If last year’s Orbital Ensemble debut was the prelude to the collective’s live-incarnation then ‘Contínua’, its follow up, is very much the main event. It’s an explosive, full bodied realisation of leader Felipe Sena’s vision of a band capable of melding rock, electric jazz, nu-samba, funk and MPB but arriving at their own unique destination. ‘Contínua’ clearly has roots in the airy, nimble Latin sounds of their first album but this time Sena with co-writers Artu Bastos and Dan McLay inject such familiar reference points with wilder sonic energy. The result is a set of tunes that set out to be assertive and determined to grab attention on their own terms.
Don’t let the opening to the first cut Resiliência fool you. Guitars tingle and harps zing in a Cosmic Jazz way then pow, from nowhere the tune zips into a gush of Tropicalia,/Verocai orchestral pop. That’s not all though. Away from the hook there’s a funky face off between electric guitar and sax, punchy bass and pumping beats plus a final burst of raunchy fretwork from Sena’s guitar. So plenty of giddy, Snarky Puppy dynamism going on.
Sena’s fearless guitar performance throughout ‘Contínua‘ hints at his influences. On the muscular Doomscroll he merges grungey box chords with fluid prog trajectories plus the garage psych whoop of John Dwyer. Santana dash and Di Meola sustain also reverberate within his more melodic solos on tunes like Deusas, where MPB meets pulsating rock. Still, as important as his guitar parts are to the Orbital Ensemble soundscape, they do not dominate the album. ‘Contínua‘ is clearly a collective experience.
Take the tight, cohesive jazz pop of Atende o Telefone where sax, keys and flute banter with each other and the unified vocal hook ensures the mood stays lively. On the more restrained Razão, percussive cross-rhythms flex crisply while Sena’s guitar is swathed in Jessica Deustch’s string arrangements. On these tunes it’s clear that the Ensemble’s emphasis is on projecting a whole orchestrated sound, looking for overall impact rather than our admiration of specific contributions.
Not surprising to learn then that the fundamental tracks on ‘Contínua’ were recorded live from the studio floor by the group’s core sextet: Jon Catanus on drums; Ana Higuera on percussion; bassist Dan Mclay; Sena and Bastos guitaring; and Jakob Leeson on saxophone. So, from the outset a unified energy was at the heart of the album. Check in with the spacious, Cinematic Jazz mini-epic, Trilha for proof. No wonder the amps are left hot and humming as this surging ballad powers out.
The more trad-Brazilian musical element of Orbital Ensemble maybe a little more subdued on this sophomore album but it is still an underpinning source which at times bubbles fully to the surface. The frisky rhumba of Diatônica emphasises melody and rightly suppresses the urge to stray elsewhere. Less conventional but still impressive Perdoar merges mid-tempo MPB with Latin funk, pummelling drum breaks with nimble percussion and zooming flute with flighty art-pop vocals. Perhaps though, it’s the vamped-up samba-jazz of Invocada which shows Orbital Ensemble’s daring fusionism at its most tantalising. That sultry opening, Mei Akanuma’s exotic flute mingling with Bastos’s crisp guitar chops, momentarily says relax before careering off onto a wild speed-jazz ride.
The Orbital Ensemble’s mission to expand their sound and capture these moments in action, motivates the whole of this album. You couldn’t listen to the ecstatically sprawling psych-rock of final track Ervas without acknowledging that this is a band who are determined to take a leap forward into the rock zones of King Gizzard-like maximalism. Who knows where album three will take them. For now ‘Contínua’ is an impressive placeholder which, if nothing else, compels you to track down the Ensemble’s live show when it comes around to your side of the planet.
Get your copy of ‘Contínua‘ by Orbital Ensemble from your local record store or direct from We Are Busy Bodies https://orbitalensemble.bandcamp.com/album/cont-nua
