Album Review: Beth Orton – The Ground Above
2 min read
Beth Orton is one of the UK’s most interesting artists. Coming to prominence in the mid-90’s working with artist like The Chemical Brothers and William Orbit, Beth’s unique mix of folk and electronica made her stand out amongst her contemporaries. Her songs have been used in many TV shows and films, Vanilla Sky and Grey’s Anatomy to name a few, and her first three albums saw huge back to back success. Now, Beth’s returned with album number nine, The Ground Above.
The album opens with the title track, building off reversed noises and relaxed piano and guitar before Beth’s voice enters. It’s a lethargic but pretty song, lyrically a down-to-earth love song in the chorus but vaguer in the verses. At the two-minute mark tight drums fade in and move the song into a new upbeat direction. It’s a song that you can lose yourself in for the runtime, as is the following track Before I Knew. Beginning in a similarly ambient way, bass guitar takes a more prominent position in the arrangement. Cigarette Curls cruises along on a smooth groove, the backing vocals and brief brass adding a haunting layer to the already ghostly sound, while Waiting implements the same instrumentation but into a spoken word chorus and quicker tempo.
Celestial Light and I’ll Miss You both bring the mood back to an introspective angle, the former rising on airy synths but held together by filtered percussion and a strong piano riff, while the latter feels more organic with hand drums and a looser beat. Love You Right is very similar too but has flashes of tremolo guitar lines that leap out of the mix, and a powerful ending where Beth lets loose, singing at the top of her range. It makes closer Otherside feel more like a comedown, besides its upbeat nature. Regardless, it’s an excellent conclusion to what is a very meditative album.
The Ground Above is a cohesive behemoth of an album. Each track feels woven together, and despite the long runtime of each song the arrangements act like a current pulling you along. It’s not always possible to know what Beth is singing, but the passion in her delivery is undeniable. It’s haunting in the best way, and definitely an album to sit with and contemplate from start to finish.
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Writer and Musician, Ryan Bulbeck has been published with a number of online publications, and has worked with a myriad of great artists, both as a performer, and as a producer. His most recent band The 295 are still active, playing shows around the UK.
