Environment FIVE: out 8-Sep-2014

[Pandemonium]

I know exactly what you mean

I said I want to make it a ringtone - not I will make it a ring tone...

Hmm... maybe I will make it and just use it for a few days, or until my E5 copy arrives

[leonb2273]

Apologies to anyone who is trying to avoid listening to previews...

[+] Oooh and did you know that ...

Found some longer (2:00) preview clips of the album.

https://clone.nl/digital/item2569323.html

[Ross]

Received a rather amazing birthday present this morning. If I could use two words to describe the album it would be 'epic' and 'intense'. If Translations was a warm-up to ease you in to The Isness, then the previous Environments (partiularly 4) were warm-ups to ease you into this. I'll write some more detail later, but in quick summary: this is a new FSOL record, with emphasis on the new. It definitely doesn't sound like anything they've done before. Lots of analogue synths, lots of real instruments, lots of Dan Pemberton piano, generally lots of 'euphoric sadness'. Incredibly beautiful. Going to take a lot of listens to get my head round it.

Oh and, Bonus EP:

1. Electric Brain Storm (3:40)
2. The Final Inner Breath (5:09)
3. HereAfter (6:11)

[dell1972]

Thought they might do that, really looking forward to listening to this, sounds impressive. I'm still trying to minimise the exposure to the previews.

On a different note. I have a different reason to celebrate today, my final day at work here, 9 years, almost a quarter of my life, and not an entirely amicable break, but definitely for the best. A new start on Monday, with a new job and FSOL's new album to go with it.

[Ross]

Oh, congrats on the new job! Glad that's worked out for you


Ok, bit of a rundown of my thoughts on the album...

[+] Oooh and did you know that ...

Point of Departure - amazing epic opener. Feels kind of like what 'The Emptiness of Nothingness' was trying to do, but far more successfully for me. Huge drums, layers of synths and piano, absolutely marvelous. Immediately had my smiling.

Source of Uncertainty - beautiful Dan Pemberton piano work, haunting little track.

Image of the Past - hints of Yage and even The Cartel in this one, lots of percussion, but with the FSOL 'euphoric sadness' in place of funk.

Beings of Light - beautiful ambient piece with Riz Maslen's vocals.

In Solitude We Are Least Alone - the previews of this are a bit misleading, although it has a bit of an Amorphousy feel with the piano and violin, it becomes a completely mad growling, writhing electronic monster by the middle of the track. I've never heard anything quite like it before.

Viewed From Below the Surface - once more, alternating between direct loud tracks and more abstract, ambient pieces. Discordant piano and an array of eerie effects.

Multiples - a short interlude, not quite worked this one out yet.

Dying While Being Held - soundtrack material with harpsichord, strings, and really quite strange gated drums. Epic and beautiful.

Machines of the Subconscious - much as the preview clip, a dark, moody slice of electronica. Stylistically out of place, but the atmosphere fits the album perfectly.

Dark and Lonely Waters - back to the ambient, a very moody piece, synths and water samples. Doesn't contain the titlular samples, sadly.

Somatosensory - the only way I can describe this is: try to imagine a life-affirmingly beautiful version of 'Slider'. Bonkers and brilliant.

The Dust Settles - brass and synths, jazz done in an ambient way (nothing like The Jazz Mags.) Going to take a few listens to fully appreciate this but I like the textures.

Moments of Isolation - piano, guitar, vocals, drums, violin - on paper it could almost be an Amorphous track, but something makes it very, very FSOL. Maybe the 'euphoric sadness' again, or possibly the synths that come in and take over in the second half. The feel isn't unlike the longer Archive tracks like Turn Around or Long Shadows, but it doesn't have the looping electronica feel to it - very free and loose, could almost have been done live in the studio. The very end rounds the album off perfectly too. This is easily my favourite track from the Environments series so far.


Overall, it alternates between rhythmic tracks and abstract pieces. You can definitely hear the roots of most of it in the recent side-projects - Yage, Blackhill, EMS : Piano and of course Amorphous - but they're fleshed out here and given a proper melodic slant. Structurally it's like the previous two volumes, having short sections that would, in the '90s, be used as intro/outro segues as individual tracks here. Whilst volume 4 feels quite compact at 52 minutes, this stretches its 53 out as far as it can - the epic sound of the music, the huge range of sounds on display, and some of the lengthy tracks all come together to make it feel comparable to their classic albums, despite being 20+ minutes shorter.

It does a pretty good job of fulfilling its purpose - it definitely sounds less like a soundtrack to a place, and more of a state of mind. The fragility of existence and the potential of the beauty beyond life.

Given that I've massively overplayed E2, it's difficult to compare it to that currently, but I definitely prefer this to 1, 3 and 4 - and I think it might even be stronger than 2.


tl;dr - fucking great album.

[dell1972]

Cheers, I'll raise a glass tonight and say Ross is still tons younger than me!

[tryptych]

Man, I cannot express HOW tempted I'm to listen to those samples..

[RazorJack]

Happy birthday, Ross!

[mcbpete]

Aye, hope you have an awesome day man

[Dennis]

Shit, I'll have to wait at least 2 weeks to hear it. Same with SYRO.
Trackdescriptions sound very promising, @Ross: What do the bonus tracks sound like? Do they fit the albums mood in a way? (Oh, and a happy birthday!)

[Ross]

Ha thanks guys.
The bonus tracks are all more 'electronic' and probably less immediate... actually quite struggled with them at first. Need to give them a listen again later.

[seedy]

nice dell - life goes on it usually IS for the best when you move on


happy b-day ross!

[beetles]

Happy birthday mate.have a good one.

[epitome]

Happy birthday, Ross - that's a great present for you! I'm jealous and really hoping my copy shows up today

[Concept]

Happy birthday. : )