende Gebrauch von spoken word/footage Schnipseln. Leicht überkritische 3.1
Da intelligisiert er sich dahin, der ich sag mal "Deutschlehrertechno" (hier natürlich jede im Land des Rezipienten gelehrte Muttersprache einsetzen). Und es ist nicht alles nur lyrisch, sondern immer auch mal schön auf die 12, zum Beispiel in Sad but True und Crash and Carry. Und genau da gefällt mir das Album am besten. Wenn einem zwischendurch mal die Entenfüße einschlafen, wie z.B. auf Kein Trink Wasser (Achtung, Deutschlehrer, bitte mal den Wortwitz aufklären wer kann!), wird man anschließend mit ein paar Quality Seconds unsanft geweckt, dieser Komplex hatte in seiner Dichotomie allerdings auch nur in etwa den Originalitätsfaktor eines von mir mit 17 aufgenommenen Mixtapes. Zum Abschluss hin dann wieder etwas "Intelligent Techno", diesmal aber in wärmer und flächiger und vielleicht nicht ganz so ausgetüftelt. Ich würde dem ganzen mal 3,1 Punkte geben.
Nice for the background, but not much more.
It started strong, but the weird speech insertions and repetition kind of wore me down after a while.
I've listened to Orbital before but not this album. I know them from the Mortal Kombat soundtrack. It's fine for background music. Not something I'd listen to regularly.
groovy trippy vibes if you want to have a weird trip use this
I'm having a very hard time rating this. It isn't bad, it just all blends together. For this type of music, I don't think I'm equipped to judge.
Bit too experimental for me
instrumental trance. good stuff.
Niet slecht, maar ook niet helemaal mijn ding verder.
Very mid-90s, some cool synth sounds!
Good work focus music, but not for anything else
beep boop
solid early techo album. Didn't blow me away and was less clubby than I was expecting.
I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Some of the songs actually annoyed me, but I feel hesitant to blame the music, maybe I was in a bad mood. I lieu of giving it another listen, I'll just give three stars instead.
Chemical brothers vibe
yeah it was alright was into 3.5
Last couple of tracks drag a bit long, but overall good electronic groove.
for a purely instrumental album it was really cool
The first couple songs were hard to get into. It defitely picks up though and helped motivate me to clean my kitchen. I listened to a lot of this type of music in the mid-late 90s - so it's enjoyable. Bits and pieces sound too much of the 90s, a bit stale. But overall I liked this.
Este disco está interesante. Desafortunadamente la página de Wikipedia no dice mucho sobre cómo fue producido, pero me da curiosidad saber si todo fue mezclado “en vivo” o ya utilizaron computadoras para hacerlo. Si fue lo segundo, debieron ser equipos relativamente sofisticados para la época. Musicalmente me agradó, pero tampoco me fascinó. Los sampleos están muy bien hechos y la música está padre, pero algunas canciones duran demasiado y se vuelven tediosas. Aún así, queda padre como música de fondo y con gusto lo volvería a escuchar.
что-то не зашло, может под настроение не попало
Not the biggest fan of this genre but it was enjoyable.
Good background music if I'm at work. If I'm trying to read something, then no.
Nice Techno Album
The first couple of songs, you're like "okay I can dig this" and then the third and fourth roll on and it's time to move to something more compelling
Strange and not super interesting.
3/10 was probably big for the time but today this seems generic as heck
🤖👓🎧💿🔊
Shit ass noise machine
This is an okay album with some good tracks. Listening to it felt decent overall, but it never fully grabbed me. There are moments that work well and show the duo’s skill with electronic textures and rhythms, yet large parts of the record stay in a comfortable but not especially exciting zone. The better tracks have a solid sense of atmosphere and movement. The electronic layers and beats are well put together, and there is enough variation to keep it from becoming completely flat. Still, the album as a whole does not build much momentum or leave a strong lasting impression. The production is clean and typical of mid 90s techno and electronic music. Everything is carefully arranged and well recorded, with clear attention to detail in the sound design. It sounds professional and polished without taking many big risks. Snivilisation is a perfectly fine electronic album. It has its strengths and a few standout moments, but it stays at the level of “okay” rather than becoming something more memorable.
I liked it a little bit more than Orbital 2, which I rated a 2. I don’t need to hear either again, tbh. Not essential.
fine. background electronic music
I get the most disappointed when this genre pops up. But I’ll always give it a fair shot!
Thoughts before listening: It's techno. Probably not for me. Review: As I usually say on these sorts of albums, I'm sure this hits a lot better on a headful in a field at 2am surrounded by 1000s of people. In my car riding home from dropping my daughter off at school and then at my desk, its just not the same. Everything just became background music to me and nothing really grabbed my attention. So many long, repetitive songs that all sound like the music you hear while trying on clothes at J Crew. This brand of 90s techno just sort of sits in a groove and never goes anywhere. Its definitely missing the peaks that I feel are the highlight of more modern dance music. I'll give this 2-stars cause I'm sure its great for the genre, but it doesn't really do anything for me.
It's dull. And this is a genre I usually like! Excellent album cover, though.
Aural wallpaper. Rave music needs rave atmosphere.
Sounds from the day spa.
Rather sleepy dance music. Not sure why I'd choose this over other dance music that is better.
I imagine this would be fun to listen to live, but it's not standing out.
A mixed bag, at times ambient, at times boppy, but also at times intrusive and irritating.
Well, this is probably my least preferred genere. So, in my opinion, this is clearly in the low range. I'd say around 1,5 stars. In any case, I'm giving this two stars for two main reasons: 1) As mentioned, this is not my favourite genre, but I guess it's not that bad if listened to in the right "atmosphere", and 2) Some tracks are quite ok: "Science Friction", "Kein Trink Wasser", or "Are We Here?".
Meandering and rudderless
Another product of the emergence of the CD. Someone- "Hey, this thing can hold like 80 minutes of music". Orbital probably-"Nice, better blow up these tracks to use every possible second". Bloated.. 2.5 stars.
m'a pas transcendé mais qques morceaux sympa
I drove over 100 kms while listening to this album and it still wasn’t done when the trip ended. Didn’t hate it, but was expecting more chew your face off dance music. You know, music for those nights that are so much fun your soul is hurting for weeks afterwards.
Beep boop
When I tell people I don’t like electronic music this is the type of music I mean. I know there are many who love this, but I outside of a club at a very specific hours of the late night/ early morning, it’s not something I can tolerate. Oddly, based on my personal tastes of no overly long songs, “Are We Here” is the one I tolerated most and even sort of liked. I think it is the ratatat beat. Maybe one day I’ll enjoy this sound but I’m not there yet.
At times this is pleasant, at times it is quite enjoyable, and at other times it is annoying. 2 (though some songs are a 4)
I think this is good to listen to as a background while doing some ting like gaming, but not the way I listen to music on here. It’s good electronic music, but too repetitive to listen to on this way.
Not terrible, but not for me.
Philosophy By Numbers
It's over 30 years old now and Snivilisation's holding up okay (although there are tracks here that beg to be skipped). While I'm not a massive fan of EDM and its sub- or adjacent- genres, I do lean a little more leftfield, experimental and ambient techno/electronica and so I'm inclined to like this and yet I can only say listening today my assessment was that you can feel the strain of attention at times and yet it's fine. It's a little peculiar in places, just enough to pique the listener's interest. And yet, perhaps it's the listening conditions or my mood, but detachment from feeling is the feeling I'm feeling.
Ei jäänyt levystä mitään mieleen. En oikein osaa arvostaa ja todellakin my bad.
blip blop its muzak
This is techno, not dance music. I understand repetition but each song and the ideas within a song are too long. The down tempo more ambient songs are better (Science Fiction, Attached) but the songs with fast snare make me tense.
An hour and 15 minutes of 90s electronica might be too much for a Monday morning. Their Spotify bio calls them 'musical visionaries' and that puts me off right away. Especially given the fact that they wrote the bio. So this is a very long album for the genre. It's a lot to ask. I got bored quickly and it was easy to tune it out unintentionally. I'm not a fan of electronic music to begin with and this didn't do anything to change my mind. It was an album I will listen to exactly one time. 2/5
Wow another thing in a row that isn't for me. It's far too repetitive, I can imagine enjoying this more in a live setting but as an album it doesn't work for me. Kein Trink Wasser in particular is insanely repetitive, and Attached started fairly well but it just kept doing the same thing ov r and over and over, it felt like it would never end. The whole thing just ends up blending into the background and I forgot I'm listening to it The only thing I would really say I liked was Sad But True, I liked that drum loop Highlights: Sad But True
I respect eletronic music but this one is very monotonous so its not for me.
Fine in the setting of listening while going to work and doing your morning routine. Other than that not a fan
I found this to be largely uninteresting and sometimes borderline irritating. It sounded like people who were really into 'My Life In The Bush of Ghosts', 'Selected Ambient Works' and taking 90s club drugs. There was a 15 minute track somewhere in the end there that I found myself to be able to successfully have it on as a background song. It is somewhere between a 2 and a 3.
Yep. It’s an album on this list. Not memorable nor catchy. It just is.
Type shit they play in a student film
Electronic album that gets repetitive and goes a little too long. It wasn’t the worst electronic album on this list, so that’s something. 2/5 Won’t listen again
Kevin trink wasser was intresting
wasn't absolutely horrible but i couldn't make it all the way to the end either
I'll give you credit for being influential but that's about it
sure i guess man
I like this type of music quite a bit, but not this for some reason.
1,5
Eh? I mean, sure?
Wow, don’t think I’d ever listen to this again but it’s not offensively terrible so let’s say 2
90s rave culture - pass my baggy jeans and glow sticks - or don't! It's not for me thanks, I was busy not being a knobhead. I am giving it a listen, but it's not helping.
Not in the mood
I had always wondered what would happen if you put a backbeat to a mid1980s IBM server room. Now I know. I didn’t get this album. It felt like a transition album between the 1970s techno origination (eg, Kraftwork) and late 1990s dance/trance (Crash & Carry felt like an Underworld Demo). Overall, I don’t feel like the album contributed anything to the genre I hadn’t already heard twenty years prior.
This the type of electronica where I feel like nothing is happening. When I listen to it it feels like it’s never ending, and when I have listened through it I hardly remember what I’ve been listening to. There were some parts that were okay, but never really good.
Nothing special just some noise.
Suena bien y en su época me gustaba, pero esto se me ha hecho tan repetitivo que creo que lo he escuchado dos veces seguidas por error. No lo veo imprescindible excepto para un fiestero de los 90.
Beep boop synthesizer
4/10
I found this album less interesting than the previous Orbital album I listened to. Nothing stood out and I thought it was kind of a slog to be honest.
Gear: ZMF Auteur Classic LTD Shedua Artwork: 🤧📼👾 Production: 🖨️🙂↕️👌 Music: 🎛️☕ Rating: 🖲️(🖲️)/5
No. We did not need two orbital albums on this list.
I don't even remember listening to it
Quite pleasqant for background music but not for me unfortunately
Un peu longuet mais de bonnes track 2.5+/5
Sure it’s boring, but on the bright side it’s also really long!
Nice eletronic/ambience but nothing special
It sure is an album with music on it, one of the albums of all time, even. Wholly immemorable, not really all that bad though. The songs were a bit varied but they were also too lengthy for how enjoyable they were to listen to. Can't really groove to it like I could with the other Orbital album.
How do I feel about this brand of techno? Undecided. I suppose it was fine to listen to on a long drive but I’ll never listen to it again. The longer it went on, the more I wished I was listening to something else.
Too long. Too monotonous. Too boring. Two stars.
Very strange. Inoffensive but I did forget it was playing through my headphones for about half an hour. Very nothing-y
Bleepy, slightly weird techno noises. Most not unpleasant, but not overly gripping either
2 out of 5. Makes me weirdly nostalgic for the 90's.
I'm so BORED!
Just kinda boring and pretentious vs too clever or something. See tomorrow's Kenya by Machito for the powerful message that dance music can be fun to listen without being on ecstasy at glastonbury or whatever these british do to make orbital go down
is it over yet?
Probably important but I mostly just found it dated and a chore
Instrumental dance really isn’t my thing, but this had a few tracks I quite enjoyed.
Send it into shallow orbit.
Je comprends bien le principe, mais peut être pas trop mon truc
I'm not sure how much different this Orbital album was from the last one I got. Ambient techno/electronic music from this era tends to be like that, sort of ever-flowing without an end in sight. I do like certain subgroups of electronic music, but albums like these specifically don't really stimulate me. One of the many "filler" albums in this list in my eyes
This album put a grand total of zero new songs on my playlist, which is actually quite an accomplishment if you ask me. I mean I should’ve expected that with an album cover where I can count the number pixels on one hand.
2.3 Please see review for Aphex Twins but I wont listen to this again.
Not really my thing. I enjoyed it somewhat in the beginning but as the album progressed, it just felt like it went on and on
keep waiting for an electronic album that hits, this does not. Reminds me of this really shitty drive I had from the Halifax airport to Antigonish where this dude played some playlist called "lo-fi beats" and never asked what I wanted to listen to and I tried so hard to stay awake... both were bad experiences
Suffers from the same issues as every techno/electronica album: songs are way too long and way too droning. A few moments of musical interest through ambience elevate this album above others in the genre, but again not by a whole lot. Top tracks: Science Friction, Attached
I'm sure there is a context in which I would have found it OK. 4/10
🎧Not my cup of tea
4/10 It's hard to fathom how long this album felt. Time warped on itself and caught in spinning eddies where minutes turned to eons and an age grew out of a second. It felt like the desert - it's expanse stretched in all directions, with no end in sight. It drove me to despair when I looked and I was a meagre 4 tracks in. How was this possible? Dance music is like a desert in some ways l- nothing going for mile after mile. Occasionally it looks like there is an oasis, a spectre of creativity that conjures some excitement, but then it all disappears and you realise with a sinking feeling that it was nothing. The best you can hope for is the Bedouin to come along and rescue you
I have no idea anything about these guys before listening Overall this is fine, I guess? Just kinda boring mostly
That was just an hour and fifteen minutes of nothing. Just dull techno beats with the odd vocal line repeated. It was chill to listen to but got old pretty quick
For an electronic album… not too bad. Really, I was going to give it like a 2.7 or something but “Quality Seconds” made me drop the score to a 2.4. I appreciate the minimalism and that’s about it. Better than silence I guess. The cat did not enjoy the noises. Season: Early Spring Favorite Song: Forever
I vaguely knew of these guys, partly because (I think?) they remixed something by Björk, and also just because they were one of the main EDM names of the time. At my age and stage in the 90s it wasn’t something I engaged with much. To my slight surprise I mostly found this album a little dull. The more reflective, gentler tracks didn’t interest me much. Then the song Crash & Carry came on and I had the thought that this must sound amazing if you’re young at 2am in a field on a hot summer night and you’re full of substances. But less so when you’re ‘of a certain age’, walking around a suburban park at 9am on a Sunday morning carrying a flat white coffee. That epiphany they didn’t really enhance my enjoyment at the songs, which still didn’t grab me much, but it perhaps gave me some insight into why this might be a revered album in certain circles.
Got off to a good start with Forever, but settled into a pattern of a reasonably decent track followed by tracks, e.g. Philosophy by Numbers, that were too jarring to be enjoyable. Overall only about a third were OK to my ear so I probably won't listen again.
Noises parading as music for WAY too long.
Some songs were ok but others were just too noisy and grating.
Some songs gave me Imogen heap vibes but maybe its because that's the only person I listen to that is experimental and tech with it.Gave me neo frutiger vibes
its not bad but i wouldnt add
Ate at The Tavern in Mission Farms Monday with the March Madness crew on their way out of town. Great food, and they were playing a playlist of Thievery Corproration who I quite like. Thought this might be similar, but it’s more electronica vs. TC’s trip-hop. In other words, a 2.
Virtuosity without warmth
Not for me
I just don’t get all the electronics on this list. It is okay background but so much better music out there.
A bit of a bummer and lame pointless album
This sucked. Over an hour long and yet nothing ever happens. Track 8 is literally the only track worth listening to. Everything else just meanders around from start to finish. It's only on here cuz they British.
super repetitive sounds repeated over, and over, and over....occasionally layered with some other random sounds. also over, and over, and over. started off as forgettable background sound, then was too annoyed to even give it that.
Some nice moments, but mostly boring. I liked one moment that reminds of music from Pole Chudes TV show
Some background annoyance 😅
This is not the kind of music that moves me, but it’s alright for having on while I work or generally have to split my attention. In that case, all I ask is that it doesn’t bother me. This irritated me in moments, like a piano being too loud or a synth riff tipping over from catchy into irritating. I also have to ask: is this actually good for dancing? I did not feel like moving or grooving or even boogying throughout my listen. Is it for vibing? Am I just lame? “Quality Seconds” startled me, then I thought it sounded like the OST for a Game Boy Advance racing game.
So, it turns out that Orbital and The Orb were actually different bands. Who knew?
It's fine if you like this kind of music.
Another bloomin' 80 minute techno album, to hell with all of its kind! That melting/squeezing sound at the end of the first track and start of the second track, it was just one of those sounds that seems so common in techno albums on this list, that always never fails to make me act irrationally and see complete red. Which is completely out of character, not at all a hothead. Just can't really dig electronic music intended for dancing, and that sort of music tends to be insanely repetitive. At times it's literally the same 2 bars going for 4 minutes, which is beyond ludicrous. Though the only 'good' thing about the album is probably the ambient elements. Highlight Song/s: "Forever" and "Philosophy by Numbers"
More eh
Not really for me this kind of thing. I've seen Orbital live, and it was great, but it doesn't work the same on record so far as I am concerned. If it seems like a low score, don't get me wrong - I find this kind of music fascinating, I love thinking about the process etc, it just doesn't really move me or fill a gap in my life where listening to it would be appropriate. I don't really dance around my living room often. Or ever at all, in fact.
Bon. Un album de techno quoi... Et ouiiii blabla c'est pour se révolter du gouvernement britanique et de l'interdiction des raves party, tout comme "Song for jilted Generation", et au moins le point commun, c'est que c'est nul, exactement la même musique répétitive et peu retenable, franchement, je considère l'album comme une perte de temps. By the Way la cover est magnifique, mais c'est tout
#879. It's not great, if we're being honest. 2/5: meh
No private session used for Spotify. Not a fan of electronic music, it's very repetitive and doesn't seem like music you actually listen to but have it playing in the background where it can ignored. I will continue to ignore.
I’ve only heard the stuff David Gilmour but I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be for me. Just not my taste in EDM I’m afraid.
Interesting music. Good for background noise while working. I found some of the track a little too long and dragging. Overall, a fair album.
This is the type of music you play to keep your robots enriched when you leave the house. That's to say, a sort of mix between Spore the video game background music and Ross' music in Friends.
Ikke noe for meg.
Spill det gjerne en fuktig kveld på VT, men syns det e vanskelig lytte på aleina. Ikke e æ interessert i sjangeren heller.
Hørt på tur rundt Prestvannet med Guri. Føles ut som en lang vernissasje for bachelorstudentene på Kunstakademiet.
Ufattelig repetitivt. Veldig datert.
It’s fine. But i kinda wanted it to end by the halfway point, so I’m gonna give it a strong 2
Bleh
Word of advice - don’t put this on at 3am hoping it will send you to sleep. It does not, it’s more like a bluebottle in the room, just annoying you for as long as it lasts. And boy, does it go on forever.
This music makes me anxious. I am always waiting for something….more.
jesus with the electronica already, my god. how is this any different from any other one of these? i just don't get its inclusion.
I thought it was okay at the beginning, but I was waiting for it to stop at the end. Wanting an album to be over is not good. Science Friction kinda cooked though
Þriðji tvisturinn í röð. Ég hlusta til þess að þið sem fílið ekki 90s electróník þurfið þess ekki.
Ok but won’t listen again
Seems almost unfair to rate an album like this outside of where it should be heard (the dance floor) but rate it I must so rate I will. It's fairly boring but before too long it becomes inoffensive background white noise and by the time it ends you very well might forget what band you are even listening to. I certainly did. This likely sounds amazing while dancing but on it's own it just doesn't hold up.
Started out as something I could appreciate as "focus" music for working but several of the songs got annoying. I don't typically listen to this genre of music, so I'm curious what it is about this album that makes it worthy of this list. (2)
Música para oir cuándo??. No le encuentro la gracia.
2.5 Stars Mostly a yawn for me. Just not really my thing. I enjoy electronic music, but usually from a different lane. "Science Friction" and "Quality Seconds" were the only tracks I was into - it gets a star for each (and a half for bits of the last couple tracks), but I doubt I'm coming back to it.
75 minutes long, it is mostly listenable but unremarkable. The definition of inessential.
90s electronica is NOT my jam, and seems to be represented a lot on this list. Yet another long slog for me. Uninteresting
The only good thing was I could hike to the bars of the songs (not the beat though!). And to answer the question “What did god say?” The answer is “You are overly repetitive!”
Meh. It’s good. Just not my style.
Ummm to repetitive.
Well, I thought I was going to hate this. But it was just upbeat enough to be good music for zoning out during a workout. Definitely not my thing, but not awful.
I like this type of music but this one didn’t resonate
01) Forever - 6,0 02) I Wish I Had Duck Feet - 5,5 03) Sad But True - 6,0 04) Crash and Carry - 6,0 05) Science Friction - 6,0 06) Philosophy by Numbers - 5,5 07) Kein Trink Wasser - 5,5 08) Quality Seconds - 5,0 09) Are We Here? - 6,0 10) Attached - 5,5 TOTAL: 5,70 (57/100) Current ranking: 677/804
Didn't really click with me as much as some other electronic albums.
British Electronic - this music is what aliens would listen to if they wanted a soundtrack for everyday life. It started out boring but picked up later in the album. The beginning of ""Forever"" was interesting because I could feel the bubbling sensation in my face while wearing my noise cancelling headphones. This a little boring but mostly inoffensive.
Je vais demander à tout les détracteurs de Daft Punk d’écouter cet album au complet avant d’écouter Discovery, je suis sûr qu’il y en aura un des deux qui va mieux passer que l’autre.
Just not for me
There used to be an account on twitter called Art Decider where people would submit weird creative works that they were having trouble discerning between genius or garbage, and these would be duly designated as Art or Not Art. Since Twitter is now a hellscape and the account is defunct, let me help with this one. Not Art.
Maybe different album. 2.1
For some reason it didn't really do anything for me. Some of the sounds actually quite annoying.
I like orbital but this album isn't the one
Not for me. A boring album
Pretty repetitive. Not the worst thing I’ve heard though.
Too long and goes nowhere, but not terrible.
Hectic, annoying collection of sounds & words I’m certain intended to be clever, cerebral & creative. The end result is none of this. Another album that left me wishing I’d better spent an hour.
hm, Orbital. Why does that sound so familiar. Oh yeah! They did that Halcyon song from Mortal Kombat. I miss that song! It's a 9 min song. I used to put it on repeat. Anyways, lets see if this album is as good as that song. Meh, not really. It sounded more experimental than anything else.
Is it ambient? Is it EDM? I don't care. It's boring.
Diving into some more electronic stuff lately, but this one wasnt my thing.
Felt like I was on hold for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Meh, felt way too experimental and metallic to me.
weird
The first song is appropriately titled “Forever,” which is how long this album felt like it lasted.
Very lisenable but too long. (2.5)
Number 1000! The milestone is more exciting than the album itself. Any genre with “ambient” in front of it I just don’t get, I won’t even be performative and pretend like I do.
I liked '90s electronica and forgot about Orbital. Now I remember why, not a huge fan of background music like this
I usually like electronica. I usually enjoy dance music. I usually like songs named Sad But True. I think I would rather listen to on-hold music to most of this album. Best track is Quality Seconds.
Note really my thing, some of it was interesting though.
I just don't think I'm a fan of electronica. Guess I should have filtered it out.
Though I'm not into this sort of thing in general, there were a couple of things that surprised me. Some songs were very long in length which (I presume) isn't that common for this sort of electronic music but maybe I'm wrong. I also liked how some songs blended into one another. However there just wasn't exactly enough to keep me too interested.
I do like this duo and the music is well produced but nothing has the same juice as 2 or in sides
I had a friend that was really into this album. I don’t mind EDM, but it gets old and repetitive when you’re not at a concert or club.
I put up with it. Some good bits but mostly bored me
clanky music, didnt like it
Very repetitive, I got bored. I can imagine dancing to some of it, if you were off your head. Some tracks had a good beat.
"forever" was quite good, meanwhile "quality time" was not quality at all, i'd say it was trash time. the others are meh - some are just boring, some are too repetitive. also the cover looks like a face with a dick, 2
Listened Before? N I'm sorry, I'm sure this is considered a classic but I found it boring. Such repetitive beats and samples I just couldn't get into it. It was starting to give me a headache by the end. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Quality Seconds
Maybe it’s good all the Orbital CDs were only available on import (and were thus too expensive). My main train stop in Frankfurt also had a world famous techno club in it. At times it felt like you could throw a rock and hit a rave just about anywhere around Central Europe in the early-mid 90s. As such, actually buying music that you mostly spend time dancing to seemed a bit counterintuitive. When I eventually did start giving Astralwerks and co some dollars, this was in large part because of nostalgic reasons and/or wishing I was back in a big city instead of, well, Colorado Springs. But Orbital remained priced out, only Halcyon being available on some cheapo compilations. I dunno, this just feels like music you had to be there for, whereas “2” at least has some melodic conceits.
I didn't hate it, but there are many other 90s EDM albums I'd rather listen to.
Ambient, physhedelic bleep bloops are not actually a music genre, right? And these guys have two albums on the list? But no Phish? Come on!!! 2⭐️
Tough to get excited about this one. Mr. Dimery seems to love Orbital's brand of Electronica. The upbeat track were cool, but the more Ambient stuff has gotten old.
Was hoping I would like it more as I do generally like this genre, but it left a lot to be desired to be honest
I heard somewhere that your taste in music reflects whats going on in your head, and I can confidently say now that my brain does not function like a 6 year old playing with a synthesizer
Vage edm, niet helemaal mijn ding
This was just okay. Second half was far better than the first half, esp Quality Seconds, which was a highlight for me.
This isn't really my kind of electronic music. It's a bit too clean, too bleep-bloopy. I want more reverb and lfo warbles. That said, it is at least creative and well produced. 2.5/5
Kind of just electronic sounds to me. Never got into the vibe
Techno as deviant exploration. In this vein, I tend to side more with Aphex Twin. Some of the tracks on here are real bangers: "Sad but True", "Are We Here?" etc. But I sadly find the tone of the synths too clean by half, and too sharp. What can begin as quite a song, gets overridden by melodies that come straight from a moog, but without the backing crunchiness that the 70's musicians added. That being said, many, many of my favorite bands would not be here without Orbital.
I don't know enough about beeps and boops; this is completely lost on me.
This sounds really outdated. There are better 90s electronics recordings than this.
A couple of decent tracks.
Not for me
I was listening to Philosophy by Numbers and had to take off my headphones as I thought I could hear somebody vacuuming upstairs, alas it was just the music. I think that about sums it up
This was a breath of fresh air. Something actually different. Unfortunately they lost me after the first track. Favorite songs: Forever, Kein Trink Wasser
How it’s made
Orbital 2 and especially "Halcyon and On and On" felt like my little secret in the early 90s (clearly it was a worldwide hit, but try explaining that to an early teenage kid who stumbled onto it in a used CD bin.) It's dated now but still manages to give me the chills at the right moment. I'm not sure I ever listened to Snivilisation and I went in hoping to find more of that. Sadly, this feels like a lot of the bones of Orbital 1 & 2 without any of the lushness. I'm interested in why they zagged that direction, and I guess I'm impressed that they didn't just milk Halcyon for the rest of their career, but I didn't care for this.
Background music
Snivilisation is a dense, intricate electronic album that clearly aims to push boundaries, but it just didn’t click with me. The production is layered and clever, full of shifting rhythms and textures that show real technical skill, but as a listening experience it felt more like an intellectual exercise than something I could connect with emotionally. Tracks stretch out and evolve slowly, which can be immersive if you’re in the right headspace, but for me it mostly felt distant and difficult to grab onto. There are moments where you can hear why Orbital are so respected, with flashes of melody or atmosphere that briefly pull you in, but they’re surrounded by long stretches that didn’t hold my interest. It’s clear this album has a lot of thought and craft behind it, but it’s just not my thing. Sometimes even well-made music doesn’t land, and this was one of those cases.
Rating: 4/10 Nah.
This is #day413 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… it's time to close out another artist, as this is my second album by Orbital. Snivilisation is further proof that this just isn't my kind of electronics. So, despite their impact, the band hasn't clicked with me. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day414.
Huh? This is kinda trash.
Boring
Electronic sample heavy jams. Meandering.
Not terrible music but definitely not my taste
The constant dialogue clips are often distracting from the music- should try this one again.
Ma jakąś wartość muzyczną, ale całokształt jest dosyć nieprzyjemny, w dużej mierze przez "wokal"
Oh goody, another long bloated electronic album. This one was frustrating, because there were some moments where the songs showed potential. Like, the rhythm would be there and the song would bop for a minute. But it never lasts and it’s back to sheer tedium. And what kind of sick fuck put the two longest songs at the fucking end? It’s not bad you already bored me, but now I got to beg for this to end? Hard pass. Favorite track: Kein Trink Wasser Other hits: Quality Seconds (yes, the short one), Crash and Carry, Philosophy by Numbers
I’m aware of this band. Never listened to a record by them before. This is a LONG one which means the CD era was in full swing. First track is nice. I would prefer this at a club. This album drones a lot. Good for a dance club. Track 7 - Leon Tink Wasser is the first track that didn’t sound the same. Track 8 was great too. Maybe this album should have been split in two? Also digging track 9. I wonder if this album was split by mood for club DJs?
Electronic music is often held to a higher standard than other forms of music. This is as it should be. If you are making music that doesn't require you to write any lyrics or have any talent with instruments, then what you make better be incredibly inventive and impossible to ignore. This album is not that. It winds up coming across as totally generic and unforgettable, basically indistinguishable from a hundred other albums just like it. I didn't hate it, but I was bored by it.
first track is called forever bc that's how long it seems to go on. nice bleeps and bloops
I used to work for a certain infamous car maker with a big ego ceo. Some of this album removed me of corporate enforced event music. Bleh
Ganska tråkigt
Orbital could use a better editorial process, cause this thing is interminably long. 10 songs at an average of 7 1/2 minutes a song ain't the flex they think it might be, especially when its bargain basement beeps and boops.
This was not made for me. 2/ 5
God says "This album sucks" (4.3) ★★
Too repetitive, too long, too boring. 2.5 stars
I thought this started off all right, but it really went on for too long and was too repetetive for my tastes. The first track was probably my favorite. Some more tracks with vocals definitely would've been welcome here. 2 stars.
2.5
Can’t say I clicked with this album too well. In fact an hour long appointment with the dentist to replace a filling with a crown probably made for a better listening experience. At least that was only an hour. This starts off sounding like interminable menu music for some crappy futuristic video games but then I Wish I Had Duck Feet happens and the supremely irritating extended babbling vocal samples start piling up. Dance diva Alison Goldfrapp makes an appearance on two of the songs but really the song material is too dank and repetitive for her lustrous silken pipes to save them. Philosophy By Numbers is a particularly toxic low point and seems like the duo challenged themselves to find the world’s worst chord sequence then try to make a jam out of it. It’s not really a jam but more like lumbering radioactive green mould. This album has the 1994 anti-raver Criminal Justice Bill hanging over it like a sullen grey cloud so it’s definitely more agitative and political and with fewer trancy euphoric moments than their last effort Orbital 2 (The Brown Album). Really though, the 1994 Bill should have been to bring Orbital to justice for the crime of this mightily disappointing follow-up. 2 stars because there are occasionally some ok clubby beats but also a lot of clanging claptrap polluting it as well.
Pretty ambient. Not bad for background you talk over.
Inoffensive electronic music
Pas trop mon style. J’y fais pas attention
Not really my genre. Enjoyed parts of it but often found the songs just too long and repetitive. Probably wouldn’t listen again but I did like it more than I initially thought I would. Fav song: Science Friction - this one and Kein Trink Wasser have bits in the melody that remind me of the soundtrack to sci-fi podcast Wolf 359 which is probably why I liked them. Least fav: Forever
I am Outrageous, I am Contagious! background noise wise its fine, probably very technically impressive for its time and pioneering but now this sound is easily done by a 14 year old with his cracked fl studio copy
Is this Yello? Anyway, great for your average lounge bar, not so great while questing for music you have to hear before you die.
Doesn't excite me in any way but better than The Shamen
Too rooted in techno for me to really enjoy. I did like the Philosophy vs Technology bantz in one of the songs. Interesting to hear Alison Goldfrapp.pop up on a couple of numbers too.
Some of this is great - some goes way too discordant for me.
Why God?
Not my thing. I liked the shorter tracks on the album but it was just too long with not enough happening to keep my interest.
Ambient Techno distressingky failing to be either.
Insane how this album came AFTER Orbital 2 yet sounds like a teenager's first time using FL Studio
Orbital, we meet again. Didn't like this one so much, maybe it was my circumstances i.e. not being in a former factory turned nightclub...
There's been better electronic on this list. It just wasn't engaging.
No reason for this album to be so long.
Sometimes I forget how dated this list is. I'd be curious to see if this one stood the test of time if this list were made today. Anyway, it was fine for background music as I worked today. But, I wondered at one point if I accidentally had "repeat track" on. I hadn't.
Very eh but I didn’t absolutely loathe. Not sure what type of mood I’d need to be in to enjoy this
Shit is kinda weird but groovy af.
You ever play Lumines? This is like if Lumines music was boring.
Not my favorite album I've ever listened to, but it's also not my preferred genre of music even a little bit. I can absolutely appreciate the complexity of the production and I am sure that within its circle, it's a phenomenal album. For me, it all sounds a bit same-y and I didn't overly enjoy it. I'm happy to add it to my repertoire, but I don't see myself going back to it often.