Lur Hezea
Usopop Diskak/Medication Time, 2022
8/10
The French quartet Orbel return with a sophomore album, where 8 new tracks are powerful, haunting and not lacking any melody as the band spread their wings into more rhythmic territory.
“Orbain Irekiak” gets the listen off to an ominous start, where electronica and dark wave ideas meet with robust singing, and “Ufada” follows with a firm beat amid the soaring vocals and mysteriously textured climate.
Halfway through, “Irentsi” carries a cinematic quality with its gentle singing and reliance on atmosphere, while “Lo” emits pretty, expressive singing against a gentle buzzing in the album’s best selection.
“Hitzordua” and “Gau Batez” exit the listen, where the former is a slow burning, nearly tribal experience, and the latter is a busier, richly layered display of ambient post-rock.
A very creative listen that embraces doom ideas, trip-hop moments and plenty of post-everything nods, Orbel are clearly a band carving their own path, and this 2nd album is quite impressive.
Travels well with: Cosse- Nothing Belongs To Anything; Kabuki Dream- Abstract