orbé orbé
Seattle, Washington, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2013
Music
Press
"Cristina Orbé describes her music as “celestial pop.” Indeed, the Seattle singer-songwriter’s blend of indie pop, electronic music and neo-soul is dreamy, ethereal and almost otherworldly."
Gene Stout, Seattle Times - Seattle Times
"The sound of Invisible Kingdoms is hard to pin down. There are tracks that resemble neo-soul, those that resemble a postmodern take on being a “singer/songwriter,” those that ring of an existentially profound take on club music, and even those, such as my personal favorite, “Instead,” which resemble a crossroads of 90s’ alt rock and power pop, propelled by a classic synth pop aesthetic. They’re all quite whimsical, but in every sense and musical take on the term. The album is both quite fun and sonically significant. "
Izzy Cihak - Philthy Mag - Philthy Mag
"Orbé Orbé’s "Invisible Kingdoms" explodes in a brilliant geyser of colors. Cristina Orbé, along with producer Jahon Mikal and engineer David Green are the musical equivalent of the mythical chocolatier and candy maestro Willy Wonka! Each track is a fiercely imaginative blend of surprise and wonder. In this interview, Cristina talks about the creation of "Invisible Kingdoms."" - Songwriters Monthly
"this performance was part pop music and part underground theater. What if the Supremes presented a dark, mystical theater piece? For just a few minutes, orbé orbé merely hinted at such an improbability. It will be interesting to see where this leads."
Charlie Crespo, The Manhattan Beat - Charlie Crespo
"Orbe Orbe melds electronica with folk and ambient pop. It’s edgy and dramatic with various instrumentation and creative arrangements. Some songs are a bit mellower and some bolder. Cristina’s a talented vocalist with a voice as strong and convincing as Garbage’s Shirley Manson."
Amy Steele, Entertainment Realm - Amy Steele
“Cristina is sure to captivate any audience with her sultry voice and urban melodies.”
----Micheal Leone, Owner, Lo-fi Performance Gallery.
- Micheal Leone
Discography
"Invisible Kingdoms" (2013)
Photos
Bio
In 2001, New York native Cristina Orbe moved to Seattle and made three self-declarations: to live alone; to stop watching TV and to teach herself how to play guitar. Within 3 months, she had written her first song and within 6 months, she was on stage. Ever since, she has commanded attention with her raw talent as a vocalist and writer, paired with a winking whimsy in her on-stage performance. Orbe's newest project, orbe orbe, anchored by the debut LP Invisible Kingdoms, is her most musically ambitious most magical to date.
In the past decade, Cristina has evolved as an artist from spoken word poet to songwriter, soul-folk band front woman to performance artist to celestial pop queen. She has been an artist in residence, has been featured on songs by the Northwests most notable hip-hop artists (Common Market, Abyssinian Creole, Gabriel Teodros, Moko Only) and has produced a shadow puppet opera. Her creativity extends into her work within the community. As the co-founder and Executive Director of FEEST, an innovative and nationally renowned youth food justice program, Cristina works with teenagers to become leaders in their schools and neighborhoods through cooking, education and political advocacy.
From 2001 to 2007 she was the lead singer and songwriter for the 4-piece band Forgotten Sol, which had two releases and performed across the Northwest, including Seattles famed Bumbershoot Festival. Orb also released Sway, a quiet but powerful acoustic solo album that showcased the flexibility and depth of her perspective and artistry. Throughout that time, she garnered attention and audiences throughout the West Coast and Southwest for her live performances, all the while ingesting a significant amount of David Bowie and scheming as to how to take the strength of her songwriting to an elevated plane.
That new level opportunity arrived when Orbe met Jahon Mikal, a brilliant producer and engineer who had recently released his critically acclaimed album Medulla Transmissions. Together, they endeavored to create a project that held their shared musicality, mysticism, and dazzle. Invisible Kingdoms was born.
Recorded in 2012, Invisible Kingdoms by orbe orbe is a sonic biosphere with a Technicolor landscape. Jahon weaves ethereal, organic textures that cradle Cristina's honey-edged voice as she spins a lyrical narrative of fantasy and aching honesty. It is vintage-space music with glimmering musical arrangements; celestial pop with circus pomp, sliding between the acoustic and electronic realms, delivering a delightful and captivating listening experience.
The title Invisible Kingdoms refers to the unseen worlds we traverse in our relationships, explains Orbe. The gut feeling, the pull of spirit, the gardens or wastelands we build between ourselves and the people we love. These places influence the trajectories of our lives whether we pay attention to them or not.
Each song on Invisible Kingdoms is a chapter in this
emotional journey, capturing the delight and agony along the way. Orangutan
evokes a sonic wilderness, a fantastical narrative bordering on the absurd,
dancing between the child-like and the existential. The song Circus Star is a
fairytale of opposition, its near-ghastly musicality mirroring an intoxicated
push and pull with a dissonant drunken waltz as Orbe sings achingly of the wild
ride of love. In Lady Bug, Mikals rich sonic landscape shapes a story of
finding liberation while being trapped by circumstance. It is a wonderland of
lush harmonies, ukuleles, harps and bells, evoking an island sensuality.
From start to finish, Invisible Kingdoms shines with a dreamy yet earthly punch that lures its listener in and keeps them anxiously awaiting the next track. The live experience of orbe orbe makes the album a delectable reality. The performances radiant pop-punk aesthetic and choreography brings the music ecstatically to life, fascinating and delighting unsuspecting audiences.
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