O.R.B.

Geelong’s O.R.B. had a pretty prolific run a few years back, ripping through three albums in three years, but as with many bands time’s slipped away over the last few years, and it’s taken a bit more time to get the fourth onto the speakers. Still anchored by Zak Olsen (Traffik Island, Hierophants) alongside a core of bandmates from his days in The Frowning Clouds, the band expands with members of Bananagun and The Murlocs to turn in one of their most expansive offerings yet. ORB’s always been rooted in the octane itch of ‘70s power fuzz, scraped from the resin of Sabbath sleeves and siphoned from the grooves of bands like Sacred Mushroom, Leaf Hound, and Blue Cheer. Though, this time they slide a bit more funk into the mix, seeping out of Zak’s Traffik Island tapes and cutting through the smoke clouds that shroud their sound.

Nick vanBakel’s congas give a polyrhythmic kick to “You Do” and “Can’t Do That,” while flutes slip through the fuzz to lighten the din and damage that the band lays down. There’s a distinct shift towards a more progressive sound, stretching out into languorous jazz inflections on mid-point “Golden Arch” and nipping at psych-pop as often as prog. It’s nice to see the band back down from the rancor of riff for a bit, even if it lands a bit less cohesive than some of the past records. The album boasts a good dose of shred and thunder, but the more pastoral pieces make the cut to quake feel that much harder. Here’s hopin’ it doesn’t take another six cycles around the sun to get the next one out of ‘em, but if there’s just as much growth, then good things are worth a wait.

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