Wonky - Orbital
  • Band Name: Orbital
  • Record Label: ACP
  • Release Date: Apr 3, 2012
Wonky Image
Metascore
74 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

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  • Summary: The eighth album for the British techno band is its first since 2004's Blue Album and the duo reforming in 2008.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Mojo
    Apr 20, 2012
    80
    The best Orbital album since 1994's Snivilisation? Certainly. [May 2012, p.87]
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  2. Q Magazine
    Apr 25, 2012
    80
    Wonky restores the Hartnolls' reputation among electronic music's greats. [May 2012, p.103]
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  3. The Quietus
    Apr 13, 2012
    80
    Wonky is Orbital's most pop album; it's supremely, relentlessly, even ruthlessly melodic, and laden with irresistible momentum throughout.
  4. Fact Magazine (UK)
    Apr 3, 2012
    60
    While it's unlikely to garner them a new generation of fans, as an exercise in generating fresh fodder for their festival sets it's effective enough.

See all 22 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. Kansler
    9
    After an all-too-long hiatus, the Hartnoll brothers are back with a vengeance. Wonky is a powerful album, perhaps more powerful than anything they've released since their heyday. The production is impeccable, and Flood's mixing skills are put to good use here, extracting every essence out of every beat and bleep, creating a tapestry of sound both immediately approachable and with a panorama of hidden depth. The songs themselves are very varied, ranging from the dance floor hits of Wonky, Beelzedub and Stringy Acid to the more ethereal and soundtrack-friendly mood pieces like Never, One Big Moment and Distractions. The arch, from the first song to the last, is very strong, with only one questionable choice thrown in the mix - namely, the Zola Jesus collaboration, New France, which is interesting but ultimately an ill fit to the flow of the album - and the momentum of emotion and energy leaps from one high to another high, with the quirky ease of an acid-tripping, Kraftwerk-loving butterfly.

    This is their best album this side of the millennium, and a fantastic return to form to the original innovators of electronic home-listening music. They have produced something more than a dance album. Sure, it takes elements from current trends, like Dubstep and electro-house, but it sounds uniquely Orbital and very much like a logical progression to their work in the 1990's, in that it combines beat-oriented and dancefloor-friendly machinations with an audiophile's fascination with aural detail and a dedication to emotionally dictated musical architecture. Highly recommended.    … Expand
  2. AlexxTrusc
    7
    Album Orbital - "Wonky" could surprise positively. Overall it is in fact a very ear-catching electronic music which is a combination of dubstep, techno and hause. The songs are distinctive - primarily through the instrument add-ons evident in songs such as "Never","One Big Moment" or the longest and somewhat experimental "Distractions". Album that is worth noting.… Expand

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