The brothers extra–mural interests have all informed the character of The Blue Album, the bands seventh, which evolved gradually over the course of 2003 with the band free from record
company expectations and schedules for the first time since their career began. “If anything,” says Paul “It’s closer in character to our first album than our later ones, if only because we made it in our own time and for
ourselves.”
Noted for their collaborations, Orbital’s last album is no exception featuring work from fellow sibling legends, Sparks. “We wanted some vocals on the track “Pants,”
something fairly odd, and thought Sparks would be perfect,” says Paul. “It turned out they’re quite up for a bit of collaboration and said yes when we approached them. After we’d asked them I set about listening to some of
their recent work and was pleasantly surprised to find it was even more bonkers than their original stuff. It was all done across the Atlantic, via file sharing and CD’s, and when we heard it we realised it was really a track in it’s own
right so we remixed it and it’s ended up here as “Acid Pants,” it’s own thing.”
“We’ve got another track “One Perfect Sunrise” we did with Lisa Gerrard who was in Dead Can Dance, singing on it. That’s a
spin off from something we wrote for a Sunrise scene, in another film …that’s turned out well.”
Another audible influence on the album is that of legendary transsexual composer Walter/Wendy Carlos. “Absolutely,” says Paul, “I tried to do something with a sort of
Clockwork Orange feel, and that became “ Bath Time.” “It started off by being hummed in the bath on tour before I was about to go and meet everyone for a pint in San Francisco. Got out of
the bath and scribbled it down on my laptop and finished it over last summer, adding little bits in buses and vans while I was travelling. And it went on from there. It became like Clockwork Orange and Kraftwerk combined. Electronic
music for electronic music’s sake, dodging all real instrument sounds.”
“I think we feel that Orbital has run its course. We’re both pursuing different avenues with our music. And we’ve been sat, as brothers, in the same room for 15 years now–and
studios are always confined spaces–I think it’s time for a change.”
Paul Hartnoll
Blue Album
- Transient
- Pants
- Tunnel Vision
- Lost
- You Lot
- Bath Time
- Acid Pants
- Easy Serv
- One Perfect Sunrise
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