'The Ideal Condition' - Paul Hartnoll

I had pretty much given up on Orbital after the partial fiascos of the last four albums. Due to Kelvin's recommendation, I listened to this new Paul Hartnoll effort which was a present surprise. The first three tracks cast a msmerising spell until broken in track 4 by the lacklustre vocals of Robert Smith (from the Cure) in 'Please'. 'Please' is the first single from 'The Ideal Condition' which I thought was highly inappropriate unless the record company had hope to pull listeners by the 'star power' of Robert Smith. After all, he is still worshipped in one quarter, mainly that of Goths. All in all, I found this new album to be mellow, pastoral even, without the insistent driving beats of some of Orbital's best. There were a few other tracks that were reminiscent of the best of early Orbital but they were far and few in between. A rather middling effort actually.

The Ideal Condition

1. Haven't We Met Before?
2. For Silence
3. Simple Sounds
4. Please
5. Unsteady Waltz
6. Nothing Else Matters
7. Patchwork Quilt
8. Iggro
9. Dust Motes

Recommended with reservations.