Lifeforms (album)
| Lifeforms | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by The Future Sound of London | ||||
| Released | 16 May 1994[1] | |||
| Genre | Ambient dub | |||
| Length | 92:33 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | The Future Sound of London | |||
| The Future Sound of London chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Full cover picture | ||||
 The "Witch Girl" in a desert landscape | ||||
Lifeforms is the second studio album by British electronica group The Future Sound of London. The album was released on 16 May 1994 by Virgin Records and later by Astralwerks. With time, it has become their best-known album and is considered to be an important and influential classic of avant-garde electronic music.[2]
Background
 |
"Room 208"
"Room 208", from Lifeforms. |
Problems playing this file? See media help. | |
The Future Sound of London began work on the album around the same time as they were finishing Tales of Ephidrina, and the more complex, ambient direction they were taking resulted in Lifeforms.[3] The artwork also progressed from previous works, with soon-to-be familiar images of the "Witch Girl" Sheuneen Ta and the "Spike" computer model having been previously used on the group's Cascade EP.
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  |
| Resident Advisor | 4.3/5[4] |
| Sputnikmusic | 5/5[5] |
Lifeforms achieved commercial success and produced hit singles such as "Cascade" and "Lifeforms". The album was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for over 60,000 units sold.
Track listing
All tracks written by The Future Sound of London (Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans), except where noted.
| Disc one | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Cascade" | 5:59 | |
| 2. | "Ill Flower" | 3:24 | |
| 3. | "Flak" |
| 4:53 |
| 4. | "Bird Wings" | 1:30 | |
| 5. | "Dead Skin Cells" | 6:50 | |
| 6. | "Lifeforms" | 5:18 | |
| 7. | "Eggshell" | 6:45 | |
| 8. | "Among Myselves" | 5:52 | |
| Disc two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Domain" | 2:48 | |
| 2. | "Spineless Jelly" | 4:41 | |
| 3. | "Interstat" | 0:55 | |
| 4. | "Vertical Pig" | 6:44 | |
| 5. | "Cerebral" | 3:30 | |
| 6. | "Life Form Ends" | 5:03 | |
| 7. | "Vit" | 6:48 | |
| 8. | "Omnipresence" |
| 6:39 |
| 9. | "Room 208" | 6:12 | |
| 10. | "Elaborate Burn" | 3:15 | |
| 11. | "Little Brother" | 5:13 | |
Personnel
- The Future Sound of London – production, writing
- Additional musicians
- Robert Fripp – guitar textures and bytes on "Flak"
- Toni Halliday – vocal texture on "Cerebral"
- Ozric Tentacles – sound bytes on "Flak"
- Talvin Singh – Tabla Tronics on "Life Form Ends"
- Yage – engineering
- Additional personnel
- The Future Sound of London – art direction
- Buggy G. Riphead – art direction
- Peter Atkinson – photography
- Stephen Marks – photography
- P. Knott – photography
- Alistair Shay – photography
- Martin Poole – photography
- Olaf Wendt – CGI design
- Rob Manley – A&R
Charts
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[6] | 6 |
References
- ↑ https://www.discogs.com/Future-Sound-Of-London-Lifeforms/release/8067
- 1 2 Raggett, Ned. "Lifeforms – The Future Sound of London". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ↑ "Future Sound of London". Clash. 2 September 2006. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ↑ Muggs, Joe (6 March 2018). "Future Sound Of London – Lifeforms". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ↑ Mikesn (7 February 2009). "The Future Sound of London – Lifeforms (staff review)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
External links
- Lifeforms at Discogs
- Lifeforms at MusicBrainz (list of releases)