Orbital reissue their second self titled album; colloquially known as ‘the brown album’. Like it’s green predecessor, this one is full of electronic classics.
Released: 23rd May 2025
Label: London Records
Format: CD / LP / Deluxe Boxset / Cassette / Digital
Two
Album number two, Brown, followed Green. Green continues to be a landmark album with huge tracks like Chime and Belfast being perennial electronic classics.
A tough act to follow, all things considered, however Orbital really stepped up to the plate with Brown. Like it’s predecessor, it is full of more electronic classics that live on in Orbital’s live shows to this day and form a vital piece of the tapestry of dance music.
TIME BECOMES
Using an array of samples, Brown opens with a Star Trek sample which is looped in a disorienting way. ‘There is the theory of the Moebius… a twist in the fabric of space where time becomes a loop;’ it’s a memorable opening. Before Planet Of The Shapes gets into it’s psychedelic groove, there are more sample earworms – this time from Withnail & I.
Lush 3-1 and 3-2 are iconic staples of the Orbital repertoire. The samples are paired back in favour of, unsurprisingly, layers of lush electronic that create a truly a transcendental feeling. As 3-1 heads into 3-2, the beat intensifies and becomes a lot harder as the melody wraps around it. The hard beat goes even harder in 3-2 and in some ways, you can hear how The Prodigy took inspiration for tracks like Break & Enter and Speedway (Theme From Fastlane) off of their 1994 masterpiece, Music For The Jilted Generation.
Such is the heft of Lush, included within the deluxe editions are four other versions of the song. Underworld get stuck into Lush 3-3 and CJ Bolland delivers on 3-5. Dutch techno outfit, Psychick Warriors ov Gaia, get their mitts on Lush 3-4 and Lush (Euro-Tunnel Disaster) is a live interpretation by the brothers Hartnoll recorded live for John Peel. It is paired with Walk About for a live one-two on the extras here.
Lush is an Orbital classic, so having all these takes collated in one place is a real treat.
IMPACT (THE EARTH IS BURNING)
When Impact follows Lush with its acid leanings, it is hard not to be calling Brown a legendary album. These are electronic songs of the highest order. The looping synth line is one that will stick in your head. A gradual build up of tension and general anarchy plays well with the title of the song.
A seamless transition to Remind increases the intensity. Rising synth motifs create an air of unease and is a testament to the moods and feelings that Orbital are so adept at creating.
Walk Now… opens with a didgeridoo forming the bedrock of the sound. It continues to bubble all the way through the track as various electronic layers shoot off into the ether.
MONDAY
Monday reflects a change of pace. A warmer piano tone backs a slower, and smoother beat. The title is again reflected; if you’ve experienced a weekend of it, you are going to get that Monday morning feeling.
Not to leave on a lower note, Orbital end Brown with another of their signature compositions; Halcyon + On + On. Another warm, rising bed of synth gives a blissed out vibe. It is slow, meticulous and utterly euphoric. Some of melodies evoke the sun kissed sound included in the raft of Cafe Del Mar / Ibiza Chillout compilations that were ten a penny in the mid to late nineties. Like Belfast off Green, Halcyon + On + On has that sunrise feeling that just makes you feel amazing. Input Out puts an ending on the main album in the way it started; looped samples and aural disorientation.
THE NAKED AND THE DEAD
Of the extras here, there is plenty of brilliant material. The Naked And The Dead wastes no time in throwing down a solid beat backed by various levels of percussion. It is evocative of the early rave hits of Moby. The dub version included here is just that; it rolls perfectly. Sunday is another raver with a design for basements of the small hours. Semi Detached offers a more minimalist sound but it is no less brooding in the mood it creates. You can say the same for Attached – moving once again into more psychedelic territory.
THE JEWEL IN THE BROWN
Brown is a brilliant album and hearing all the extras included all in one place here is wonderful. The undoubted jewel in the crown here is the 1992 live set from The Limelight in New York. Hearing how Orbital layer all this shit live is truly masterful. Improvisation and playfulness collide as Orbital perform choice cuts from Brown as well Green.
The Naked And The Dead / Dub, Sunday, Remind, Halcyon and Walk Now all sound massive. Throw in Chime and Kinetic alongside a blistering Satan, and you have a live set to die for.
In 1992, this writer was not even out of single digits in terms of years. Thirty plus years on, I can only imagine what witnessing Orbital live must have felt like in 1992. For the past 25 years, I have seen the band in various places and times however none could probably touch those halcyon days of hearing these songs coming out of speaker stacks at a concert/party/rave. The excitement must have been off the charts – this set is testament to that.
In 2025, Orbital remain vital in the live arena. The genealogy of their live shows continues to grow and their playful nature is always evident when they’re dropping samples of Spice Girls or Bon Jovi into their otherworldly mix. Orbital are as fresh now as they were then. The Brown album is a legendary record that forms part of the fabric of electronic music.
Dive into the live set from 1992 below; it is truly magnificent. Read our live review of Orbital’s show in Manchester celebrating Green and Brown in 2024, here.
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