Sedibus

The simpatico sophomore by the unstoppably prolific Alex Paterson and fellow Orb original Andy Falconer is an epic sail through the sky at night.

Helmed by gentle spirits with warmth in their hearts, SETI feels cold and dark, yet also glowing and welcoming. Aboard a cosy candlelit spacecraft, the duo experience the cosmos as somewhere overwhelmingly infinite, yet reassuring and friendly. A sort of ‘ambient unplugged’, it’s full of acoustic instruments and nostalgic samples, folding space between the old world, and places where no man has gone before. The various junctures include a glacially-paced sublime melody unfurling and Nyabinghi percussion merging with mandolin and acoustic guitar, like Penguin Café Orchestra weaving around Pat Metheny. Elsewhere there’s finely detailed deep ambience, stoner conspiracy, and a continually growing uplifting chuggers anthem. All at once it’s rootsy and folky; electronic and processed; minimalist and composerly; and not of this world.