One of the problems the Orb will always have when they release a new album is that it will be touted as the best record since either ‘u.f.orb’ or ‘A huge ever growing pulsating brain…’ The truth is that they’ve made a lot of good records since those groundbreaking albums, with last year’s ‘The Dream’ a beautifully constructed piece of work. ‘Baghdad Batteries’ confirms they haven’t lost any form, and when they apply a stronger pulse to the beats, as in ‘Styrofoam Meltdown’ or ‘Dolly Unit’, this is usually countered with something more blissed out, a real indulgence on headphones. Best of all is ‘Super Soakers’, where a dubby rhythm progresses into a more powerful house track, a technique Alex Paterson and Thomas Fehlmann seem able to apply at will. So are the Orb still relevant after all this time? More than ever.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Ben Hogwood