As much as
Sounds From the Ground deserve to be considered on their own, you can't help but think of the first two
Orb albums while
Luminal is spinning. Dubby beats, spacy noises, and an appearance from steel-guitar man
B.J. Cole all bring the best of
the Orb's early years to mind, but stampeding horses sound effects and
Dillinger singing about "Ten Tons of Dope" are a few of the touches that make this unit more fun and easygoing. They're lighter and brighter too, making
Luminal less of a commitment than anything
the Orb ever did. The melody of "As the Day Goes By" latches on right away and even with most tracks over six minutes,
Luminal is noodling-free. Released in an age when the laptop and glitch reign supreme,
Luminal keeps the space-music spirit of
Tangerine Dream and
the Orb going with a winning smirk and a
Kruder & Dorfmeister quirk.