After
all of the advance promotion and social media hype for this album, I have to say
I was a little underwhelmed by The Orbserver In The Star House when I finally picked
up a copy on CD.
I’d
whet my appetite on the continuous drum-roll of preview mixes and pre-release
samplers, but somehow it felt lightweight and flimsy when listening to it in
its physical form; a throwaway piece of dub/crossover fluff, and the result of
little more than a few weeks worth of studio frivolity for Alex Paterson and
Lee Perry. A wee bit of fun on the side, before each man returned to whatever
else they had on the go.
A
few months on, I’ve softened on that first impression. It may well still be all
of those things, but having repeatedly taken this out on a series of road trips
over the past three months or so, having given it the car audio treatment, having
“open road tested” it, if you like, I can unequivocally state that it’s every
bit the carefully crafted work of art I initially anticipated it would be.
With
dubstep and its confusing multitude of sub-genres dominating the bass music
landscape, there would undoubtedly have been temptation for Paterson and Perry
to deviate from what they know. To offer their own unique take on the latest
trends. That they didn’t, that they stuck to the tried and trusted forms of
what each man does so well, is of some relief, and it offers no little
testimony to the collective self belief that runs right through The Orbserver
In The Star House. Some of it might be distinctly “old school”, but if that’s
the case, it’s a seat of learning that today’s young tykes can only marvel at
and learn from.
Perry
is once again in imperious form with his stream of consciousness ranting and
raving, toasting atop of Paterson’s electro noodlings to create an upbeat and warm
summery vibe throughout. None of Perry’s observations are especially profound
but they’re frequently offbeat and humorous … more “sly grin” than “laugh out
loud”.
No,
this isn’t an album that you can take too seriously. Yes, there is something
distinctly off-the-cuff about it, and yes, it may be lightweight and fluffy in
nature, but what I hadn’t realised at the outset was that all of those elements
are a big part of its ongoing appeal.
Definitely
one for the summer.
Highlights:
‘Ball of Fire’, ‘Soulman’, ‘Hold Me Upsetter’, ‘Golden Clouds’, and one of the
most unusual takes on Junior Murvin’s ‘Police And Thieves’ that you’re ever
likely to hear.
There’s
been a few great remixes of material sourced from the album already, here’s the
popular OICHO remix of Golden Clouds:
Nice choice Mr H, two giants of their own spheres welding together what they know best.
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