ALBUM REVIEW: Distorted Folklore – Orbiter
Post-rock outfit, ORBITER, are back with their second record Distorted Folklore. With this record, the Florida quartet decided to take a different approach to their songwriting process where, instead of trading riffs and adding melodies, lead vocalist and guitarist, Jon Reinertsen, decided to create songs that had cohesive structures for the band to build on. And the result? Songs with many layers and elements that bend genres and create a soundscape for us to envision.
It’s clear from the start that we are in for a unique listening experience when we hear the opening notes of Safe As Houses which consist of cycling guitar paired with air raid sirens. The mood, whilst uncertain and melancholic, feels slightly upbeat in a way that can be described as satirical in celebrating the current uncertain landscape we live in today. And we gather all of this before the full band comes in, shifting the vibe into something moody with the blend of hard rock and 90s grunge.
This style somewhat continues in Time Rips that, in a summary, is a blend of grunge meets hard rock meets drone yet delving further in you find that it feels far more hopeful than the previous song. In fact, it feels far more theatrical and transports you into a world that, as the title suggests, is that of an epic science fiction universe. ORBITER not only have a natural ability to blend and bring different styles and genres together, but also the skill in creating vivid soundscapes. More specifically, it has you picturing yourself as the protagonist of a dramatic film’s conclusion as you face the final battle before saving the day as seen on songs like Svalbard that, outside of the theatrics, is an intriguing psychedelic grunge blend.
Each song on this record, whilst still fitting into the ongoing theme of post-rock genre blending, take on different lives and personalities of their own. No track sounds the same. Even in songs, Lightning Miles and Timeworn, that blend from one another, they are of different minds and tell their own stories.
Lightning Minds appears very much inspired by 80s rock metal whilst also bringing in 90s alternative rock, tied together nicely with a psychedelic drone with lyrics that tell a story that, if not in a rock song, would be easily suited for a folk song played around the fire. While Timeworn feels a little more straightforward as a standard rock track with some theatrical tendencies that are quite ethereal in nature. So, in the same four-minute-long track, you are relaxed whilst also reminded of bands like WEEZER with its style.
If all that doesn’t already sell you, then maybe the fact that ORBITER conclude the record with a cover of TALKING HEADS’ This Must Be The Place (Naïve Melody) will. Regardless, this is a stunning record that will amaze and transport you into different worlds. It is a unique listening experience.
Rating: 8/10
Distorted Folklore is out now via Salvaged Records.
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