Orbital Mechanics by Le Morte d'Abby

As soon as those warbles of basso arpeggios kick the record into action you know you're in for another wonderfully tasty journey into the impeccable sonic realms of Le Morte d'Abby. Abigail Lentz delivers the musical goods time and again, You already know 'Orbital Mechanics' is going to be no exception, but let us reassure you anew: you're going to have fun with this record!

~~~~~~~~~~~~
INTERVIEW
~~~~~~~~~~~~

George Ernst (Triplicate Records): Declination and Perturbation are two words I'd never heard before, so I thank you for expanding my pitiful vocabulary! How important is a title for you? I know people who stress over them for days, then there's those, (naming no braindance pioneers from Cornwall) who take a brutally literal approach. Where do you fall?

Abigail Lentz (Le Morte d'Abby): I'm a fan of concept albums. Maybe one day I'll have enough experience to have an idea for one. I'm also a jazz and Aphex Twin fan, both of which are known for non-sequitorish track names. I've been lucky so far in that album and track names have come to me while working on each release. If I ever got stuck, I think I would go with unrelated track names and some odd album name.


GE: French Fries or Mashed Potatoes?

AL: Fries. Either waffle or curly.

GE: Did you approach 'Orbital Mechanics' differently to 'Impermanence'? Some of the tunes feel like they have a darker edge.
AL: Usually, the first track sets the tone. And that develops entirely based on my mood at the time and what sounds I discover in the process. Impermanence was also influenced by getting hit by Hurricane Ian, not having power in Florida for 10 days, and then moving 2 months later.

GE: How does one Escape Velocity? Asking for a friend.

AL: V(escape) = sqrt(2) * V(orbital). Something I remember from my Astrodynamics class.

GE: I think I asked you what your favourite place was last time, how about least favourite? It's got to be somewhere you've been though. You can't say North Korea. Unless you've been to North Korea. Have you been to North Korea?

AL: A US Air Force base when I was in grade school. Strategic Air Command with B-52s, KC-135s, and control of 150 Minuteman II ICBMS spread out across the state. Ground zero for a Soviet first strike. The warning sirens on base pulled double duty. A solid wale was an inbound nuke attack. An up and down was a tornado warning. Not a fun place to be. Hint: It was one of the 3 targetted bases in Wargames.

GE: What've you been up to besides making great music?

AL: Continuing to work, post burnout, in my day job solving other people's problems. And continuing to write new fiction while trying to get a couple others published.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
REVIEW
~~~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as the opening warble of basso arpeggios of 'Perturbation' kick the record into action you know you're in for another invigorating odyssey into the impeccable sonic realms of Le Morte d'Abby. Abigail Lentz, by now a frequent flyer on the good ship Triplicate Records (it's a spaceship, don't @ me). There's nothing to be said that the spectacular music doesn't communicate on its own, though it's worth noting it's gotten even better. Yes, you can in fact improve on perfection, as Lentz proves consistently on 'Orbital Mechanics'. Another seven songs of substantial length and substantial.. substance!

So what sets this record apart from 'I Am' and 'Impermanence'? Well not very much. Lentz nailed the formula two records back, and it continues to shine brightly. Gems aren't buried under minutes of build-up, the melody and the vibe are rapidly constructed, maintained, and allowed to breath and dance feverishly into the golden ether, albeit with the conveyance of unease and mysticism. 'And Hangs the Earth on Nothing' builds upon the dutiful dance sensibilities of 'Perturbation' and takes it a step further, introducing pounding industrial percussion and bending melodies wracked with tension and depths that may not be so friendly, but are certainly friendly to the ears.

'Escape Velocity' on the other hand, while undeniably possessing a hint of menace bass-wise opts for starrier climbs. A rhythm section recalling the lovely subdued yet tense atmosphere of that Todd Terje 'Johnny and Mary' cover from a few years ago intertwines all branch-like with sawtooth keys and orbiting atmospherics and masters a delicate balancing act between the murky precipice and the vast heavens above.

Meanwhile, 'Constant of Gravitation' is a hip-hop instrumental fan's dream beat. This is the kind of banger that gets picked up for HBO opening credit sequences. Or at least it would be in a just world. The piano-centric melody that gradually develops a few minutes in into a delightfully hypnotic electronic symphony is enough to make any electronica producer second guess their own methodology and think to themselves 'gosh, this is what I ought to be coming up with!

Elsewhere 'Mean Anomaly', with its Be My Baby-esque STOMP / CLAP //// STOMP-CLAP thuds makes you spill your tea because you didn't notice your entire body was bopping along dutifully. It'll happen to you too. Even if you're not drinking tea. Such is the nature of the rhythmic hypnosis Lentz cultivates in her music. 'Declination' feels like its predecessors twin, though this time it's an acid bath. But the good kind, not the painful kind your brain just made up when you read that. The squelch of the bass is nicely complimented by reverb-laden industrial drums; a hazy rave in a derelict factory complex, complete with detuned tail-less key stabs and mechanistic melodies that rides a dangerously infectious groove into the sun. Or possibly somewhere less horrifying.

Finally 'Eccentricity' rounds out the new pack of aural wolves with a simple 4-4 that's gradually enveloped in soft electro-clash flourishes and mind-bending arpeggio excursions. The listening experience of the surprise sweeping-away of the floor beneath your feet at the halfway-mark should be listened to and appreciated without words, so I'll leave that experience for your eager brains to anticipate and enjoy. A perfect ending to a perfect album. A 10/10, that'll have to be inevitably reclassified as a 9.9 as Lentz inevitably outdoes herself in the next stage of her cosmic voyage!

George Ernst, Triplicate Records

Synth-centric, heavily percussed Melodic Techno/EDM. And Cinematic Ambient.

Twitter
Instagram
linktr.ee