THE ORB
ABOLITION OF THE ROYAL FAMILIA
COOKING VINYL
For an act often dismissed as predictable, The Orb – within their own confines – can prove surprising. Alex Paterson’s 16th album is full of little surprises, possibly due to the songwriting partnership he’s struck with Michael Rendall, once his studio engineer and a member of his touring band. For starters, it’s been a while since the project attempted anything as commercial as Daze, which combines house and soulful vocals – provided by Andy Cain – or House Of Narcotics, where Cain also appears, which melds sweeping strings, harp samples, Moroderesque synth arpeggios and squidgy acid.