THE ORB featuring David Gilmour
METALLIC SPHERES

This is an interesting little beast: The Orb are an electronic group based around Alex Patterson who create soundscapes which refuse to fall into an easily defined category – too engaging to be ambient, not really danceable or rock, as such (though it builds up a head of steam towards the end), this is music for art’s sake and features the exquisite guitar playing of Pink Floyd legend David Gilmour.

It’s no surprise then that Patterson has crafted the two twenty-something minute tracks here with on eye knowingly on Pink Floyd’s back catalogue, evoking the spirit of “Dark Side Of The Moon” especially throughout track 1.

Of course Gilmour’s guitar is always going to sound like Gilmour – and thus Floyd – no matter what he does, and his carefully picked, ‘less is more’ style works so well here at creating emotional textures through Patterson and Youth’s pieces.

It’s hard to see exactly where and when people will listen to “Metallic Spheres”, but there is no denying it is lush and cocooning, in a ‘Sunday morning coming down’ kind of way, and THAT guitar work is always a joy to behold.

Shane Rockpit