Lost Horizons is the second studio album from Lemon Jelly, released in October 2002. It produced two charting singles in the UK, "Space Walk" and "Nice Weather for Ducks"; the latter has often been called the album's stand-out track. The album, which is built around a mix of organic instrumentation and idiosyncratic samples, was met with largely positive reviews by music critics, although it was somewhat critiqued due to its near-constant mellowness.
Domestically, the album charted at number 20, and it also managed to peak at number 24 in the US on the Billboard Top Electronic Albums chart. The album's two singles, "Space Walk" and "Nice Weather for Ducks", were also successful, peaking on the UK Singles Chart, at number 36 and 16 respectively. The album, was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2003, was eventually certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry for shipments exceeding 100,000 copies.
Music
Lost Horizons opens with "Elements", which "blends acoustic guitars, flugelhorns, synths, skittering breakbeat rhythms, a folksy harmonica, and ... a falsetto 'doo-doo' chorus".[1] Overlaying the music is a voiceover, courtesy of English actor John Standing, that lists the basic 'elements' that make up the world: ash, metal, water, wood, fire, and (eventually, later in the song) sky.[1] The second track, "Space Walk", is set to a recording of Ed White's 1965 space walk on the Gemini 4 mission.[2] Franglen and Deakin chose to use the sample after listening to an album called ‘’Flight to the Moon’’ (1969); the two were struck by how moving and emotive many of the tracks were. Deakin later said, "'One small step' leaves me cold, because it was so obviously scripted. But the spacewalk… even after hearing it so many times, it's so vivid."[3]
"Ramblin' Man" features a conversation between an interviewer (the voice of Michael Deakin—father of Lemon Jelly's Fred Deakin) and "John the Ramblin' Man" (the voice of Standing),[4][5] during which he lists various places from around the world, ranging from "from small Sussex villages to major world capitals."[5] When listed in the order in which the locations are narrated, the message "Bagpuss Sees All Things" is spelled out midway through the song (from Brixton at four minutes ten seconds, to San José at four minutes 31 seconds) using the first letter of each location.[5] "Return to Patagonia" features jazz-inspired elements.[1][6]
The song "Nice Weather for Ducks" is built around a sample inspired by John Langstaff's song "All the Ducks". This song was based on the popular Dutch children's song, "Alle eendjes zwemmen in het water" (translated: All the ducks are swimming in the water). Franglen later said that he and Deakin were drawn to Langstaff's recording because it "had a gentle madness to it, slightly unhinged".[7] The duo had attempted to clear Langstaff's version for sampling, but were unable to. In the end, they had Enn Reitel re-record the vocal snippet. Franglen, while noting that Reitel's performance was good, said that once the sample was re-recorded its "edge disappeared".[7] "Experimental Number 6", arguably the album's darkest track,[1][8][9] features a faux field recording of a doctor documenting the side effects of an unnamed drug administered to a patient; the recording tells how the patient progresses from normalcy, to an "overwhelming sense of well-being and euphoria", before eventually expiring.[1] The album closes with "The Curse of Ka'Zar", which features "a two-part harmony chorus and jazzy drum loop".[1]
Reception
Critical Reviews
Lost Horizons received mostly positive reviews from critics, although several critics critiqued the album's near-constant mellowness. Stuart Mason of AllMusic called the album "a delightful but slightly faceless blend of lounge pop, subtle beats, found sound, with mellow jazz influences."[10] A reviewer for Entertainment.ie praised the band for approaching electronica from a new angle, writing, "this London-based duo employ Playschool pianos, acoustic guitars and sprightly beats to create laid-back instrumentals guaranteed to sooth even the most restless of souls. [...] What really marks Lemon Jelly as exciting new talents is their quirky sense of humour, which they use to brighten up their sound with skilful [sic] use of nursery rhymes, brass bands and offbeat samples.[11] Pascal Wyse of The Guardian wrote, "Everything is approachable and purely crafted, but Lost Horizons cheats banality with some choice quirks: Magnificent Seven strings, astronauts chatting, panoramic sound effects."[8] Chris Dahlen of Pitchfork Media felt that the album was a little too saccharine at times, but that it is "the perfect disc to throw on after your four-disc Ultrachill Dub Groove Mix has put the whole party to sleep. It's like eight flavors of ribbon candy, beach balls hitting the ground like hail, and a big plastic clown face that blows helium."[9]
Many reviews singled out "Nice Weather for Ducks" as the album's stand-out track. Mason selected the "dreamy, acoustic guitar-based" song as one of the album's highlights in his review.[10] Dahlen described it as "the most likeable" on the album, and concluded that it is "a happy-slappy lollipop of a song that nicely sums this record up: Sunny, bright, and vaguely irritating."[9] Wysel wrote, "When the flugelhorn arrives on 'Nice Weather for Ducks' it is impossible to believe there is any evil in the world."[8]
Conversely, several critics felt that "Experiment Number Six" did not fit with the mood of the rest of the album. Wysel called it a "pool of darkness" that "comes as quite a shock."[8] Dahlen felt that the song is "is the only break in the [album's] mood."[9] While he enjoyed the song's concept, calling it "so different and sinister that it's more intriguing than the rest of the album", he felt that it was "annoyingly displaced."[9] Hermann, on the other hand, called the track "clever" and "spooky" with "music ... so well crafted that [the concept] works".[1]
Sales and accolades
In the UK, the album charted at number 20 on the Albums Chart.[12] In the US, it peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Top Electronic Albums chart.[13] In both cases, it was the first Lemon Jelly album to do so. The album's two singles, "Space Walk" and "Nice Weather for Ducks", also managed to chart on the UK Singles Chart, at number 36 and 16 respectively. Again, this was a first for the band.[12] On December 20, 2002, the album was certified Silver.[14] Almost six months later, on July 22, 2013, it was certified Gold, denoting shipments of over 100,000.[15] In 2003, the album was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize,[16] although the album lost to Dizzee Rascal's Boy in da Corner.[17]
Track listing
| 1. |
"Elements" |
8:41 |
| 2. |
"Space Walk" |
7:03 |
| 3. |
"Ramblin' Man" |
7:08 |
| 4. |
"Return to Patagonia" |
8:41 |
| 5. |
"Nice Weather for Ducks" |
6:08 |
| 6. |
"Experiment Number Six" |
5:54 |
| 7. |
"Closer" |
7:24 |
| 8. |
"The Curse of Ka'Zar" |
9:01 |
Credits and personnel
- Band members and production[4]
- Nick Franglen – band member, production
- Fred Deakin – band member, design, illustration, art direction
- Cameron Jenkins – engineering
|
- Other personnel[4]
- John Standing – speech on "Elements" and "Ramblin' Man"
- Brian Foreman – bass
- Bob "Forever" Young – harmonica
- Carey Wilson, Bob Hunter, Keith Abbs, Malcolm Abbs – vocals on "Elements"
- Steve Sidwell – flugelhorns, trumpets
- Michael O'Connor – speech on "Space Walk"
- Andy Diagram – trumpet, sound effects
- Damien Hand – flutes, saxophone
- Rory McFarlane – double bass
- Melanie McFadyean and Rory Blair – speech on "Return to Patagonia"
- Carey Wilson, Peter Bamber, Fergus O'Kelley, Micheal Clarke, Bob Fardell, Lindsay Benson, David Bevon, David Porter-Thomas – choir on "Return to Patagonia"
- Enn Reitel – vocals on "Nice Weather for Ducks"
- Guy Pratt – bass on "Nice Weather for Ducks"
- Doctor William Brook – speech on "Experiment Number Six"
- Andy Kane & Rita Campbell – vocals on "The Curse of Ka'Zar"
|
Charts
Certifications and sales
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hermann, Andy (January 14, 2003). "Lemon Jelly: Lost Horizons". PopMatters. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
- ↑ Smith 2005, p. 438.
- ↑ Smith 2005, pp. 438–439.
- 1 2 3 Lemon Jelly (2002). Lost Horizons (Media notes). XL Recordings.
- 1 2 3 "Part Three: People and Places". The Guardian. March 16, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
- ↑ Larkin 2006, p. 168.
- 1 2 "Interview with Nick Franglen from Lemon Jelly". WhoSampled. July 17, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Wyse, Pascal (October 25, 2002). "Lemon Jelly: Lost Horizons". The Guardian. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dahlen, Chris (February 5, 2003). "Lemon Jelly: Lost Horizons". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
- 1 2 3 Mason, Stuart. "Lost Horizons – Lemon Jelly". AllMusic. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
- 1 2 "Lemon Jelly – Lost Horizons". Entertainment.ie. November 12, 2002. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 Roberts 2006 p. 317.
- 1 2 "Lost Horizons – Lemon Jelly – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
- ↑ "British album certifications – Lemon Jelly – Lost Horizons". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Lost Horizons in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
- 1 2 "British album certifications – Lemon Jelly – Lost Horizons". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Lost Horizons in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
- ↑ "Lemon Jelly". Mercury Prize. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- ↑ Imagee, Matthew (7 September 2004). "Still going strong after Dizzee rise to Mercury's peak". The Scotsman. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
- ↑ "Lost Horizons [Japan Bonus Track]". AllMusic. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
Bibliography
- Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music: Kollington – Morphine. Muze. ISBN 9780195313734.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 9781904994107.
- Smith, Andrew (2005). Moondust: In Search of the Men who Fell to Earth. Bloomsbury. p. 438. ISBN 9780747563693.
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- Fred Deakin
- Nick Franglen
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