Album Review
William Orbit – My Oracle Lives Uptown
William Orbit, or William Mark Wainwright to his friends, is probably best known for producing Madonna’s Grammy winning album ‘Ray of Light’ and Blur’s ‘13’.
In fact his production résumé is littered with hit creations for other people: ‘Pure Shores’ for All Saints, ‘Feel Good Time’ for Pink and ‘Dice’ for Finlay Quaye and Beth Orton, he even remixed ‘Barbers Adagio for Strings’ by Samuel Barber, as part of his classical update album, ‘Pieces in a Modern Style’.
But as a talented multi-instrumentalist he also makes a lot of music for himself, this latest album following up 2006’s, ‘Hello Waveforms’, earlier work as Strange Cargo and a spell with early 90s rave act, Bassomatic. Obviously a talented producer, with a keen ear for a catchy riff and melody, his love of the richer elements of the musical spectrum are exemplified in second track, ‘Purdy’, used in an H&M advert a few years ago, it is unashamedly epic, harking back to his popularity during the peak of the trance boom in 1999. (bloody hell, was that really a decade ago?)
And in some respects he seems a little bit left behind in those heady days of synth over substance, when trying to make songs for the dance floor. The album really only excels when he concentrates on the kind of blissful down-tempo numbers which benefit from his love of melody and delicate composition. Thankfully, songs like ‘Optical Illusions’, ‘Golden Country’ and ‘Nimbus’ are delightfully dreamy soundscapes in the same vein as Ulrich Schnauss or The Orb, and the rest of the album is made up of pleasant, inoffensive lounge-core fare.
At the ripe old age of 52, Orbit can perhaps be forgiven for not being in touch with the dance music of the day, instead he has made a mature, assured collection of songs ideal for those who have hung up their dancing shoes but still pine for fine electronic music.