by David JeffriesAs much as Sounds From the Ground deserve to be considered on their own, you can't help but think of the first two Orb albums while Luminal is spinning. Dubby beats, spacy noises, and an appearance from steel-guitar man B.J. Cole all bring the best of the Orb's early years to mind, but stampeding horses sound effects and Dillinger singing about "Ten Tons of Dope" are a few of the touches that make this unit more fun and easygoing. They're lighter and brighter too, making Luminal less of a commitment than anything the Orb ever did. The melody of "As the Day Goes By" latches on right away and even with most tracks over six minutes, Luminal is noodling-free. Released in an age when the laptop and glitch reign supreme, Luminal keeps the space-music spirit of Tangerine Dream and the Orb going with a winning smirk and a Kruder & Dorfmeister quirk.