The Middle Of Nowhere is Orbital's sixth album following on from previous releases such as Insides, Snivilisation etc. Over the course of the previous five albums Orbital have built up a devoted following for their electronica soundscapes. The Middle Of Nowhere therefore provides few surprises and while it may be nectar from the Gods for their loyal fanbase it is unlikely to win too many new converts.

Things start out promisingly enough with Way Out, which begins life as a candidate for one of the backing tunes on the next Bond film before sliding nicely into an ambient chant number. The album then just ambles along for a couple of songs before trying to grab your attention again with the guitar trash on I Don't Know You People. It succeeds mainly because its so different from what's come before it. The album then lapses back into anonymity for a while before piquing the interest again with the odd animal chattering and enigmatic singing on Nothing Left parts 1 & 2. A good tune but is it worth stretching out over 2 tracks totaling about 15 minutes? The Middle Of Nowhere then peters out with the cheap electronic organ meanderings of Style.

Orbital continue to resist the temptation to jump on the drums and bass bandwagon and for this show of integrity they are to be admired. Unfortunately, while The Middle Of Nowhere displays much of Orbital's studio wizardry and there are some good moments, the songs tend to wander aimlessly toward their often very distant conclusions, with whatever semblance of a tune there may have been getting lost in the morass of electronica. With this album it would seem Orbital are happy to continue making music for their devoted legion of fans and aren't all that concerned about winning over new listeners. If you've liked their previous releases then you'll love this, if not then there's nothing new here.