Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere — Theta Seven

Theta Seven is the latest, and seemingly last album from Sheffield’s genre blenders Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere. The eleven track affair finds eight piece once again letting go of the normal musical genre restraints, to create a wonderful drifting and flowing experience.

The CD is presented in a glossy/ colourful six panel mini gatefold. With the disc coming in it’s own slip and featuring pictures of the bands eight members. For cover artwork we get a very abstract black & multi coloured splattered/ scrawled art, which totally fits the very free flowing vibes of the album.

Yes the album is split up into eleven tracks- but all the tracks nicely drift and blend into one another too, making for a great long trip. We open with “Aether Rises” which is all about tolling ‘n’ shimmering stringed instrumentation- with a vibe somewhere between flighty, world music droning, with a slight brooding undercurrent.

As we move on, we come to “Under The Azure” which pares warbling female vocalizing, a bonding almost dub bass line, darting jazzy piano keys, and horn swoon. As we progress baying and spacy synth tones come into play, as well as more moodily wailing sax tones, a grandly plucking harp, and atmospherically bounding keys. There’s the tolling jazz keys, singsong-yet- soulful female vocals, stabbing to swooning persiana horn work, and bonding bass tones of “Moonrise”.

Later on we have the pitchshift & honking vocalizing, discordant key darts, textural turning & twisting’s, angular string rolls, and backwards/ forward shiftings of “Oumamua”. There’s “That's How I Feel” where grooving keys, horns, percussion meet singsong female vocals & shifting bird field recordings- with some great bass, horn and harp breakdowns.

Theta Seven is yet another marvellous ride from Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere. If you enjoy very fluid genre blending, which moves through different paces & moods it’s a must. And I’m sad to hear that this is the projects is calling it a day.