Future Sound of London return with the followup to "Isness" but is this album really that different?

Future Sound of London Presents Amorphous Androgynous - The Otherness (Psychobaby)

Future Sound of London have been around a long time consisting of the two guys known as Brian Dougans and Gary Cobain. They have been making music since 1985 and you know their work, for example Stakker – Humanoid is their creation and the famous "Papua New Guinea". They have released several albums and this is sort of the B side to “Isness”, it was released as a double CD with “Isness” and the “Otherness” in Europe but it has been released as a single CD in North America. Future Sound of London are known for being different and unique, about nine years ago, they were asked to go on a tour but they said NO, they would play live in their studio then pump the music via ISDN line to any stage or station that wanted them to play live. From that, they created the album known as “ISDN” in 1995, which is a collection of some of the songs from their uplink broadcasts. After they released “Dead Cities” in 1996, Gary Cobain become ill and he went all across the globe, trying to find a cure, he used healers, visionaries and other methods. He ended up in India for a few months, in a village and from that he fasted and learned Yoga. Now Dougans used to stand outside Cobain’s house and wonder where he was and he started to trace Cobain’s travels via credit card bills. Well Cobain came back in late 1998 and the illness that had taken two years of his life had finally started to go away and he traced the illness to the mercury fillings in his mouth, so he had those removed in Mexico. So with Cobain back to full health, him and Dougans went back to the studio. Now this was not a wasted trip because Cobain has added some of these influences from his many travels into their music. They came back in 2002 with “Isness” and this album is the followup to it. Future Sound of London have many influences in their music, 60’s rock, acid house, ambient, trip hop and other styles of music. You have to remember that they erased the line that no musician had the guts to cross in terms of music creation and they have explored sonic creations with no boundaries for the better part of twelve years. In Future Sound Of London’s world, there are no limits to what they will create or use with their work. This is under their Amorphous Androgynous alias, that they have been using for a few years.

The Otherness

1.Elysian Feels (Abbey Road Version)
2.Yo-Yo (Abbey road Version)
3.Goodbye Sky
4.The Lovers (love is the lover)
5.Maharishi Raga
6.The Band (Divinity)
7.Rural Green
8.Chawawah
9.She sells electric ego
10.Chinese Whispers
11.Slo-mo
12.The Conga Man
13.Theram
14.Toy Piano

Elysian Feels (Abbey Road Version)

We start with some weird sound effects then it goes all orchestral suddenly, this is nothing new for FSOL, they are known for changing songs in midstream, they are known for throwing in everything but the kitchen sink into their work. The first of their influences shows up right after the orchestral part, we go right into a 1960’s era drumline, putting this tune into a genre is impossible, it is downtempo at times, trip hop at times and just downright confusing at times but that’s FSOL, they are just so unique, nothing sounds like them. They keep throwing in element after element, which keeps the mind active with all the changes. Violins come in near the end, placed near the back of the track, which gives it a subtle backing before it fades out.

Yo-Yo (Abbey road Version)

The 2nd song starts out faintly then hits you with a trip hop style beat with amazing orchestral parts backing it. The second influence of FSOL becomes apparent now, they love to use rock music influences and rock music instruments. A guitar riff starts to play in the background and then a mid 1990’s rock style vocal comes in. This is fast becoming a music history lesson at times because you have so many different elements from the past. The vocal is followed by some swirling sound effects that come in and out. The male vocal then proceeds to sing “La-La-La-La” then some well thoughtout violins comes in with spacey sound effects. A female vocal then joins the male vocal singing “Mumbo Jumbo Slow Fellatio”, yes that is vocal line, I’m not making it up, it is certainly weird. The flow gets interrupted by some train noises and here the song ends, now if you are not careful, you will think that you are listening to one long song, when in reality, it moves to song three.

Goodbye Sky

We start with a trip hop opening with circus style noises, then trumpets and drums enter, nothing that surprising. A electric guitar riff comes in and out at times now and a male vocal sings “Goodbye Sky” (with a 1970’s feel). The same voice that sang “La-La-La-La” from the previous song comes in. Now a flute comes in and the circus sounds come back. You realize that the fact that FSOL’s music has no boundaries and it leads you to believe that music would not be so dull if more artists just stopped making things that sounded so similar to each other. I think that more people would buy CDs if the music was more unique because then every CD would be an individual journey.

The Lovers (love is the lover)

We start with more electronica oriented direction, this haunting female vocal fades in from the background, she is just singing chords. An electric guitar riff starts to play at the very back and it slowly moves to the middle. Cobain puts his many influences from his illness to use here, he brings in Indian sounds, the elements don’t clash with the guitar or anything, it enhances it slightly, not by much. The same guitar riff starts to come in and out and then violins appear in the background, different from the ordinary, yes!. “The Lovers” show more of the direction that FSOL is heading in, more experimentalism and trying to sound less and less like anything that anyone has created.

Maharishi Raga

Song number five continues the exploration that Cobain’s Indian village trip has had on his music and his life. We begin with a dripping sound and a trumpet solo proceeds it and then a vocal chant comes in, backed by Indian sounding drums. They are not pushing the borders of music, they are completely setting the standard by which most musical creations should be measured against. Some cool vocals singing “Oh,Oh,Oh,Oh” enter the song with a trumpet backing it and then a flute joins in about twenty seconds later. Now an orchestra is backing it, with flutes, violins and other instruments, this is completely unique.

The Band (Divinity)

“The Band” starts being led out by a guitar and then shortly thereafter a calming wind instrument comes rolling in, it sounds like a flute at times but not quite a flute. The drums then roll in and a male vocal follows the drums, it reminds you of a late 60’s Beatles song, which is completely mind blowing. A female vocal then comes in and starts a duo with the male vocal. It is more in the direction of a downtempo ballad, which ends with a beautiful flute.

Rural Green

We are now halfway into the CD, “Rural Green” is a darker, more early 1990’s era trip hop influenced song. Heavy drums drive the song from the very beginning and some electric guitar riffs enter in, then quickly leave but they return for 5 seconds of play, every 17 seconds till the very end. A flute now appears, which is aimed more near the very back of the song but it drives the song. Near the end of the song, we have some unknown wind instruments come back in, giving the song a more complete feeling.

Chawawah

All you hear for the first half minute is an electric guitar playing some notes then what sounds like a different type of guitar than I’m used to hearing (circa mid 1960’s) comes in and starts to play. It is completely wacked out and trippy and different from anything that I’ve ever heard. The two guitars seem to alternate for most of the song.

She sells electric ego

A female vocal comes in singing notes, backed by some slow drums, the tempo is much slower than the previous song. Some electronic instruments then join in with a trumpet playing, backed by some sparkly sound effects. A few guitars then come in for a little bit of time, then a beautiful organ and several flutes join in. FSOL are slowly building an orchestral odyssey that reminds you of Hybrid’s Finished Symphony. A vocal joins in and you scratch your head and wonder, where have I heard this before? And then it hits you with some force, it is the same voice and nearly the same vocal as the 2nd song on the album. After that has finished, the song enters a tripped out phase (with a 1970’s feel) and then the female vocal comes back singing till the very end.

Chinese Whispers

This is not really a track, but more of a quick interlude. Indian sounding instruments start this short interlude and a voice just singing chords enters, quickly followed by some violins who are plucking the strings and then as quickly as it starts, it ends. Lots of artists fail to see the power of interludes, which quickly break the flow but tend to keep the listener interested.

Slo-mo

“Slo-mo” takes the more trip hop route, you realize that trip hop is an influence that FSOL like to add to their music. We start with drums tapping away and then an angelic female voice shows up, singing notes, no words. The song then takes a weird detour with an electric guitar playing riffs and a flute. Now a faint female vocal singing words near the background slowly blends into the song. It carries on like this till the very end of the track.

The Conga Man

Now FSOL head back to the Indian style influences from the very start, with an unknown Indian instrument and then an electric guitar starts to play, which drives the song. You feel an element of funk in the background at times in this track and I’m not sure what the funk is pushed by but you certainly feel it. “Conga Man” is surely groovy and it is well planned out and well made, it enforces the point that FSOL have no musical boundaries.

Theram

Only two more tracks to go including this one but this track is probably the most different and confusing of the entire album. A crazy vocal sample is used in “Theram” and it is just plain weird and at times it seems like a ugly duckling but at times, it seems like a swan and I’m not sure why that is but it seems to work when it is needed.

Toy Piano

The last track’s title pretty much tells all about it. All that this track is comprised of is a piano playing for a few minutes. The piano seems to sound more 1960’s at times and it is a nice way to end a solid album.

Conclusion:
FSOL’s music has no boundaries and every single influence that they claimed they had in interviews, has been used here. FSOL completely set no limits for musical exploration and what makes this album so good is that nothing else sounds even remotely similar to their work. “The Otherness” is a must have for those who like to listen to music without borders or rules and want something that does not sound like 14 different artists. If you liked “The Isness” then this is essential and if you liked “Dead Cities” then pick this up. FSOL keep setting the standard for unique music and this is no different.