Well, the FSOL Artworks book is nothing like the Dead Cities book - quality-wise.
The print is Superb, the stapling is very fine - and it's one awesome product overall.
(if we have to nitpick, the print-factory cuts are not 100% accurate at a few places but that's just because the pictures are so demanding in the positioning)
So, the front page is the artwork for
Environments 6, which is done and ready by the way. I don't know if they sped-up the work or it is done just because E5 was rumored to be 2xCD and now we'll get the second CD as E6... it doesn't really matter - we'll see it in 2015 together with Archive 8 (which will have more than few surprises)
-
Environments 8 announced on Page 30 - it's some kind of installation in New York - is it live or something similar - we just don't know, for now. What we do know is that there will be 10 Environments in total (!!!), so, good times ahead.
- Also
Environments 1 may end up on vinyl. - Page 32 has the Environments 1 cover - but this version is about 10 times better than the one that ended up on the CD. Better contrast, better colors, better font - We can only assume this will end up the vinyl version!
- 2015 is mentioned a few times throughout the book - so it was clearly intended for 2015 but got an early release - would you look at that
an Early release of FSOL
- Most of the pages have artworks the we know from the well known post-2007 series - Environments, Archives, EBS mixes - and most of them are a different cut of the artwork. And some pages have hints of stuff that didn't got released and/or will come.
- Page 10 has teasers that EBS 7 had proper booklet ready, and yet somehow we ended up with the most plain cover for that one. Also, 2" Tape Reels teaser once again -- this is still around, it probably will be released.
- Page 14 has cool recent picture of the guys, which I think should end up replacing the top picture on this very Board
- Page 21 is also full of teasers but mostly stuff that were prepped and then not released and then ended up on other releases. The left bunch of CDs are all promos that got released one way or another (except the video collection one -- we still live and hope to see the day when FSOL release a video that is not promo) - The mid section is weird, the top left CD with a young Gaz pic - no idea what that is. The top-right side is the Mello Hippo Disco Show soundtrack that ended up on FSOLDigital in a digital form only.
- At the bottom is the
Rephlex test print of Zeebox on a 3" CD (so besides the 12" there was also a small 3" print).
- The
FISH SMOKIN' is the weirdest - it's actually a prequel of the Archives, a project started circa 2000 - some of it ended up on the Otherness, and the rest of it ended up on the Archives. - This actually says that the story about the 'Teachings' compilation in 2006 kickstarted the Archives is actually wrong (and I kinda never believed it anyway...)
- There are also some tapes, and some shots of 'the making of' the t-shirts of PNG.
- Page 24 - totally weird and NO idea what is that...
- Page 26 - some recent activities, the cover that's embedded in the bonus Artworks 4-track EP is on this page, also the Neurotic rainy piceture is trying to tell us something...
- Page 27 - dedicated to Humanoid.
The new Humanoid album is in the works as I type this. Brian also posted a short video of his 303 unpacked, fixed and ready for action!
- Page 34 - awesome picture, first seen (I think) in the Freeze magazine back in 2008 - this should definitely be used on some CD/Vinyl.
- Page 35 - credits - all images and artwork by Buggy G. Riphead / FSOL / Yage. (also the old EBv / Earthbeat logo is used all the time, and I like it.)
-- There are only about 10 more pieces left on this one -- I'm now kinda sorry I didn't order two, but on the other hand it wouldn't be fair because it's printed in such a small quantity...
-
Next artwork book - FSOL Histories!
***all news / hints / facts / teasers are by the man himself