ORB – ‘Tailem Bend’ album review: a mixed bag of psychedelic rock
THE SKINNY: Since the early 2010s, Australia has fostered a thriving psychedelic rock scene, with a large majority of the genre’s most successful names hailing from down under. While most music fans will know of acts like Tame Impala and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, that’s only scraping the surface. ORB, who hail from Geelong, have been releasing music since 2015, building from a solid psychedelic foundation with layers of sludgy stoner rock and metal.
Their newest album, Tailem Bend, sees them lean back more into their hallucinatory roots, with some songs largely abstaining from dirge and darkness, swapping these textures out for lighter, even groove-inducing rhythms. On ‘Can’t Do That’, it feels as though ORB are asking us to sing along, infusing the track with sunniness and a lighthearted appeal. At the same time, the song still maintains lots of experimentation and a jam-like sensibility, evidently inspired by krautrock acts like Can.
While ORB’s foray into slightly more accessible territory is still worthwhile, the band are at their best when they move away from these attempts to please a larger audience. When they enter a more mysterious, instrumentally complex landscape, where riffs weave in and out without friction and they fall into effortless tune with one another, ORB prove themselves to be extremely talented musicians.
Sometimes, you can’t help but feel as though there’s a lack of originality; these fairly lengthy psych-rock songs peppered with wah-wah pedals and flutes aren’t exactly anything new. Yet, ORB still bring some highly enjoyable pieces to the table, and it’s hard not to melt into their kaleidoscopic rhythms, which evoke images of 1960s psychedelia – the kind associated with pastoral landscapes and people dancing around fields in brightly coloured clothing.
There are some genuinely great moments here, but they’re sandwiched between some less memorable cuts, like the theatrical ‘Skyclock’, which feels completely different to anything they’ve ever done before. Tailem Bend displays impressive musicianship, but sadly, not all of ORB’s experimentalism pays off.
For fans of: Jorts, and not knowing how fast to headbang.
A concluding comment from my boyfriend: “This album reminds me of a school dinner – a little overdone and in need of a bit of flavour, but still edible.”
Tailem Bend track by track:
Release Date: July 12th | Producer: Tim Dunn | Label: Fuzz Club
‘Tailem Bend’: The opening track begins with flutes whirling around as though they’re trapped in a butterfly net, making way for a shockwave of heavy guitar. The song retains a rather mellow tone from here on out before sinking into an instrumental groove that is pleasant but not the most memorable. [3/5]
‘Karma Comes’: ORB employed Emma Bailey and Ashley Goodall to provide backing vocals on the album, and their feminine melodies, which can be heard on ‘Karma Comes’, are a lovely addition. The song feels like a nostalgic trip through the countryside that you might have taken when you were a kid. [3/5]
‘Can’t Do That’: While the song starts with a heavy, rough-around-the-edges riff, the song features a rather anthemic and accessible structure that lasts a little too long. [3/5]
‘Golden Arch’: This song features many rhythms and riffs that feel a little too similar to King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s ‘The River’ from their 2015 album Quarters. It’s still enjoyable, but it’s hard to shake the comparison. [3/5]
‘Skyclock’: The weakest track on the record, ‘Skyclock’ takes a rather melodramatic and theatrical approach, which feels unusual for the band. It’s as though they’ve tried to do a weird psychedelic cover of a Lemon Twigs B-side. [2.5/5]
‘You Do’: Groovy riffs are the prevailing form of instrumentation here, making for a silky and catchy cut – elevated even higher by dreamy flutes and layered backing vocals. [4/5]
‘Morph’: One of the record’s best tracks, full of addictive sludge, a murky atmosphere and a jolting riff. [4/5]
‘Commandment’: Carrying on with the dirge-y, sludgy sound that makes ORB so good, ‘Commandment’ is a great blend of stoner metal and psychedelic rock that rounds off the album nicely. [3.5/5]
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