Lifeforms (album)
| Lifeforms | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by The Future Sound of London | ||||
| Released | 27 May 1994 | |||
| Genre | Ambient dub | |||
| Length | 92:33 | |||
| Label | Astralwerks, Virgin | |||
| Producer | The Future Sound of London | |||
| The Future Sound of London chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Full cover picture | ||||
 The "Witch Girl" in a desert landscape. |
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  [1] |
| Robert Christgau |  [2] |
| Sputnikmusic | [3] |
Lifeforms is a 1994 double album by experimental electronica group The Future Sound of London. With time, it has become their best-known album and is considered to be an important and influential classic of avant-garde electronic music.[1]
The album
It achieved commercial success and produced hit singles such as "Cascade" and "Lifeforms".
FSOL created this around the same time as they were finishing Tales of Ephidrina, and the more complex, ambient direction they were taking resulted in Lifeforms.[4] The artwork also progressed from previous works, with soon to be familiar images of the "Witch Girl" Sheuneen Ta, and the "Spike" computer model—sometimes referred to as the Electronic Brain—appearing in the artwork for the first time.
The album was certified silver (over 60,000 units sold) by British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
Track listing
Disc one
- "Cascade" – 5:59
- "Ill Flower" – 3:24
- "Flak" – 4:53
- "Bird Wings" – 1:30
- "Dead Skin Cells" – 6:50
- "Lifeforms" – 5:18 (Feat. Elizabeth Fraser)
- "Eggshell" – 6:45
- "Among Myselves" – 5:52
Disc two
- "Domain" – 2:48
- "Spineless Jelly" – 4:41
- "Interstat" – 0:55
- "Vertical Pig" – 6:44
- "Cerebral" – 3:30 (Feat. Toni Halliday)
- "Life Form Ends" – 5:03
- "Vit" – 6:48
- "Omnipresence" – 6:39
- "Room 208" – 6:12
- "Elaborate Burn" – 3:15
- "Little Brother" – 5:13
Media
For samples of the title track see Lifeforms (song).
 |
"Room 208"
 From the album Lifeforms. |
| Problems playing this file? See media help. | |
Chart position
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | UK Albums Chart | #6 |
Crew
- Written and produced by The Future Sound of London
- Engineered by Yage
- "Flak" written by Garry Cobain, Brian Dougans, Robert Fripp, Andrew Grossart, Trevor Nightingale, William Thomson, Paul Williams
- "Omnipresence" written by Garry Cobain, Brian Dougans, Klaus Schulze
- Soundbytes on "Flak" (and "Cascade", uncredited) by Ozric Tentacles
- Guitar textures and bytes on "Flak" by Robert Fripp
- Tabla Tronics on "Life Form Ends" by Talvin Singh
- Vocal texture on "Cerebral" from a session with Toni Halliday (of Curve)
- "Among Myselves" features samples from the David Cronenberg movie Scanners.
- Elizabeth Fraser sings vocals on the title track "Lifeforms" (single version).
- Artwork and photography credits include: FSOL, Buggy G. Riphead, Peter Atkinson, Stephen Marks, P. Knott, Alistair Shay, Martin Poole and Olaf Wendt, the latter of whom designed the 'spike'/'electronic brain' model.
References
- 1 2 "Lifeforms > Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
- ↑ "CG: The Future Sound of London". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
- ↑ "The Future Sound of London - Lifeforms (staff review)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
- ↑ "Future Sound of London : Music News Feature". Clash Music. Retrieved 2012-08-18.