Golden Orb Release Trip-Hop Gem ‘Organism’
Words by Steve Kelk/Media Release | Images Supplied
Sydney meets Alice Springs to Produce a Fantastic Fusion of Down-Tempo Electronica & Chill Ambience
Australian trip-hop duo Golden Orb formed in Sydney’s Blue Mountains arts scene back in 2012. A debut 2013 release ‘Weaver‘ introduced us to their brand of ambient trip-hop that feels very much at home at their early-morning underground electronic shows around Sydney’s West and in Central Australia’s Wide Open Space festival.
‘Organism‘ is a more mature, more detailed record, with Portishead lo-fi flavours offset with deep, dark growling synth swells. Members Sy Brown and Bron Watkins speak of inner-voice battles, concentric molecular patterns of the human form and lamentations on the heaving tide of climate challenges. These are meaningful musical conversations, blown apart by chest thumping drum programming and carefully weaved back together through Watkins vocals and Brown’s intricate electronic smarts.
Being unfamiliar with Golden Orb, we were very pleasantly surprised by the depth of this 8-track production. Brown and Watkins completed the album while in isolation, separated by state border closures between Alice Springs and Sydney. Despite the distance and isolation, they have come up with something really special here that will be right at home at any warehouse or bush location on a clear dry evening when it is safe for people to gather and connect over a love of electronica. The beats are fulsome and mesmerising; the vocals add a tincture to set the soul free.
The track ‘Taller Life Forms‘ is a standout – it sneaks up on you and before you know it, you are immersed in a soft growl that pulls you in all directions. That it has this effect attests to the skill of the artists in this genre. ‘Hands of Chance‘ is equally sneaky, while ‘Mean Green Scheme‘, a bit more rock-like, has a Bloc Party feel that will widen its appeal. These three tracks are representative of the whole album and every track is highly listenable – so go listen to it.
Golden Orb‘s ‘Organism‘ is out today care of SING HUM on all reliable streaming services – here is the Spotify link:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6BCMywEluXpA5RkSvxAKww?si=h_ezBhsbSDibWw5WHhC2pg
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