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Rating: The 8:58 project might have been interesting on paper, but probably with a different execution. With these results, perhaps Paul Hartnoll needs to rethink his strategies for what seems to be a worrying identity crisis. No one has yet figured out if the subject of the review is the new Orbital album under a pseudonym (even the cover reminds us of it) or the successor to Ideal Condition, Paul's previous album. Well, both to be honest. If 8:58 had been released under the Orbital brand, no one would have had much to say (the sound is more or less the same), but the work would certainly have enjoyed greater visibility. Brother Phil is no longer an integral part of the Orbital project, the duo definitively split after the release of Wonky, Paul continues his solo career trying to bring with him the distinctive signs that made the group famous, while seeking a new beginning. 8:58 is actually also the artist's new name.
Delayed by several months, the work consists of only 9 tracks, one of which is recycled from Paul Hartnoll's previous album, an '80s-style tracklist with much of the remaining eight sounding like ideas not always in sync and desperately needing development. The album starts strong with the eponymous instrumental track, typically "orbital-esque" and reminiscent of the duo's obsession with time. Who remembers the famous Star Trek sample from The Brown Album? "There is a theory of the Mobius, a twist in the fabric of space where time becomes a loop", thus began one of the most acclaimed techno electronica albums of the nineties. In this epic callback, we are accompanied by the voice of actor Cillian Murphy (Sunshine), who tells us how our existence is bound to the clock hands, spinning ever faster, consuming our existence. Suddenly, however, the killer chain is interrupted for five minutes of freeform freedom, where Hartnoll's notes create a mesmerizing sonic fresco. The journey slowly drifts off with an almost childlike spirit, accompanied by dusty, magical mechanisms in a continuous crescendo. The unpredictable composition in this track is masterful, as is the stratagem used for the final part, which takes on increasingly dark and disturbing tones, like a cruel call to reality. The piece is almost perfect and certainly raises expectations for the subsequent ones, but one must reach the end of the album to find something comparable, but never quite matching it.
The rest of 8:58 cannot be considered subpar, but neither particularly memorable, being composed of relatively short and not particularly complex tracks. Please is - as stated - a remix of an old track from the previous album, arranged in a style more in line with what distinguished the Orbital brand in past years. It also boasts a prestigious collaboration with the voice of Robert Smith of the Cure, comfortable in realms far from his own, but the piece seems out of place and does not land where it would have been desirable after the previous track, sounding more like a filler to achieve album form. These are not strategies I particularly appreciate in a new release. It's better with the subsequent The Past Now, a folk-infused track wisely utilizing Lisa Knapp's voice, in a "Bjork-esque" version. Here, it is clear that more care and time were poured into the realization; the track is well-executed, engaging, and driven by an electronic and suggestive bass line; perhaps some variation at the compositional level would have been appreciated, but one reaches the conclusion substantially satisfied. Villain is another vocal number, entirely pop and dominated by Ed Harcourt's voice, which leaves little aside from an interesting refrain; however, the track frankly appears repetitive and short-winded, as evidenced by its very brief duration. A confused experiment in an important part of the album, and the situation does not improve with The Clock, which recycles the same vocal line from Murphy already heard at the opening, but this time on a barely more than ornamental base. Despite the energetic bassline, the track goes nowhere, staging a chaotic scene where the protagonists are unknown. In a word: filler. A Forest brings the mood back on track, thanks to a delicate and well-conceived development that keeps the listener interested. The two female voices are charming (sung by the Unthanks) and bring back folk elements and those more akin to pop music; however, a well-impacting rhythmic closure provides an energetic punch that doesn't hurt. Almost like a natural progression, Broken Up leads to more electronic territories, with a gentle and relaxing flow, the frenzy is indeed all in the hands of Nearly There and its furious techno race. The piece clearly harks back to the Yellow and Brown album era of Orbital; it's fast and dynamic, but frankly, the originals were something else, the feeling is that advanced age does not help to relive that period lucidly without falling into the trap of imitation.
Cemetery is the concluding track that in its first part uses the voice of the very young Fable, an emerging English singer who splendidly interprets a sophisticated pop structure, but the long duration suggests surprises. Paul Hartnoll manages to insert, midway through, fitting synth lines, functional not only as an instrumental interlude but as a warning of what to expect at the end. The concluding block is indeed entirely in the hands of synthesizers, which use the voice as an instrument in perfect harmony with the tracks that overlap in a dizzying fashion. We are in full Orbital territory, and no one better than Paul can manage it, the play is safe and the result guaranteed. It almost brings to mind the complexity of works like Out There Somewhere Part 2 from the legendary In Sides, one of the duo's most beloved albums, and which essentially reminds us for some reason why we are listening to this album. A pity for some technical errors in the programming, noticeable to an attentive ear, and which perhaps betray a rushed production. In the times of analog, these smudges enhanced, today they do not. Straddling a new Hartnoll solo album and a typical Orbital release, 8:58 is still a work that deserves to be listened to by enthusiasts. In these times of creative aridity, especially in EDM, we are satisfied with little, but overall, the work seems approximate in some parts and exaggeratedly limited in content, more could have been done... or maybe it's time to hang up the boots for good?
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