The Orchids - Beatitude #9 (2014)

The Orchids formed near Glasgow in 1986. Since day 1 they were one of the darlings of the illustrious Sarah Record's roster and developed far more on that label than any band not named The Field Mice. Starting with a melancholy guitar-pop sound on Lyceum and contemporaneous 7"s, they moved on to become more keyboard and sample/effects-based for their 2nd and 3rd albums, Unholy Soul and Striving For the Lazy Perfection, saw the development of a more electronic sound as they continued to work with producer Ian Carmichael (One Dove). Then, in 1995 they disappeared without ever really splitting up. Their entire back catalogue was re-released on CD in 2005. The band had already reformed in 2004 and published Good to Be a Stranger (2007) on Madrid-based label Siesta, playing live gigs for the first time in twelve years. In 2011 the group released a fifth album, The Lost Star through Pebble Records. Now, The Orchids are excited and proud to announce the launch of their new full-length, Beatitude #9, their sixth in a 26 year career. When you put Beatitude #9 on to listen to, the feeling could be compared to being reacquainted with your best friend that you've known the longest but might not have seen for a few years. In the moment you get together again and embrace them for the first time in a while, it's only a split second before you feel like they've never really been away. There's no awkwardness between you despite the long hiatus, as you realize there is no mistaking The Orchids sound and they're as good as they've always been. Whilst the familiarity is soothingly comforting, there is still a freshness that means there is a passion and excitement gripping you that is difficult to describe. Beatitude #9 is made up of 14 brand new songs recorded in their home studio over the past three years and sees the band broaden their horizons again, sounding modern and revitalizing whilst still sometimes harking back to some of the mainstream acts that they grew up with in the eighties. It has a feel of summer written all over it and captures classic Orchids guitar pop in tracks such as "Something's Going On" and "Hey! Sometimes". At the same time it also delves into their well known contrary habit of producing more experimental sounds in the epic cinematic soundscape that is "Away To You" as well as in "Today's The Day", which features a groove throughout the five minutes that is impossible not to become entirely mesmerized by. They also pepper the release with several songs that appear to easily cross over into the mainstream where you can imagine other acts covering the songs and charting with them such as "Good Words" (where lead vocals are handed over to the wonderful Pauline Hynds - as they did to similarly wonderful effect with "A Kind Of Eden" on their third album), "A Perfect Foil" with its beautiful harmonies and "Someone Like You".