The October issue of Future Music magazine (#283) is out now, and features the Lifeforms interview, in which Gaz reminisces about the making of and reactions to the album, and occasionally actually discusses specific tracks (although considerably less than you'd expect from a 'track-by-track'.)
He also mentions that 'this month' Amorphous Androgynous will be releasing a Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble album based around Australian music. Quite what 'this month' means - both in terms of literal understanding (it is technically an October issue, despite being out in August), and in terms of FSOL's alternate universe timestream when "soon" means "in two years" and press releases go out advertising things that never even happened (the 2008 Isness re-release, for one.)
Still, it sounds like a fascinating approach for a new MPB project, and one that will likely throw light on some wonderful obscurities from the culture of an oft-forgotten country.
Thursday 28 August 2014
Wednesday 27 August 2014
27/08/14 - Future Music Magazine Classic Album: Lifeforms
While you wait impatiently for Environment Five to come out in a couple of weeks, why not revisit the past with this month's issue of Future Music Magazine? Lifeforms is the magazine's 'classic album', and not only does it feature an interview with Gaz about the album, but it also contains a track-by-track description of the record by Mr. Cobain too.
Monday 25 August 2014
25/08/14 - New E5 teaser
A third Environment Five teaser for everyone, this time Machines of the Subconscious, a beaty, electronic affair. The video also announces that the album will be shipping a week early (8th September) if ordered directly from FSOLDigital... The video description states pre-orders made on / from 26th August will receive a free 3-track bonus EP on release. We're not sure if that's only on 26th August or any date after that... confirmation soon.
EDIT: all FSOLDigital pre-orders will receive the bonus EP on release, not just those placed on 26th August.
Oh, and that video:
EDIT: all FSOLDigital pre-orders will receive the bonus EP on release, not just those placed on 26th August.
Oh, and that video:
Wednesday 20 August 2014
20/08/14 - Environment Five tracklist + info
Although there's been lots of speculation around the previous records, all of the Environments albums have been marketed as 'lost albums' from their '90s period, despite the very clear progression into newly recorded material as the series has gone on. Still, even volume 4 had 'Fibrillation', which has its origins in 'Glacier', and potentially more old stuff we don't know about. It is, then, with some excitement, that we can share the album description of Environment Five...
Following on from the themes of the first 4 Environments albums, Five explores the space / time / dimension that exists when we die. The moment of departure. It includes appearances from Daniel Pemberton (BAFTA nominated / Ivor Novello winning composer), Raven Bush (Syd Arthur) and Riz Maslen (Neotropic). The Environment series originally began as an archive of previously unreleased recordings but Environment Five features thirteen all new songs recorded in the first half of 2014.
So yes, confirmation that this is the new FSOL album. So that's a nice way to start the day. Also, this is the first time an album has been given an official description. Whilst both Lifeforms and Dead Cities had their concepts discussed in interviews, this time we have a definite theme: the space / time / dimension that exists when we die. This theme is very much explored in the tracklist, as listed below...
Disc: 1
1. Point Of Departure
2. Source Of Uncertainty
3. Image Of The Past
4. Beings Of Light
5. In Solitude We Are At Least Alone
6. Viewed From Below The Surface
Disc: 2
1. Somatosensory
2. Multiples
3. Dying While Being Held
4. Machines of the Subconscious
5. Dark and Lonely Waters
6. The Dust Settles
7. Moments Of Isolation
Despite both the vinyl and CD editions being listed as single disc editions, both feature a double disc tracklist. Given the knowledge that it's going to be a long album, it's likely that it's a single CD, double LP edition, and this tracklist is for the vinyl. There's a lot of potentially interesting stuff to read into the tracklisting... firstly, again, the theme. Unlike the previous Environments records, which have very much had vague descriptive titles ('North Arctic', 'The Empty Land', 'River Delta', etc.), here there's a definite sense of cohesion between the track names. Secondly, it's great to see the 'Viewed from...' series make a return after its absence on the previous volume. Lastly, no sign of the three titles we'd previously been supplied with: 'Five G' (from the Seafar teaser in early 2012); '******' and 'Strange Glare' from the FSOLDigital Sampler 2. It's possible that these have been renamed; it's equally possible that the 'first half of 2014' remark in the description is true, and this wholly new record replaces an earlier incarnation of the album - in which case, we'll probably see those tracks appear on a future Archive record.
Following on from the themes of the first 4 Environments albums, Five explores the space / time / dimension that exists when we die. The moment of departure. It includes appearances from Daniel Pemberton (BAFTA nominated / Ivor Novello winning composer), Raven Bush (Syd Arthur) and Riz Maslen (Neotropic). The Environment series originally began as an archive of previously unreleased recordings but Environment Five features thirteen all new songs recorded in the first half of 2014.
So yes, confirmation that this is the new FSOL album. So that's a nice way to start the day. Also, this is the first time an album has been given an official description. Whilst both Lifeforms and Dead Cities had their concepts discussed in interviews, this time we have a definite theme: the space / time / dimension that exists when we die. This theme is very much explored in the tracklist, as listed below...
Disc: 1
1. Point Of Departure
2. Source Of Uncertainty
3. Image Of The Past
4. Beings Of Light
5. In Solitude We Are At Least Alone
6. Viewed From Below The Surface
Disc: 2
1. Somatosensory
2. Multiples
3. Dying While Being Held
4. Machines of the Subconscious
5. Dark and Lonely Waters
6. The Dust Settles
7. Moments Of Isolation
Despite both the vinyl and CD editions being listed as single disc editions, both feature a double disc tracklist. Given the knowledge that it's going to be a long album, it's likely that it's a single CD, double LP edition, and this tracklist is for the vinyl. There's a lot of potentially interesting stuff to read into the tracklisting... firstly, again, the theme. Unlike the previous Environments records, which have very much had vague descriptive titles ('North Arctic', 'The Empty Land', 'River Delta', etc.), here there's a definite sense of cohesion between the track names. Secondly, it's great to see the 'Viewed from...' series make a return after its absence on the previous volume. Lastly, no sign of the three titles we'd previously been supplied with: 'Five G' (from the Seafar teaser in early 2012); '******' and 'Strange Glare' from the FSOLDigital Sampler 2. It's possible that these have been renamed; it's equally possible that the 'first half of 2014' remark in the description is true, and this wholly new record replaces an earlier incarnation of the album - in which case, we'll probably see those tracks appear on a future Archive record.
20/08/14 - Environment Five vinyl
Environment Five will be the first major FSOL release to come out on vinyl since Alice in Ultraland in 2005. This is exciting news.
Tuesday 19 August 2014
19/08/14 - Environment 5 out 15th September
All this time I've been looking for information on Environments 5, I never stopped to consider that the album could really be called Environment 5. Then again, this Amazon release date of 15th September suggests otherwise...
Less than a month to go!
Less than a month to go!
Monday 18 August 2014
19/08/14 - Environments 5 clips
Two clips from Environments 5 have appeared on Brian's STAKKERHUMANOID account this afternoon.
"In Solitude At Least We Are Alone":
"Source of Uncertainty":
The former is reminiscent of the Amorphous-tinged sound of Environments 4, whilst the latter is a moody piano piece, with hints of Environments 3. Yet they both sound fresh and new, too. Which is all we can hope for. Other than Gaz saying he's finally back in full-on FSOL mode:
"very proud of this upcoming FSOL album.. some very deep personal synchronicity behind it which feels like i've reconnected with my former self at the same time reconnecting ( here via facebook ) with some incredibly important people from my past. Don't quite know why i let such people leave my life and don't quite know why i left FSOL behind when it represents such a huge emotional aspect of my personality but there you go...we are a mystery unto ourselves sometimes......love this track featuring the wonderful RAVEN BUSH with a majestic violin performance 'IN SOLITUDE WE ARE LEAST ALONE ' can't wait for people to hear the whole track and album..."
"In Solitude At Least We Are Alone":
"Source of Uncertainty":
The former is reminiscent of the Amorphous-tinged sound of Environments 4, whilst the latter is a moody piano piece, with hints of Environments 3. Yet they both sound fresh and new, too. Which is all we can hope for. Other than Gaz saying he's finally back in full-on FSOL mode:
"very proud of this upcoming FSOL album.. some very deep personal synchronicity behind it which feels like i've reconnected with my former self at the same time reconnecting ( here via facebook ) with some incredibly important people from my past. Don't quite know why i let such people leave my life and don't quite know why i left FSOL behind when it represents such a huge emotional aspect of my personality but there you go...we are a mystery unto ourselves sometimes......love this track featuring the wonderful RAVEN BUSH with a majestic violin performance 'IN SOLITUDE WE ARE LEAST ALONE ' can't wait for people to hear the whole track and album..."
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