Orbit

Orbit emerged from the Boston indie rock environment that had earlier given rise to the Pixies, the group’s primary influences, initially taking shape as a power trio of guitarist/vocalist Jeff Robbins, bassist Mark Brookner, and drummer Paul Buckley. The musicians formed in early 1994 and began performing throughout the Boston region, after which Buckley launched his own imprint, Lunch. Following a series of smaller releases, the band delivered its first full-length album, La Mano, on Lunch in 1995. Brookner performed his final show with Orbit late that year and was succeeded by Wally Gagel, around the same time the trio was developing an audience within the indie community. The growing attention eventually prompted A&M to extend a recording contract.

The major-label debut, Libido Speedway, arrived in early 1997 and yielded a modern-rock radio success with “Medicine.” Bassist Gagel, already credited on projects such as the Kids soundtrack where he co-wrote the Folk Implosion’s unexpected hit “Natural One,” also engineered the album; this role soon expanded into a sustained career in which, as producer, engineer, or mixer, he collaborated with numerous alternative acts including Belly, Superchunk, Sebadoh, the Eels, Juliana Hatfield, and the Old 97’s, as well as the Rolling Stones on Bridges to Babylon. Orbit next turned to recording a follow-up, Guide to Better Living, finishing the sessions just as A&M was absorbed during the 1999 Polygram/Universal merger. Once the transition concluded, the label declined to issue the album, leaving the band without a contract.

Gagel subsequently departed to focus on studio work, and the lineup was rebuilt around bassist Linda Bean, previously of PermaFrost and Frigate, plus second guitarist Fred Archambault, who had earlier served as Orbit’s guitar technician. The band returned to Buckley’s Lunch imprint, which had begun signing additional Boston-area artists, and tracked new material with more affordable digital gear. The initial result was the 2000 EP Tonedeaf, followed by the third full-length album, XLR8R, in 2001; both were mixed by Gagel.