FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON – The Isness

After six years of wait since the last studio-recorded album “Dead Cities”, FSOL is back where it belongs with “The Isness”. Duet of Garry Cobain & Brian Dougans still, even after such long time, stands firm behind the idea (loosely transcribed) that lively, appealing music is a one thing – FSOL music is something completely different.

If you are not a long-time fan of FSOL, listening of this edition will leave you confused. Even if you are, lot of things will remain unclear until you replay it at least three or four times. Album opens with 'Elysian Fields', an reminiscence of previous work, followed by ‘the hit’ -'The Mello Hippo Disco Show': vocals, strange strings and downtempo beats will immediately stick to your mind. The title of the song can be used as a tour guide for what comes next: 'The Galaxial Pharmaceutical', an incredible mix of possible and impossible live instruments (guitar + flute + violin+ piano+ oboe… saxophone + electric guitar…) + sick vocals = another 15-minute FSOL music trip. Album continues in that direction until the track called 'Her Tongue Is Like a Jellyfish', which with the following three is sort of like 'Lifeforms' track with far-eastern spices.
‘The Isness’ is closed by an audio spectacle of 'Goodbye Sky', one more song with melancholic vocals glued to the real orchestral piece (Cabbage Orchestra). Recognisable track that people not knowing it’s a FSOL song would ask ‘Where did I hear this one before?’

All in all, nothing else could have been expected from the grands of electronic scene after six years of absence. Their music never was ‘for everyone’, so if you are absolutely sure you want to hear a fusion of everything-labeled-electronic-music, don’t hesitate, get “The Isness”.