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Dec 22, 2010All of this makes Metallic Spheres warm and fluffy, nowhere near as cold as its name suggests, but ultimately it's worth little more than a warm smile, bringing together the favourite comedown musician of the late '80s/early '90s with the stoners' favourite of the decade before, but not really doing anything with the opportunity.
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Across two epic, messy tracks, the pair go around the world: classic ambient house, dated trip-hop, thundering drum loops, weird dub, even down-home picking, yet stay nowhere long enough for anything to really take hold.
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As is the case with many big league collaborations, it doesn't feel like either party brought their best game to the project. As an Orb album, Metallic Spheres is satisfactory. For Floyd and Gilmour fans, it's a rainy day curiosity.
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The only hint of intrigue comes 40-odd minutes into the record, when Youth takes up his mighty bass for "Chicago Dub," which briefly changes the pace for the better.
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American SongwriterBasically, you know if you want to buy this album already, and if you do want buy this album odds are you will really enjoy it. But if you aren't familiar with either artist don't bother--there are better Orb records and there are better Gilmour records, and even though Metallic Spheres is quite enjoyable, we wouldn't recommend it for newbies.
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After a while, though, it's a bit like hiring a master painter to doodle a flock of birds into the background. Gilmour and The Orb meld enjoyably enough in their comfort zones. If only they'd focused more on pushing beyond.