The Far Out Son Of Lung And The Ramblings Of A Mad
Appendage
Slider
Smokin' Japanese Babe
You're Creeping Me Out
Eyes Pop - Skin Explodes - Everybody Dead
It's My Mind That Works
Dirty Shadows
Tired
Egypt
Kai
Amoeba
A Study Of Six Guitars
Snake Hips
2006 release by this ground-breaking electronic/dance duo, recorded under their druggy, psychedelic Amorphous Androgynous pseudonym.. Featuring the single 'Alice In Ultraland', this release collects out-takes from The Isn... more »ess sessions, several previously unreleased tracks, a song from the original U.K. vinyl version of the album, and a handful of remixes from associated singles and EPs. Future Sounds.« less
2006 release by this ground-breaking electronic/dance duo, recorded under their druggy, psychedelic Amorphous Androgynous pseudonym.. Featuring the single 'Alice In Ultraland', this release collects out-takes from The Isness sessions, several previously unreleased tracks, a song from the original U.K. vinyl version of the album, and a handful of remixes from associated singles and EPs. Future Sounds.
"This record is usually overlooked in discussions of FSOL's work because it's considered a "live album" and hence different from their studio productions (which, it seems to me, is completely wrongheaded given the nature of the medium - how exactly is an album of remixes different from a real time dj set, especially if it's transmitted direct from a recording studio?) Another reason might be its lack of snappy album graphics. Too bad, because it's far more sophisticated than Accelerator (a basically competent trance record) and much more consistant than the self-indulgent Life Forms, whose length should have been halved. The only other FSOL record that's at the same level is Dead Cities. FSOL's strong suit is its ability to layer several strata of sound, creating dense aural environments which reward attentive listening, preferably on headphones. Unlike other composers, FSOL often avoid the pat maneuver of building tracks on top of rhythms; this lends some of their compositions a uniquely organic or formless quality (think of an audio version of Abstract Expressionism or something). These are typically bridged by beat-oriented passages which are described elsewhere as jazz- or hip hop-inflected. The latter impose structure on the former, creating a complex yet legible whole that transcends arty preciousness or heterogeneous chaos. It's a tightrope act and FSOL got it exactly right on this album - ISDN is basically perfect in every respect and I've yet to find anything as completely satisfying."
Best FSOL album yet
B. Allen-Trick | Madison, Wisconsin, USA | 11/24/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"the first time i heard FSOL was on the Wipeout XL soundtrack. The only CD i could find of theirs was Accelerator. THat was okay, but not exactly to my fancy. I looked 'em up on the ol' AMG and they recommended Lifeforms. Lifeforms was great, but only if i was trying to meditate or fall asleep, it was too sparse for normal listening. I was reluctant to get ISDN, but after seeing it at Circuit City for 10 bucks, i said "what they hey" i must admit i was pleasantly surprised! what they seem to have done is boil down the innovations from Lifeforms (yes i know Lifeforms was made AFTER ISDN, so sue me) into tangable, dancable even, songs. ISDN is simply a feat of modern music, encompassing every genre of music imaginable (though shying away from the FSOL maligned 'rock & roll') but concentrating on mostly techno, ambient and 'trip-hop'. A great buy to techno ambient and 'trip-hop' fans as well as anyone interested in progressive electronic music or free jazz. Magnificent!"
ISDN sends you to pure euphoria
B. Allen-Trick | 04/08/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This was the first Future Sound Of London album I bought. I absolutely love it. I'm not a huge fan of electronic music, but this cd is defintely an exception. FSOL has such unique sounds that no one else can seem to capture the way they have done. The shining works of art on this cd are: The Far Out Son Of Lung And The Ramblings Of A Madman, Smoking Japanese Babe, Amoeba, A Study Of Six Guitars, Snake Hips, and It's My Mind That Works. If you are a fan of almost any genre of music, then you will be able to appreciate this album."
My personal favorite
R. Hedges | Coast Guard Island, CA | 07/09/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Of all the FSOL albums, this one is my personal favorite. Wild ambience to say the least. "The Black Hole" (Disney film) samples galore, and it's incredibly interesting, and varied.
Comical at times to boot. I just laughed with track #1 really hard the first time I heard it, and everything about this album is just awesome."
Gritty soundscapes
Joseph Geni | Evanston, Illinois United States | 08/14/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"When people talk about soundscapes, a lot of times you think disparagingly of those ambient chillout recordings that play in National Park gift shop, the ones that feature mindnumbingly simplistic classical arrangements with "nature sounds" in the background, sold at $25 a pop to gullible faux New Age tourists. Rest assured, this album is not like that.
Unlike the lightly echoing textures of the Future Sound of London's previous release "Lifeforms" this disc is a dirty, driving sonic mess, anchored around grindingly distorted samples of horns, guitars, voices, horses, space phasers and goodness knows what else. The result is a gritty, disorganized audio space that's far more visceral than any previous FSOL works. Funny how an album called "Lifeforms" can sound so electronic and detached while an album whose title is dedicated to a soulless, purely technological means of audio transmission (ISDN cables) can sound so down-to-earth and organic. In essence, this completes a major, 3-album shift for FSOL away from their early techno club roots to what I must hesitatingly liken to ambient, experimental dub. (And who could have guessed when this came out that within a decade they would have shifted completely from dub to neo-psychedelia!)
Granted, the length of this (70+ minutes) will drive a lot of listeners bonkers, but the end result is more rewarding to those who possess the patience for it. When the blips and squelches coalesce into a driving backbeat with gorgeously cascading samples, something the listener can actually almost identify as a "song," (Son of Lung, Slider, Dirty Shadows and Egypt are the best examples) the music feels more alive than ever. This is a unique and memorable release."
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1
