Environment FIVE: out 8-Sep-2014

Feel free to talk about anything and everything FSOL related in this board.
Alcofribas
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Re: Environment FIVE: out 8-Sep-2014

Post by Alcofribas »

well this is absolutely incredible. just flipped the vinyl to the B side and I'm in heaven.

so far this is my favorite of the series.
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mcbpete
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Re: Environment FIVE: out 8-Sep-2014

Post by mcbpete »

Needs more 'Alcofribas review' ;)
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Ross
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Re: Environment FIVE: out 8-Sep-2014

Post by Ross »

We have a celeb among us.
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Pandemonium
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Re: Environment FIVE: out 8-Sep-2014

Post by Pandemonium »

Celebrity, ? Care to explain?
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Ross
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Re: Environment FIVE: out 8-Sep-2014

Post by Ross »

Bit of a WATMM injoke, nothing to get excited about!

I've written a couple of reviews, one for Amazon:
Over the course of the first four Environments releases, Dougans and Cobain gradually tipped the balance of old and new material in the favour of the latter, so perhaps it comes as no surprise that for the fifth volume, the band have recorded an album of entirely new material. Expanding on the wealth of new ideas and sounds found on the previous volume, Environment Five is the strongest release in the series to date.

The album, much like Environments 4, sees the band redefining their sound from ambient electronica to a more organic blend of acoustic instrumentation, psychedelia and classical-infused ambience; this time, however, the scale of the album is much more epic. Fittingly titled opener 'Point of Departure' builds up, almost post-rock like, from subtle beginnings to a rousing mix of violin, electric guitar textures and clattering drums, finished off with the classic FSOL staple of wordless female vocals. At the other end of the album, 'Moments of Isolation' is equally as impressive, based around a haunting piano motif, and reprising the violin melody from the opening track. Both pieces are among the best the group have ever written, and leave a lasting impression long after the album has finished.

Between these we find a typically diverse range of pieces, alternating between the sombre classical ambience found throughout the Environments series (with Neotropic's Riz Maslen on vocals and beautiful piano work from Dan Pemberton) and a range of new directions for the group. 'Images of the Past' recalls the spy film themes of last year's 'Cartel' side-project filtered through a melancholy ambience; 'Dying While Being Held' is full-on sci-fi soundtrack material; strangest of all is 'In Solitude We Are Least Alone', in which the band take what sounds like one of the mellower pieces from their Amorphous Androgynous psych-rock project and gradually feed it through an electronic blender, climaxing in a growling, writhing monster of sound. Throw in a choral breakbeat piece ('Somatasensory') and an avant-jazz interlude ('The Dust Settles') near the end and you have the full range of FSOL styles in one package.

What makes the album hold together so well, and what sets it apart from much of their back catalogue, is the sense of melody throughout. In recent interviews, Gaz Cobain has talked of the "euphoric sadness" that exists in FSOL's music, and nowhere is it more obvious than on Environment Five. The previous Environments series has definitely been pushing in the direction of emotional ambience (as opposed to the faceless '3D Headspace' of their '90s sound), and this album seems to be the culmination of that. For once, the album feels not like a soundtrack to some exotic location, but to a mindset outside of the physical realm - which fits the theme of the album exploring "the space / time / dimension that exists when we die."

Through the Environments series, FSOL have been allowed to reappear and reassess their sound, gradually and under the radar. With Environment Five, the band are triumphant in the final step of this: an entirely new album. A beautiful, haunting record that sounds nothing like their previous works, yet sounds completely FSOL, through and through.


And one for Norman Records:
After taking a ten year break to pursue their alternate lives as Noel Gallagher's favourite psych-rock outfit The Amorphous Androgynous, FSOL's return has been slow and, more often than not, confusing. When their long-lost 1994 album Environments came out in 2007, it was seen as part of the band's concurrent From the Archives series. Yet when they chose to continue the Environments series the following year, it became obvious they were using it to put out new material under the radar; only two new recordings nestled among archived pieces on volume 2, yet by 2012's Environments 4, the '90s material seemed to be little more than occasional samples and effects.

Still, it's taken until Environment Five for the band to stop hiding new material behind this 'lost album' tag, by going the whole hog and announcing this is 100% new material. Musically, it's a long way from the band's Virgin albums from the 1990s, bringing the various strains of their recent sounds together to form a rich sonic tapestry: the psychedelia of Amorphous Androgynous runs throughout the album, with regular doses of electric guitar and violin; the modern classical stylings of the previous Environments appear at regular intervals; and the whole thing is held together by the kinds of percussive rhythms and chunky analogue synths to be found by exploring their low-key alias releases on FSOLDigital.

As ever, FSOL's strength is tying such disparate musical ideas together into a cohesive whole, and Environment Five sees them doing this as well as ever. Held together by a range of alternately haunting and uplifting melodies, the record is a beautiful ride start to finish. It's the most emotional sounding FSOL record to date, eschewing some of their otherworldliness for a more direct, human approach. Instead of riding on the successes of the past, Dougans and Cobain continue to push forward, and the album is a triumph.
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epitome
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Re: Environment FIVE: out 8-Sep-2014

Post by epitome »

Ahhh, just realised that I read several of your FSOL reviews on Amazon a couple of years ago when I was first discovering them!
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Pandemonium
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Re: Environment FIVE: out 8-Sep-2014

Post by Pandemonium »

Those reviews are beautiful, by the way.
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Alcofribas
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Re: Environment FIVE: out 8-Sep-2014

Post by Alcofribas »

lol thanks chaps ; )

about 10 seconds into the first track my vinyl skips! I'm not complaining though, this record is so lush. really loving the timing too, perfect autumn vibes in chez alcofribas.

also, lovely stuff Ross
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dell1972
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Re: Environment FIVE: out 8-Sep-2014

Post by dell1972 »

Yep, good reviews Mr. Baker.

The album is definitely growing on me, just listening to it on a packed commuter bus didn't help. I'm definitely going to have to split the bonus stuff out, it's a very different feel to the album itself. I kind of prefer it when it takes longer to get into an album, it usually means it's got more legs in the long run.
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Ross
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Re: Environment FIVE: out 8-Sep-2014

Post by Ross »

Cheers guys. Speaking of reviews, a proper one - and an absolutely glowing one! - on The Quietus today: http://thequietus.com/articles/16325-fu ... ive-review
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Pandemonium
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Re: Environment FIVE: out 8-Sep-2014

Post by Pandemonium »

Holy shit... that review is 120% accurate and Great!
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epitome
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Re: Environment FIVE: out 8-Sep-2014

Post by epitome »

Yeah, cool review, I hope E5 does well for the guys, it deserves to.
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Re: Environment FIVE: out 8-Sep-2014

Post by Pandemonium »

Well, they finally arrived.
Technically, it's all still here, I received 2 parts, waiting for part 3 :)

- that what you get for living in a third world country :)

-- my fsoldigital mega-order:
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-- my fsol collection (not all of it, but most of the physical ones...) - what can I say - I got inspired like a teenager :D
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-- I even spent hours digging out my old equipment (that has turntable options) and hooking it on the old analog Marantz beast:
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-- And that DJ Food / AA collab is looking damn awesome!
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...well, happy as a little puppy :)
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RazorJack
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Re: Environment FIVE: out 8-Sep-2014

Post by RazorJack »

Nice haul, enjoy!
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Ross
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Re: Environment FIVE: out 8-Sep-2014

Post by Ross »

Awesome! You get to compare the different running orders on E5 too...
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