The title and cover art should be a giveaway that this is a semi-formal-casual mix tape. There is a certain sense of refinement carried through the festivities, but, overall, this mix the aural equivalent of a tuxedo t-shirt. “Orchestral” is a term applied with relative looseness here.
Some of these tracks were indeed made by textbook definition orchestras, such as the Danny Elfmann-eque escapades of the Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra and the Kevin Ayers like orch-funk of the Heritage Orchestra. Other songs were made by groups seeking to redefine the term. These include Glover Gill’s Tosca Tango Orchestra (purveyors of the stirring, surreal nueva-tango that filled the soundtrack to Richard Linklater’s life-changing rotoscope animation Waking Life) and The Vegetable Orchestra, who perform with edible instruments. The rest are simply artists or pieces that happen to use the word in their names or song titles.
As we all know, fun rules. So, go ahead and put a little umbrella in your 60-year-old scotch. Fill your manhattans to the brim with maraschino cherries. Roll out your screen-printed formal attire, and old-timey dollar store hats. Put this on at your next cocktail party, box social, or toga symposium. Super perfundo on the early eve of your day.
01. Tosca Tango Orchestra – “Mi Otra Mitad De Naranja” (Waking Life OST, 2001)
– Start time: 0:00; Links: TVT – Tosca Tango Orchestra
02. The Heritage Orchestra – “Mothers and Daughters Now Mothers” (The Heritage Orchestra, 2006)
– Start time: 5:01; Links: Brownswood Recordings – The Heritage Orchestra
03. Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra – “Gamma Pluto Delta” (Take Off!, 2009)
– Start time: 13:53; Links: Alien Transistor – Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra
04. The Cinematic Orchestra – “Man with the Movie Camera” (Every Day, 2002)
– Start time: 20:37; Links: Ninja Tune – The Cinematic Orchestra
05. The Knife in Collaboration with Mt. Sims and PlanningToRock – “Schoal Swarm Orchestra” (Tomorrow, In A Year, 2010)
– Start time: 29:45; Links: Mute – The Knife In Collaboration with Mt. Sims and PlanningToRock
06. The Vegetable Orchestra – “Stoik” (Automate, 2003)
– Start time: 37:53; Links: Transacoustic Research – The Vegetable Orchestra
07. Rainstick Orchestra – “Powderly” (The Floating Glass Key In The Sky, 2004)
– Start time: 42:06; Links: Ninja Tune – Rainstick Orchestra
08. Casiokids – “Verdens største land (Captain Credible’s Orchestral Stab Mix)” (Topp Stemning På Lokal Bar, 2010)
– Start time: 47:49; Links: Polyvinyl – Casiokids
09. Hidden Orchestra – “The Windfall” (Night Walks, 2010)
– Start time: 52:33; Links: Tru Thoughts – Hidden Orchestra
10. The Quantic Soul Orchestra – “That Goose on My Grave” (Pushin’ On, 2005)
– Start time: 57:28; Links: Tru Thoughts – The Quantic Soul Orchestra
Total Running Time: 60:16