Dream

2007 Japanese issue 16-track CD album from the kings of ambience, which sees Dr Alex Paterson back in the studio with former Orbster Youth, and Dreadzone's Tim Bran, includes exclusive bonus track 'Let The Music Set YouFree'. Traffic Records. Album Description

My Kind of Orb

I was very impressed with this album. Easily the best thing they've produced since Ultraworld.

I am not a devoted Orb fan by any means. Although I liked the sound they achieved in Ultraworld, I don't own any other albums and I generally see The Orb as the electronica equivalent of Phish: an aimless, noodly jam band in serious need of focus and better song structure. But as an electronica fan, I check in on The Orb from time to time to see what they're up to.

I approached this disc with no specific expectations, and was pleasantly surprised to find an album of excellent dubby material with a punchy underlying dance vibe, great basslines, and well-defined songs. It's an uplifting and very accessible selection of tracks that get your toes tapping and each fade out before they overstay their welcome. It's also immediately recognizable as an Orb disc, with the spacey samples and fluidity that is their trademark, but reigned in to a manageable degree. I'm glad I kept my eye on these guys after all. Almost begrudgingly, I must give it full credit: five stars.

June 11, 2008

Accommodating the masses...

Rather than taking a giant leap for mankind, the Orb has taken another vow of subservience to mainstream music. Not unlike Cydonia along with Bicycles and Tricycles, The Dream is a collection of electro-ditties relying on lyrics and vocals. Though they spared us the rap (thank God!!) and female-angst found on their last two albums (I'm not including Okie Dokie, because it is most likely a solo work by T.Fehlman), the Orb still manages to bombard us with disco vocals and endless rasta-ramblings. Even Paterson himself stated that sometimes the Orb has to do things to pay the bills (check online for exact quote).
The pre-Cydonia era is gone. The beauty and power of Pomme Fritz along with Orbus Terrarum is extinct. The Orb is no longer exploring the vast soundscapes beyond the ultraworld. June 2, 2008

great dancey dub

The reviews of this are pretty mixed, and I'll attempt to summarize:

If the last Orb album you liked was Ultraworld, all you want to hear is fifteen year old space ambient, and you do not like lyrics or samples that sound like lyrics, you will not like this. If you want to hear a great dub dance album with lots of tweaky samples that sounds like Orb live and DJ performances from the last decade, this is totally worth it. It's groove-tastic! It is similar to Orblivion and Cydonia but feels a lot more cohesive.

I'm all for space ambient, but come on people, don't give this album two stars because it doesn't sound just like UF Orb and Ultraworld! April 18, 2008

The package is better than the music

My interest for The Orb ceased with 1997's "Orblivion". I confess that I haven't kept up to date, as for the most part the curiosity for them and their music was gone. I read "The Dream" was causing a stir as a return to their former sound, so I decided to check it out.

And what a disappointment! A very awkward album and a shadow of their past. They have abandoned their vast excursions into hyperspace in order to take their sound to accessible levels. I can barely hear any if any influences from the old times apart some ambient intros that work as fillers between the... songs.

Gone are the vast spacey arrangements, the kraut influences (from Popol Vuh to Tangerine Dream) of the early albums, the Steve Hillageisms (although Mr. Rainbow Dome is present on several tracks here, his glissandos are absent) and the "open-air" ambient house feel of their early days. Instead, you get generic ambient electronica, Dreadzone influenced dub gone r'n'b, cheesy singing struggling to be catchy, slick late era Pink Floydisms, even some rap...

For completists maybe "The Dream" is a suggested listen, but be forwarned: if you are looking for a sequel to "Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld", "UFOrb" or "Orbus Terrarum", bypass! Being adventurous and innovative is ages behind this band. It would be better for Alex Paterson to do something else instead, and let the old days remain in the fond memories. A closed case for me.
April 12, 2008

They are Orb and they don't mess around!

Most discs unlike this one are pure trance. Examples of this are of Okie Dokie. This time, with something that sounds similiar to Adventure's Beyond the Ultraworld, I was surprised that Dr. Alex Patterson and the Orb took it a step further. I expected more of a trancier disc that sounded similiar with a hybird between U.F.Orb and Cydonia. I didn't like Cydonia because it was too dreamy. It was the lyrics that stunk. I had questions about this Dream album at Resident [...] and wasn't too sure.

I popped on 80 minutes of music while doing some daily house cleaning. This time around was fast reggae dubby temp with excellent lyrics. A step up from how I remember the Orb! They have sound in the background as well. It is very organized slowing down a little bit to make it pure trance. This reminds me of some of Tayo's Fabric Live and of the first Orb album. Picture Perpetual Dawn or Towers of Dub, but picture this album having quite a fast tempo. I wonder if there will be a deluxe edition of Live 93? I think overall, Alex Patterson and the Orb gave it to us! They are the Orb and they don't mess around!! April 8, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...