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for some reason despite the 2014 production this still doesn't feel like "the" new album to me (i.e. "the one we've been waiting for"_

i think it's because it's carrying on the environments name so it feels like a continuation of an older series rather than a set of fresh tracks with no ties to anything else. does using the environments name somewhat pigeonhole the sounds they can transmit?
or is it just a name that means little in terms of content?

It sounds NEW enough to me,
as a concept, the tracklist alone tells a story,
as a fsoldigital release,
as a vinyl release,

I haven't been excited this much for the other Environments series...

It's just semantics. It's only because the title puts it in an existing series. There's a kind of sense to that though as the series has come (to me at least) represent the gradual re-emergence of FSOL as a going concern, moving gradually from a strictly archival position to one where all the tracks are newly recorded.

Sounds like there's at least one more to come. Or maybe they'll do another three to get to the all important 8 volumes they seem to go to?

Perhaps it's more like Ross stated before - first it was rather Brian doing tracks for Env5 and later in 2014 Gaz joined and started incorporating stuff and added some concept and vision - but soundwise it's a clear continuation from Env4 to 5 with all the ambiences/piano-stuff and the 'real Instruments' so that name seems appropriate. But who knows what awaits us in the future- now Gaz is back on FSOL-mode? (at least a sixth Environment is coming upon us somewhen, I think?)

But on the other hand - "the spirit of dark and lonely water" as an album title would be a burner too...

I think it's the slow re-emergence of FSOL as a concept, as a group; there's been more new content on each as they've gone along, to the point where we now have a proper new album. That they're doing a volume 6 does seem a bit odd in this light, as opposed to a whole new project now - but maybe they're also working on something else that's going to be even bigger. I wouldn't be surprised if the first non-Environments thing we get will be a surround sound DVD audio multimedia package or something. They have the means to do it these days. Perhaps the Environments title is simply to downplay it in terms of a 'comeback'.

Still, this is a new album of new material with a single concept, with a vinyl release. It's the new album.

Pre-order on Fsoldigital sounds better sure , really hard wait more for it!!!!

Yeah, I'm definitely more excited about this release than I have been for the last few.

I'm a believer...and a dreamer

Sounds like the Electronic Brain is coming back to life.

A lot of talk in this thread about Gaz reconnecting with the FSOL... what's the backstory to this? Exactly how involved has he been with the previous Environments albums? I read that radio interview transcript where he seemed to be writing off the Environments series to some extent as just archive material, but it's pretty clear it's not just old stuff from the '90s they're only just putting out. Has he just not been very involved in the series so far?

Jack, did you listen to that interview instead of reading it? If not I suggest you do so. IMO its some of the most passionate interviews Gaz has ever done when talking about FSOL. I listen to it almost every day and it seems to me there is absolutely no sign of Gaz writing off the Environments series, I think I understand what he means. To us it could be new music but these guys know better, secondly I think the Environments, especially E2 which is my favorite sounds like Amorphous.

Jack Absorb. wrote:I read that radio interview transcript where he seemed to be writing off the Environments series to some extent as just archive material

Yeah, remember that, it was indeed some point of discussion on here that it seemed a bit odd that Gaz would consider Env4 as an archived recording when everyone here was quite sure that most of it is obviously new. My personal theory on this was always, that he was not so much involved in the making of Env4 as a whole, like putting all the tracks together, doing the mastering, etc., while tracks like murmurations or Wheel of Life were obviously originated from AA-sessions, so that Gaz must have known it´s all rather new stuff... So when the FSOL-releases from 08 until now were more like say 80% Brian and 20% Gaz because Gaz was more involved with mounstrous remixes and doing cartel, it´s now maybe fifty/fifty for Env5. I apologize in advance for my anchorless speculation

I believe the first two Environments albums were pieced together by Brian, although obviously from old material they both made. I think a lot of the new material on 3 is probably by Brian, or largely by Brian. Obviously you have bits like Recollected which has flutes and all-sorts with a very Gaz/Amorphous vibe, but I really can't imagine him being too heavily involved in a track like Absolution. Gaz put a fair bit of Environments 4 on his YouTube, so he was obviously more heavily involved in that. If anything, the tracks were probably standard Brian / Gaz fare, but the album was conceptualised and structured by Brian maybe? It's difficult to say. There are elements of old material on 4, but they're few and far between. I wouldn't be surprised if there were sounds and snippets of old demos on there or something, but it's obviously all newly 'completed' unlike, say, 2, which is basically lots of old tracks which never found a suitable home.

This is all conjecture, of course, but I think it's fair to say from Gaz's comments over the past five years that he was less involved in putting together the previous Environments albums than Brian was - certainly the first three volumes.

Out of curiosity, which is everyone's favourite Environments so far?

I'd have to go for 2, then 4, 3, 1... all pretty closely matched though.

I'd go for 2, closely followed by 4 then maybe 1 actually edging 3. That said, I really did play E2 to death when it came out so I've got listening fatigue with that one. Parts of 3 I love but compositionally it's loses its way then just ends up a bit all over the place towards the end. I guess E1 is all over the place from start to finish but I kinda like the whole "Evil twin of Lifeforms" feel. When I first heard it I was astounded.