Review: Orbiter ‘Distorted Folklore’
The city of Gainesville has an active music scene that has produced Tom Petty, Stephen Stills, Bernie Leadon, Don Felder, Charles Bradley, Assholeparade, Hot Water Music and Less Than Jake, quite a varied selection I’m sure you’ll agree. The latest to emerge from Hogtown (one of the city’s many nicknames) is Orbiter, who celebrated their tenth anniversary this year and who are comprised of Jon Reinertsen (vocals/guitar), Matt Walker (lead guitar), Jonathan Hamilton (bass) and Brad Purvis (drums).
Distorted Folklore, the quartet’s sophomore release, follows 2014’s Slow Revolution EP, 2019’s full-length debut Southern Failures and 2022’s Head Wounds EP. The promotional notes state that it’s a ‘loose concept album where the protagonist questions his sanity and struggles with loss, isolation, heartbreak, drug addiction, societal collapse, and comes right to the brink of a full-on existential crisis’, alrighty then…
Safe As Houses recalls ‘90s alt-rock behemoths The Smashing Pumpkins classic Today as well as the expansive Zeppelin inspired psychedelia of Jane’s Addiction. A slow-burning gem of an opener. Time Rips is far more immediate with post-hardcore reminiscent of New York legends Quicksand and there’s a dynamism present which is often missing from a lot of doom and stoner bands, so otherwise intoxicated are they by weed, wizards and buxom witchy ladies. This helps make the track quite the earworm.
By comparison, Lightning Miles incorporates elements of prog and space-rock resulting in a far denser listening experience that may require a few listens to fully get the measure of. If Failure and Jupiter era Cave In get you going, then you’ll be positively thrilled by what is featured here. Timeworn has the slacker cool of Pavement and Dinosaur Jr, as well as the crunching power-pop of Blue Album Weezer and The Cars making it one of the album’s more accessible numbers.
Coil meanwhile recalls a band such as Tool, what with both the vocal intonations of that band’s Maynard James Keenan and accompanying art-rock instrumentation, yet it’s one which feels a good deal less ponderous and thus far more appealing.
a truly remarkable piece of work…
I’ll See You On The Backside Of Water…, at just under three minutes, is the album’s shortest track as well as the mellowest. In tone it feels like an interlude yet one which seems warranted after the heavier going Coil. It has an early to mid ‘80s shimmering post-punk vibe similar to bands such as The Chameleons and The Comsat Angels while Cycada Hymn with its Pink Floyd drone like qualities and early Ride style shoegaze transports you on a dreamy voyage, one which will leave you in a state of semi-permanent bliss.
Svalbard is described in the aforementioned promotional notes as the band’s most ambitious to date and at over seven minutes it’s the record’s longest. This is quite a beautiful piece with a strong sense of yearning omnipresent throughout and soaring choruses more than ably backed by some powerful playing. In fact, I remember one YouTube commenter describing Hum on the video for The Pod as ‘melodic distortion geniuses’ and that can just as well apply to this fantastic song.
Finally, the digital copy of the album includes a cover of Talking Heads This Must Be The Place, which, if you remember, was an upbeat slice of funky post-disco. In Orbiter‘s hands, the track is transformed into something altogether more sombre, gothic and heavy. THIS is how you do a cover folks.
With Head Wounds Orbiter had already demonstrated an increasing confidence and willingness to experiment but Distorted Folklore takes that further to produce a truly remarkable piece of work.
Label: Salvaged Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Reza Mills
