The Altogether

How have techno duo Orbital managed to last over a decade in a genre that dumps music geeks faster than Courtney Love? Simple: Instead of riding mind-numbing loops in circles, Orbital write actual songs, and The Altogether is their most accessible batch yet. The grab bag includes trippy soul (“Funny Break”), techno-folk (“Waving Not Drowning”), a song built around a catchy Tool sample (“Tootled”), and a welcome vocal visit from David Gray (“Illuminate”), proving that Orbital have the cojones to try anything, and the brains to get away with it.