Published on Jan 27, 1999
How seriously could someone take a band with a name like Orange
Goblin?
The answer: hopefully pretty serious. Their second album
Time Travelling Blues shows off a band who are still growing
as a unit, but who have great potential once things completely
gel.
This British quintet – guitarists Joe Hoare & Pete O’Malley,
bassist Martyn Millard, vocalist Ben Ward and drummer Chris Turner
– sound like a cross between Smashing Pumpkins and Monster Magnet,
with just a touch of Black Sabbath and The Cult thrown into the mix
for flavor. Sound like an interesting mix? It is – although the
road to Orange Goblin’s success still needs a little surfacing.
When this band is firing on all cylinders, they are absolutely
incredible. Tracks like “The Man Who Invented Time,” “Solarisphere”
and “Lunarville 7, Airlock 3” suck you in with powerful rhythms,
catchy guitar riffs and strong vocals. More than once, Ward’s
vocals sounded a lot like Ian Astbury – something I happened to
find pleasant.
And anyone who thinks that the music on
Time Travelling Blues is going to be stoner music has been
reading the bio too closely. In fact, this album is made up of some
solid rock performances that dare to skirt the edges of the hard
rock genre without losing its own unique angle. This isn’t an easy
feat for any band, especially one that has been together only four
years, but they accomplish it.
Complaints? Really, there’s only one – while it’s easy to get
sucked into
Time Travelling Blues, there are times when it’s just as
easy to allow the music to drop into the background as your mind
wanders. Now, maybe that’s how Orange Goblin intended it to be –
after all, this is a band who proudly proclaims that they were born
too late. But in my book, getting distracted in songs like “Shine”
and “Blue Snow” isn’t always a good thing; the listener could miss
some great performances without even knowing it. (Of course, the
benefit for Orange Goblin is that Time Travelling Blues is an album
that begs for multiple listens, something you’ll be happy to oblige
in.)
While I normally rant against “bonus” tracks, I’ll concede that
Orange Goblin did it right. Following immediately after the title
track ends – no 20 minutes of silence, no 50 three-second empty
tracks – they kick in to a giggle-infested session where they try
to lay down a basic song. You could argue that this is just wasted
time that could have ended up on the cutting room floor – but I
kind of found it fun to listen to.
Time Travelling Blues is an album that dares to remind us
that music should, first and foremost, be entertaining – even fun –
to listen to. With just one more coat of paint, this band should be
ready to conquer some serious territory.