RECORDS

NEW RELEASE

Orbital: Untitled (Internal, CD/LP/tape). There's a jokey doodle on the inside sleeve - 'Brian had tailored his intestinal flora to allow him to remix music biologically' - which gives you a pretty good idea of what the record's about. It begins with a definition of the 'Mobius' - 'a twist in the fabric of space, where time becomes a loop' - whose latter half repeats over and over. Elsewhere the pranksterism of ambient rivals The Orb is largely absent. The gently shifting rhythmic patterns are very diverting in themselves, but Orbital, alias Kentish brothers Paul and Phil Hartnoll, are not just going round in circles. The best song, the extraordinary, trance-inducing 'Halcyon & On & On', gets its title from a tranquilliser their mother was prescribed. Now who says that techno's not personal enough? Ben Thompson

THE IoS PLAYLIST

THE FIVE BEST DISCS OF THE MOMENT

Hugo Wolf: Moricke Lieder. Brigitte Fassbaender / Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Decca, CD only). Full-bodied readings of sometimes reticent songs. Michael White

Sibelius: 2nd Symphony, Swan of Tuonela etc. Oslo Phil / Mariss Jansons (EMI, CD only). A combination that could hardly fail. It doesn't. MW

Donald Fagen: Kamakiriad (Reprise, LP/tape/CD). Smooth grooves, nifty playing, subtle arrangements: almost as good as side one of Aja. Richard Williams

Willie Nelson: Across the Borderline (Columbia, LP/ CD/tape). Fine songs, lovely singing and the chance to help a great man pay off his tax arrears. BT

Louchie Lou & Michie One: Shout (ffrr, single). 'Oh Carolina', only more so, with a hint of Lulu. BT