Performer Notes

Future Sound Of London includes: Gary Cobain, Brian Dougans.
Personnel: Garry Cobain (vocals, 12-string guitar); Christine Charley, Big Screen FX Singers, Joss, Riz Maslen (vocals); Gary Lucas (guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar, bottleneck guitar, steel guitar); Mike Rowe (guitar, cello, piano, organ, Farfisa, Mellotron, keyboards, synthesizer); Daniel Pemberton (guitar, synthesizer); Big Freddy Teddy (banjo); Baluji Shrivastav (sitar, flute, tin whistle, tabla, dilruba); Vuk Krakovic, Vulu Krakovic, Charles Cross, Joanna Archard, Morven Bryce, Clio Gould, Michael McEvoy, Alexander Balanescu (violin); Levine Andrade (viola); Christine Jackson, Helena Binney, Jane Fenton, Susan Monks (cello); Max Richter (strings, trumpet, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, harpsichord, keyboards, double bass); Future Sonic Orchestra Limited (strings); Chris Margary (flute, saxophone, brass); Major (accordion); Kate St. John (oboe); Phillip Bainbridge (flugelhorn); Mark Eades (trombone); Lager Brass, Kevin Robinson (brass); Phillip Eastop (horns); Albert Ross, Jr. (glockenspiel); Paul Tyagi, Herb Moons, Bertie (drums); Mick England (congas).
Recording information: Interstellar Lucy; stepping Stone; The Penthouse, London, England; The Peppermint Tree.
Editor: Katie .
Future Sound of London returned to active recording with The Isness, a record that trumpets a host of through-the-ages psychedelic influences, from the Beatles to Gong to mid-'70s Pink Floyd to Spacemen 3 to the Chemical Brothers. The opener, "Elysian Feels," has the back-masked strings of "Tomorrow Never Knows," a surprisingly AOR guitar solo, and a few Chemical Brothers breaks. "The Mello Hippo Disco Show" has a hippy vocal floating over a series of funereal chords and some Mellotron effects. It's clear that Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans are still great producers; check out "Osho," an excellent piece of light blaxploitation funk grafted onto film strings. ~ John Bush

Professional Reviews

Uncut (10/02, p.101) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...what continually redeems this acid flashback to a more well-meaning era is its endlessly metamorphosing soundscape, its kaleidoscopic washes of virtual psychedelia."

CMJ (8/12/02, p.6) - "...A prog rock record that reeks of the same inspiration and vision that has made bands like Air such a success..."

Mojo (Publisher) (9/02, p.110) - "...warm flamenco flourishes, mournful Morricone flutes...a band realigning its creative goals and rediscovering its sense of self."

NME (Magazine) (8/3/02, p.32) - 8 out of 10 - "...This other-worldly masterpiece is so far out you need a telescope to see it."

Album: The Isness
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Elysian Feels
2)	Mello Hippo Disco Show, The
3)	Goodbye Sky (Reprise)
4)	Osho
5)	Galaxial Pharmaceutical, The
6)	Yes My Brother
7)	Go Tell It to the Trees Egghead
8)	Divinity
9)	Guru Song
10)	Her Tongue Is Like a Jellyfish
11)	Meadows
12)	High Tide on the Sea of Flesh
13)	Goodbye Sky

Album: The Isness
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Elysian Feels
2)	Mello Hippo Disco Show, The
3)	Goodbye Sky (Reprise)
4)	Osho
5)	Galaxial Pharmaceutical, The
6)	Yes My Brother
7)	Go Tell It to the Trees Egghead
8)	Divinity
9)	Guru Song
10)	Her Tongue Is Like a Jellyfish
11)	Meadows
12)	High Tide on the Sea of Flesh
13)	Goodbye Sky