Orbital – In Sides

A timeless and undisputed pinnacle of electronic music.
(Minor annoyance is the division of The box and Out there in two tracks)

This album shows Orbital at their best; having moved on from the more stripped-down techno/trance-vibes of their previous albums and moving on to wider (greener?) soundscape pastures. And speaking of green, if I the liner notes correctly, this whole album was recorded using solar energy! Orbital were already thinking ahead in 1996. Though I have never been a fan of that cover art, probably why I bought the limited box release (TRUCD 10, 828 763-2) instead...

Out There Somewhere Parts 1 and 2 - pure electro darkness. Honestly, to this day it still gives me a weird combination of goosebumps and existential dread!

I am a electronic music lover from since i was a teenager but just recently discovered this album ... it truly is one of the most fascinating albums in the electronic dance genre as far as i am concerned.

"Dwr Budr" means "Dirty Water" in Welsh.
Incident

The oil tanker SEA EMPRESS, carrying 130,000 tonnes of Forties Blend North Sea crude oil, ran aground in the entrance to Milford Haven, South-West Wales on the evening of 15th February 1996. Although the tanker was refloated within a couple of hours, it sustained serious damage to its starboard and centre tanks, resulting in a massive release of oil.



Attempts to bring the vessel under control and to undertake a ship-to-ship transfer operation were thwarted by severe weather and the tanker grounded and refloated several more times over a period of five days.



In all, some 72,000 tonnes of crude oil and 370 tonnes of heavy fuel oil were released into the sea between the initial grounding and the final refloating operation.

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Many people will disagree with me but this is the best Orbital album. It really is just so far out there somewhere. It is the most unique and creative. This was how orbital went out with a bang before going to a more mainstream style. Don't get me wrong, middle of nowhere had some good songs. I feel "Way Out" was a hint of their change....their way out of the old style.

This is one of the finest electronic albums I ever heard in my entire life, for sure. It is absolutely brilliant. Wonderful landscapes sounds with outstanding beats. This is were classical music becomes in electronic music. This is a masterpiece. Best Orbital's album by far.

Some websites, e.g. http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/index.php?/topic/82924-what-a-gggg-news-orbital-green-brown-vinyl-reissues/
are saying that In Sides is being reissued on vinyl, along with Snivilisation. We have already gone past the release date in this article, but Orbital & Orbital II reissues were delayed by a couple of months from the release date quoted from this source.

My girlfriend bought me a pair of really awesome headphones for Christmas, and I've just dug out In Sides for a revisit.

I'll come clean as being a massive Orbital fan (at least a dozen gigs back in the day) and In Sides has always been my favourite album of theirs. To be honest, I didn't fully get it the very first time I listened to it, but for me that's part of the genius of Orbital. They don't compromise to achieve instant 'radio friendliness' - they take you somewhere far deeper if you are willing to persevere.

There is something intensely personal about this album and I always feel that it is speaking directly to ME. I guess I'm a grown-up now (past 40) but hearing In Sides again on crystal clear headphones, 15 years after it was released, has blown me away just like every time I've ever listened to it.

I agree with many of the reviews here - a true timeless masterpiece, probably my most played album ever - and I'll be forever grateful to the brothers for reaching out to that place they go and bringing this back to our world.

Arguably the best Orbital album perhaps because it is the most musical and most complex. While this album relies and the standard "loops and layers" approach employed by Orbital on all of their albums, this one is not weighed down by the addition of unnecessary vocalists like their later albums - the music is left to stand on it's own. The 2 part compositions "The Box" and "Out There Somewhere?" are the standouts for me. Like other reviewers, I'd have to agree that of all my electronica CD's, this one gets the most play.