Monday, August 30th, 2010
Orbs hit up Bottom of the Hill last night along with Junius and Disastroid. I love Bottom of The Hill in SF because for one it is a really small venue so you are able to get up close and can see the band clearly from practically anywhere in the room.
Along the walls you will see calendar after calendar of past shows, and you can’t help but be amazed when thinking of all the bands that have rolled through within the past ten years. The likes of Cat Power, Metric, Iron & Wine, Queens of the Stone Age to name a few.
The crowd gathered near the front of the stage, faces melted after each set. All in all it was a great show with some great bands and I can’t wait to go to Bottom of the Hill again!
Orbs – Video of Orbs can be found at http://youtube.com/thebayareanative
Junius
Disastroid
Friday, August 27th, 2010
By Alex W. Graham
Orbs’ first album looks and feels like a concept album, and it’s no surprise that the group displays an ambition for the unusual. Among it’s five members, the band contains two parts “Fear Before” and one part “Between the Buried and Me.” Those familiar with the aforementioned know to expect something strange and progressive to spring forth, and “Asleep Next To Science” is no exception.
Still, this doesn’t mean Orbs is just what you’d expect. Quite the contrary. Keyboardist Ashley Ellyllon holds a significant and crucial presence on the album, providing gorgeous classical piano interludes- or wielding a more electronic and distorted synth sound, adding substance and complexity where power chords might grow stale. “A Man Of Science” showcases several sides of her playing and stands out as one of the album’s best tracks. On the next track, “Megaloblastic Madness,” Holyoak’s status as one of my favorite drummers is in full effect. His booming drums are coupled with a clever and melodic bass line that will hook listeners instantly, and the rest of the song doesn’t disappoint. Fisher’s vocals and eerie lyrics work with the song perfectly, and the overall result is – dare I say it – epic.
The songs on Asleep Next To Science are well-arranged, and several are connected by interludes or soft ambient melodies. The album flows together and retains it’s cohesion. This is one of those albums you’re just better off to take in as a whole and not in bits and pieces. With lengthy tracks like “Eclipsical”, it rewards a patient listener, the way any good progressive or concept album should. Patience, you will need though, as almost every song is more than five minutes long, with “People Will Read Again” clocking in at over ten minutes and “Eclipsical” at around fourteen.
Although it has it’s heavy sections, the album is at it’s best when it dwells in the realm of the weirdly melodic and flirts with spacier textures. A valiant first effort by a band populated of diverse members, I say anyone should give this album a listen with an open-mind, because it’s ambitious and original enough that it deserves a go.
