In-Sides

Shawn | September 26, 2007 in Journal, Music | Comments (0)

Ahh, Orbital.

One of my favorite musical groups of all time. My favorite electronic artists ever, hands down. Orbital’s In-Sides is a shining jewel that begged to be unburied today from the archives.

I still remember the summer night, cruising back with Liz to Bar Harbor taking turns listening to the newly bought cd in headphones because her car only played tapes.

After Snivilization I wasn’t sure what to expect. Beyond the road noise, I heard something new. What I found was a much moodier, serious, and aurally complex body of work. An exercise in texture and sonic space, with a broad array of emotional fiber ranging from casual and quirky to downright sinister at times. This instantly became the predominant soundtrack to my life for the next year or two.

I was lucky enough to see them live in Boston at the Avalon in November of 1996. It was amazing. Definately in my top 5 favorite live music experiences. Being a newly converted metal/rivethead, I had never seen an electronic act before or been to a dance event like this. No one was pushing anyone around, nobody was fighting, no attitudes and scowls at every glance… it was the opposite. People all apologized when they bumped into me, everyone was smiling, and it looked as though someone would more likely hug me than hit me.

I’m glad to have experienced this at the right time in my life, where I was receptive to it and tired of being angry/depressed all the time for the most part. Had it been year or two prior, I’d have been out the door, laughing with disdain at all the ’stupid hippies’. It was a revelation. The music sounded amazing, the lights and visuals were awesome, and it was a dream to actually see Orbital live in the states.

The newness of being in a new concert environment, not to mention my first time going to a to a show in the big city of Boston, definitely left the overall experience feeling a little larger than life in my memory. It always comes to mind when listening to the album like I am now, thought I’d share.