 | Tracklist:
1. Viewed From an Obscure Angle
2. Summer's Dream
3. Sunken Ships
4. The Empty Land
5. A Glitch in Cellular Memory
6. Recollection
7. Accompaniment for Melodious Expression
8. Absolution
9. The Oldest Lady
10. A Diversionary Tactic
11. The Silent Place
12. Out of Sync Child
13. Hall of Mirrors
14. End of the World
15. Sense of Being
16. Surface Water
17. Heart Sick Chord
18. Repetition is a Form of Change
Release Date: 2010 | |
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On 1 Lists
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| Summary: Environments 3 isn't quite as innovative as Lifeforms, but it is among the best ambient albums of 2010. |
In a way it seems somewhat surprising that a group with records as highly acclaimed as Lifeforms and Dead Cities can work as The Future Sound of London has recently. That Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans have released music under a very large number of aliases doesn't exactly help, but we're talking about a duo that was quite successful commercially and a favourite of critics. And yet, they've been diligently working under the radar as of late, taking on a variety of projects which include a couple remix albums, b-sides collections (From the Archives, the sixth of which was also released earlier in 2010), diverse forays into progressive rock, and the Environments series.
For those who haven't kept up with The Future Sound of London since the mid-'90s, the opening sequence of "Viewed From an Obscure Angle" will likely surprise. Completely absent from the duo's sound is the spacey ambience that in part defined Lifeforms or the unsettling vibes of Dead Cities. Instead, Environments 3 plays on much more minimal sound. "Viewed From an Obscure Angle", for instance, is not much more than a soothing piano melody accompanied by soft ambience and short field recordings, and in spite of all the sparseness, it's still quite vivid. This isn't a formula Cobain and Dougans adhere to completely; "Summer's Dream" sounds desolate and lonely (not unlike something you would hear on Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works, Vol. II), while "Absolution" relies on a more beat-heavy, in your face style. However, the album is thematically linked together, similar to Lifeforms and Dead Cities. Cobain and Dougans capture the environmental concept rather well, allowing them to explore a number of different sounds, while maintaining a natural sounding record. Not unlike the actual environment, Environments 3 is unpredictable and diverse; "Hall of Mirrors" is lush and peaceful before transitioning into the frantic "End of the World" and back into the more delicate atmosphere of "Sense of Being".
Despite being a bit of a departure from The Future Sound of London's more heralded albums, Environments 3 (and really, the Environments series as a whole) stands out among the group's ever-growing discography. The generally minimalist structure of the record allows Cobain and Dougans to express a nuance of their sound not often explored, particularly as of late. It isn't quite as innovative as Lifeforms, to be sure, but Environments 3 is certainly among the best ambient albums of 2010. Given The Future Sound of London's penchant for quality, that isn't too surprising.
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| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
I thought these guys had broke up or had just become so bat-shit insane that they couldn't record music anymore. The number of side projects and aliases is just nuts.
Digging: Art By Numbers - Reticence: The Musical
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HOW DID I NOT HEAR ABOUT THIS?
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wtf same here
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Excellent. I'm glad to hear it doesn't get repetitive. I can always do with another FSOL album.
| | | Album Rating: 4
I thought these guys had broke up or had just become so bat-shit insane that they couldn't record music anymore. The number of side projects and aliases is just nuts. I think they were completely inactive between Dead Cities and The Isness, but after that they've been releasing stuff pretty consistently, especially since 2007. From the Archives is gold.
Digging: Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works, Vol. II | | |
For me this was about as good as the first Environments, some nice ideas that lose their steam when spread out over a whole album
Digging: Amon Tobin - Amon Tobin Digging: Amon Tobin - Amon Tobin
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didn't know this existed. really need more than lifeforms from this band.
Digging: Hop Along - Get Disowned Digging: Hop Along - Get Disowned
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Dead Cities was awesome too.
Gonna lay my hands on this.
Digging: Vauxdvihl - To Dimension Logic
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didn't know this existed. really need more than lifeforms from this band.
Accelerator, ISDN, Dead Cities & Environments II are all worth your time
There's also gold to be found in the From The Archives..... series, but they're essentially b-sides
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I liked ISDN, but I did not like Lifeforms and Dead Cities. Is there a good chance I might like this?
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If you don't like Lifeforms you don't have a soul
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i can see how someone would find it hard to get into
| | | Album Rating: 4
Well I haven't heard ISDN, but this is completely different from Lifeforms and Dead Cities so go for it
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Dead Cities is a great album
Digging: Meshuggah - Koloss
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If you don't like Lifeforms you don't have a soul
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their music desperately begs for acid
gonna check this album,Lifeforms and dead cities were ace
Digging: Goldie - Timeless
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Bout time this had gotten a review
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Digging From The Archives Vol. 6 more than this funnily enough
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