Environment 7 trilogy

[adreamingandroid]

This is a excellent news, just put in my preorder.

A fine way to to finish the year, especially if there was news that a physical calendar will be available again in addition to the usual digital release will be done for 2024.

[dell1972]

I hope the title isn't literal, and this is the last FSOL album....

I'm assuming it's just me having an Autechre NTS4 concern, circa 2018.

I gotta' think the cover art right now is temporary.

I did wonder myself that this is a “this is the end” thing. If it was the end of the environments series it would be back to the start style wise as the series was first introduced as “coming soon” on the inside sleeve of ISDN.

I thought there were other ones planned though.

[tengram]

I did wonder myself that this is a “this is the end” thing. If it was the end of the environments series it would be back to the start style wise as the series was first introduced as “coming soon” on the inside sleeve of ISDN.

I thought there were other ones planned though.

If that is true (end of Environments), that would make the ISDN-esque cover an interesting call back.

[moxlox]

I hope the title isn't literal, and this is the last FSOL album....

I'm assuming it's just me having an Autechre NTS4 concern, circa 2018.

I gotta' think the cover art right now is temporary.

I wish you hadn’t said that!

BUT I note that ‘Where all is ending’ is only track 4 and not the end of the album…. We shall live in hope!

[dell1972]

Already corrected by Ross on facebook, it was first mentioned in the Lifeforms sleeve. Apparently it’s not the end of Environments, just of this trilogy. Ross reckons it’s still planned to be ten volumes, and wondered whether the subsequent ones would be trilogies too.

[Ross]

Yeah, as far as I know we’ll still be getting 10. Who knows what’ll happen after that, but as it’s taken seven years from the first two parts of 6 and the final part of 7 to come along I reckon it’ll be a while before the series is finished. If the remaining volumes are trilogies then there’ll be 21 albums in total!

That’s definitely the cover - the inner art has the same tracklist style as ISDN so it’s a clear homage. No idea why. The first two volumes had very different covers so I suppose it’s not that surprising.

[OffLand]

I also saw this cover today and thought "Hey ISDN!"
One Solar Radius does not sound like ISDN. It's too "sunny" for that album. It does remind me of E7's over all sound though. It's very nice, glad I was able to pre-order the CD.

[tengram]

Already corrected by Ross on facebook, it was first mentioned in the Lifeforms sleeve. Apparently it’s not the end of Environments, just of this trilogy. Ross reckons it’s still planned to be ten volumes, and wondered whether the subsequent ones would be trilogies too.

Oh yes--that's right. I got ISDN and Lifeforms when they were new, so should know that--but it's so long ago now, I've misremembered it too!

[dell1972]

It’s been a long time since I looked at the inners for these albums, but Lifeforms was my first so I should know better.

That new track does seem to come from the same sound palette and feel of the other two albums in the trilogy and this year’s calendar tracks.

Faced with a lengthy daily commute at the moment, I think it’s time to dig out and refamiliarise myself with what I consider the four versions of ISDN, black, white, plus the two pod room broadcasts of that time.

[couchlock]

hello everybody,

just discovered this board and it remembered me instantly of an old board during the 90s on a ftp serverd... Ross, were you there back then???

however, i look very much forward to part 3 of environment 7, the first 2 parts are among the best music by our beloved FSOL for me, beside music for calendars...
i have been a fan since the mid 90s and FSOL is still one of my favourite electronic artists, beside boards of canada and (dave) tipper. boc seems to be history (?) while tippers music and production skills are still growinge with "jettinson mind hatch" as a highpoint for me.
a collaboration of dave and fsol would be a dream, i discovered a few weeks ago, that both played on a festival in the uk, fsol were performing from their studio transmitted to the big screen.
so, i am happy to be on board here, will check out this side.
greetings from berlin!

[Ross]

I was a member of the FSOLLIST discussion email list and the official board that was around for a couple of years... I think I joined the FSOLLIST in 1999 or 2000 when I was still in my teens! Welcome aboard. This place isn't as busy as it used to be but there's still stuff happening and discussion to be had.

[Neil]

With all the design similarities between the E7.003 and ISDN artwork, am i imagining that Ross you’d mentioned that something was happening with an ISDN re-press at some point? Hope you’re feeling better these days btw.

[Ross]

Given that we've had the other three Virgin albums in recent years, I think an ISDN re-press is almost a certainty - that's a very interesting point, though. I wonder if this art was made at the same time the ISDN art was being dug out and sent over.

No real improvement in my symptoms, sadly. Just muddling through, hoping things begin to sort themselves out sooner rather than later.

[Neil]

Yeah could be a harbinger of what’s to come. Actually like the artwork but it jars quite a lot with the other two designs which i loved. One Solar Radius is good and does feel coherent with sounds from the first two, particularly Rituals.

Ah sorry to hear you’re still suffering Ross, that sucks.

[Ross]

Going deeper and darker than the previous two albums, the flavour here harping back with memories of the groups 90s sounding pre “Dead Cities” album. On this release they have swamp laden electronics dripping from cavernous breakbeats weaving in and out of otherworldly chords and strings firmly back in the driving seat.

1 Future Testaments (4:13)
2 Resting Point (2:16)
3 A Desolate Stretch of Night Road (5:50)
4 Where All Is Ending (4:37)
5 Overwrite (4:11)
6 I'm Eating Here (4:01)
7 Echos of Inherent Sense (1:21)
8 A Space in the Subsequent Familiar (4:23)
9 Drift Incline (4:52)
10 Trichome (4:19)
11 Absence of Solution (4:23)
12 Kwaahu (5:02)
CD Bonus Tracks
13 Ruler (4:14)
14 Awkward Shape (4:04)

As expected, 12 tracks on the LP version. Again, only a couple of short pieces on there, lots around the four minute mark which means it should be reasonably substantial. 49:28 for the LP, 62:10 for the CD if you add the unlisted 'One Solar Radius', so roughly the same length as the previous two, but with fewer tracks again. Deeper and darker sounds interesting, I thought the previous two were already on that end of things.