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I'd forgotten all about this until I saw a review of the remixes album. FSOL's Dead Cities is a record that still has a vice-like grip on my affections six years on, so I was a bit concerned that their sudden return from the 'where are they now?' file would be a huge disappointment.
Ah, me of little faith. This is fantastic, even though it's the complete opposite of Dead Cities; there's not the slightest hint of the fear, loneliness, depression or dirt that album was absolutely drenched in. Instead, The Isness is awash with a new spirituality, a folky, blissed out positivity that's a breath of fresh air.
From The Lovers' shuffling beats, double bass and funk guitar, through The Mello Hippo Disco Show's organ-led nonsense rhymes, Go Tell it to the Trees Egghead's jokey instrumentation (Flute! Tablas! Steel Guitar! Harmonica! Xylophone! Sitar! Something that makes space-age beepy noises!) and the folk-rock hymn that is Divinity - where every version of the Beatles meet up, with a full orchestra, electric guitar and, again, tablas and sitar, to form the background to a "Hey now!" chorus - to the ridiculous - yet, somehow, still brilliant - prog excesses of the closing The Galaxial Pharmaceutical, this could well, given a couple more listens, be my album of the year.
And then there's that Mello Hippo remix album to get...
The new FSOL homepage is well worth a look, too. |
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