Orbus Terrarum
| Orbus Terrarum | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 20 March 1995 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 79:18 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | ||||
| The Orb chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A[2] |
| The Guardian | [3] |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer | [4] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
| Spin | 7/10[6] |
Orbus Terrarum (stylized as Orbvs Terrarvm) is a studio album by the English electronic music group the Orb that was released on 20 March 1995 by Island Records.
Background and recording
[edit]Member Kris Weston had begun work on the album before leaving the group. After he left, German producer Thomas Fehlmann joined as a full-time studio member, and the group, now consisting of Alex Paterson, Andy Hughes, and Fehlmann, completed the album.[7][8]
Music
[edit]Unlike their previous efforts, Orbus Terrarum features more "earthbound", "organic" sounds in contrast to the psychedelic, science fiction-themed music they had previously written.[7][8] According to Andy Beta of Pitchfork, the album is "concise and sprawling, catchy and abstract, placid and turbulent, spacey and aquatic."[9]
Critical reception
[edit]According to Paterson, Orbus Terrarum suffered "a good kicking" at the hands of the British music press.[10] The Times described it as "generic ambient music"[11] and The Guardian said it was a low point for Paterson's creativity.[12][13] Rolling Stone gave the album a more positive reception: naming it their album of the month, and citing its symphonic flow coupled with the Orb's "uniquely British wit".[5] The record reached number 20 on the UK Albums Chart.[14] The music website Pitchfork placed it at number 19 on their list of the fifty best ambient music releases of all time.[9]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Valley" | Alex Paterson, Kris Weston, Simon Phillips, Tom Green | 7:35 |
| 2. | "Plateau" | Paterson, Weston, Thomas Fehlmann | 13:14 |
| 3. | "Oxbow Lakes" | Paterson, Weston, Fehlmann | 7:28 |
| 4. | "Montagne d'Or (Der Gute Berg)" | Paterson, Andy Hughes, B. J. Cole, Weston, Nick Burton, Fehlmann | 10:40 |
| 5. | "White River Junction" | Paterson, Weston, Fehlmann | 9:36 |
| 6. | "Occidental" | Paterson, Hughes, Kris Needs, Weston, Burton, Phillips, Fehlmann | 13:55 |
| 7. | "Slug Dub" | Paterson, Weston, Paul Ferguson, Fehlmann | 17:19 |
| Total length: | 79:16 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Plateau (All Hands on Deck Mix – 2AM)" | 15:45 |
| 2. | "Slug Dub (Dumpy Dub)" | 12:29 |
| 3. | "Valley (Mix 3 Dubby)" | 10:54 |
| 4. | "White River Junction (Zoom Vinegar Mix)" | 13:05 |
| 5. | "Oxbow Lakes (Andy's Space Mix)" | 8:45 |
| 6. | "Peace Pudding (Occidental)" | 13:31 |
| Total length: | 74:41 | |
References
[edit]- ^ Bush, John. "Orbus Terrarum – The Orb". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
- ^ Svetkey, Benjamin (14 April 1995). "Orbvs Terrarvm". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ^ Smith, Andrew (24 March 1995). "The Orb: Orbus Terrarum (Island)". The Guardian.
- ^ Warren, Bruce (28 May 1995). "The Orb: Orbus Terrarum (Island) / Aphex Twin: ...I Care Because You Do (Sire)". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ a b Wiederhorn, Jon (20 April 1995). "The Orb: Orbus Terrarum". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
- ^ Miller, Paul (July 1995). "Orb: Orbvs Terrarvm". Spin. Vol. 11, no. 4. p. 77. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ^ a b Doerschuck, Robert (June 1995). "Inside the Ambient Techno Ultraworld". Keyboard Magazine.
- ^ a b Gill, Andy (31 March 1995). "Oh, the Pity and Terra of It All". The Independent. p. 31.
- ^ a b Pitchfork (26 September 2016). "The 50 Best Ambient Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "Alex Paterson Interview". Future N Music. October 1998.
- ^ Sinclair, David (24 March 1995). "Pop on Friday". The Times. p. 1.
- ^ Simpson, Dave (19 January 2001). "The Friday Interview". The Guardian. p. 6.
- ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (19 March 1997). "The Orb: Orblivion". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 30 June 2009. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ "The Orb". Everyhit.com. Archived from the original on 19 March 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2006.
