Between the album title and the cover art, you might expect that The Orb’s Abolition of the Royal Familia advocates for insurrection. But the reality of the record, a companion to 2018’s No Sounds Are Out of Bounds, is more complicated. For all their implicit critique of the British monarchy, Alex Paterson and his fellow pranksters (including long-time comrades Youth, Steve Hillage and Roger Eno) mainly occupy themselves as they always have, moulding ambient, dub and house into voluminous shapes the colour and texture of cotton candy. It all kicks off with a surprisingly groove-heavy opening, as the gauzy disco of “Daze (Missing & Messed Up Mix)” gives way to the heavier “House of Narcotics (Opium Wars Mix)” and then the peak-time house of “Hawk Kings (Oseberg Buddhas Buttonhole)”. But the bulk of the album is as beatifically supine as The Orb have ever sounded. “Afros, Afghans and Angels (Helgö Treasure Chest)” is a pastel snapshot of easy-listening orchestra; “Shape Shifters (In Two Parts) [Coffee & Ghost Train Mix]” morphs from jazzy new age into moonwalking reggae. Even the closing “Slave Till U Die No Matter What U Buy”, an ambient remake of Jello Biafra’s “Message From Our Sponsor”, is dreamy rather than dread-filled. The Orb have always known how to channel even the zaniest impulses into compellingly psychedelic music; on Abolition of the Royal Familia, their gallows humour sounds deceptively sweet.

Tracklisting

1. Daze (Missing & Messed Up Mix) (2:53)
2. House Of Narcotics (Opium Wars Mix) (6:10)
3. Hawk Kings (Oseberg Buddhas Buttonhole) (4:56)
4. Honey Moonies (Brain Washed At Area 49 Mix) (5:26)
5. Pervitin (Empire Culling & The Hemlock Stone Version) (4:13)
6. Afros, Afghans And Angels (Helgö Treasure Chest) (7:10)
7. Shape Shifters (In Two Parts) (Coffee & Ghost Train Mix) (10:30)
8. Say Cheese (Siberian Tiger Cookie Mix) (5:32)
9. Ital Orb (Too Blessed To Be Stressed Mix) (7:26)
10. The Queen Of Hearts (Princess Of Clubs Mix) (5:10)
11. The Weekend It Rained Forever (Oseberg Buddha Mix (The Ravens Have Left The Tower)) (12:37)
12. Slave Till U Die, No Matter What U Buy (L’anse Aux Meadows Mix) (7:26)

Apple Music

Videos

The Orb - Hawk Kings Oseberg Buddhas Buttonhole

More Videos

• Say Cheese Siberian Tiger Cookie Mix
• The Orb - Daze Missing Messed Up Mix Official Video
• Shape Shifters In Two Parts
• House of Narcotics Opium Wars Mix
• Ital Orb Too Blessed to Be Stressed Mix
• The Weekend It Rained Forever Oseberg Buddha Mix The Ravens Have Left the Tower
• Slave Till U Die No Matter What U Buy Lanse Aux Meadows Mix
• The House of Narcotics in Dub Agent Norberts Drive by Special Deal Mix
• Hawk Kings in Dub Question Everything
• Ital Orb in Dub North South East and West Mix
• The Queen of Hearts in Dub Dont Let History Repeat Itself
• The Weekend It Rained Forever in Dub The Waterbed Experience Mix
• Honey Moonies Brain Washed at Area 49 Mix
• The Queen of Hearts Princess of Clubs Mix
• Daze in Dub 987 Kiss FM Mix
• Shape Shifting Part 2 in Dub Pitter Patter in Batter See Version Excursion
• Slave Til You Die No Matter What You Buy in Dub Imflamable Air Mix
• Say Cheese in Dub Smile Youre on Cctv
• Afros Afghans Angels in Dub Hoodie Wood Mix

Release Images

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Release Information