Metascore
66

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 17
  2. Negative: 1 out of 17
  1. Blender
    60
    Their grooves can sometimes roll on as if unattended -- which is fine for living-room techno, but not for the pop songs they're trying to emulate. [Jun/Jul 2001, p.114]
  2. Mixer
    60
    The result is confused, equal parts avant garde, rock and electronic. [Sep 2001, p.90]
  3. Like the densest hip-hop, The Altogether could be taken as a selection of aural puns.
  4. 60
    Listener-friendly, surprisingly short songs that walk a thinner line than usual between tired and inspired.
  5. In stark contrast to their finest work (1993's "brown" album, 1999's The Middle Of Nowhere), the magic moments never add up to an epic, morphing whole.
  6. In ten years, you'll be mistaking their superficial work here for the Chemical Brothers, Crystal Method, or Fatboy Slim's big-beat bullshit.
  7. 'The Altogether' adds weight to the increasing suspicion that Orbital's best work is, like their hairlines, behind them.
  8. Unlike previous albums, The Altogether doesn't really take the listener on some mind-altering trip. It simply throws together some half-baked novelties, some wasted and underwhelming guest appearances and a bunch of rhythmic ideas that would have sounded infinitely better a decade ago.
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. May 4, 2015
    9
    An excellent album... "Funny Break (One is Enough)", "Doctor?" and "Tension" are the best tracks from the album, the high-light of Orbital discography
  2. RanmaC
    Dec 29, 2002
    10
    Except for the boring David Gray song (which has excelent remixes on their singles), this is one of the liveliest orbital albums. Finally Except for the boring David Gray song (which has excelent remixes on their singles), this is one of the liveliest orbital albums. Finally Americans in cities other than Los Angelos and New York get to hear Dr. Who. Meltdown may be my favorite Orbital song, although the 11 minute CD version USA is stuck with is not as fun as the 20+ minute 5.1 surround version on the DVD (only released in the UK, and worth the purchase of a Region free DVD player). I would have to say that I prefer the brown album and Insides, but this is by far the best CD I bought last year. (And the best DVD too.) Full Review »