Track Listing

1. Dream [Rhythm and Gardening Mix]
2. Vuja De
3. Something Supernatural
4. Beautiful Day
5. DDD [Dirty Disco Dub]
6. Truth Is...
7. Phantom of Ukraine
8. Mother Nature
9. Lost & Found
10. Forest of Lyonesse
11. Katskills
12. High Noon
13. Sleeping Tiger & The Gods Unknown
14. Codes
15. Orbisonia
16. Let the Music Set You Free

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33278 in Music
• Released on: 2008-06-10
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Finally released in the US! Includes the Japanese bonus track, 'Let the Music Set You Free'. The Orb, the electronica outfit that virtually invented the genre known as "ambient house" returns with a new album marking a long-awaited reunion between eternal mainstay Dr Alex Paterson & lifelong friend and original sonic conspirator Youth ("Little Fluffy Clouds," Killing Joke). Dream was created without pressure from record companies or the studio. As with previous albums, the basic Orb nucleus is joined by guest singers and players, including System 7's Steve Hillage (Gong), who goes back to the earliest recordings, Battersea toaster-singer Eric Walker aka "The Corporal" and vocalists Aki Omori [Japanese singer who appeared on 2001's "Cydonia"], singer Andy Caine from the W.A.U.! days, and renowned soulstress Juliet Roberts.

NME
"Dr Alex Paterson and co are open for business again, plying their dubby squiggles, electronic bubblebaths and trippy soundbites to the next generation of cosmic travelers. It's well worth a dip."

BBC UK
The Dream is a return to the dubby, post-rave, sample-heavy playfulness of the band's earlier triumphs

Customer Reviews

Best Orb in the New Mellinium
Orb fans may be aware of 3 other 2007 releases: Alex's trip through his favorite 70's dub and reggae classics on I'll Be Black, an ambient journey with The Art of Chill 4, and a collection of past works on Orbsessions Volume 2 (much better than Volume 1). The Dream combines the best of these elements to create the finest Orb CD in the new millennium. Picture a triangle where the points are the styles of the above mentioned albums and then place a point right in the middle of the triangle. That would be The Dream.

Joined by Youth and a host of other past collaborators, Alex Paterson (the nexus of The Orb) crafts The Dream in the same league as Orbus Terrum, U.F. Orb, and The Orb's Adventures... Dub penetrates the album; most notably on "Lost & Found" and, in prime dancehall fashion, on "Mother Earth." Showing an ability to drop a groove, "Vuja De," "A Beautiful Day," and "DDD (Dirty Disco Dub)" hint at grooves found on Cydonia and Orblivion. The more ambient tunes are the title track, "The Truth Is...," Katskills," High Noon," "Orbsonia," and my favorite: "Codes" which could easily be placed in between Floyd's "Echoes" and Zeppelin's "No Quarter" in a mix.

"Codes" is a great example of why I love The Dream: the entire album is layered and complex without getting in the way of the good groove. This type of `layering different sounds' only comes from the experience Alex and his longtime co-conspirators bring to the table. The Dream lacks the pedestrian feel of the Transit Kings release from 2006 while perhaps absorbing some of the engineering skills, resulting in a lush, full sound. All the tracks are good- there's not a filler in the bunch.

The Japanese release, which I have, contains the track "Let The Music Set You Free" which may not appear on other releases. It's a solid track - a reggae feel with a solid groove and melody. It's worth tracking down.

great return to form
If you like the positive, trippy side of The Orb, you'll love this. I bought it quite a while ago, gave it a few listens, and hadn't been back. Last week I randomly hit Katskills in a shuffle, and was mesmerized into an inside-out exploration of something I'd dismissed. I saw The Orb last time they were in Washington DC, and The Dream really reminds me of that.

Key tracks for me are Katskills, Codes. This is music that needs to be loud, and the bass needs to shake you.

Average offering from The Orb
I'd compare it to Bicycles and Tricycles [B&T] which I don't particularly like. There's too much of a focus on the vocal elements/sampling for my taste (I prefer the sound of U.F.Orb, Okie Dokie, etc). However Dream is a much more consistent CD than B&T, with good beats and dub elements tying all the songs together. The only real track sticking out is "Let The Music Set You Free" (similar in style to the Cydonia album), but that track is only on the Japanese pressing of the CD, so its understandable why it doesn't match the overall theme.

Taken as a whole, I give the CD a positive rating. Easy and enjoyable to listen to, but probably won't see much playtime compared to my favourite Orb albums.