Lifeforms
Studio album by
The Future Sound of London
Released23 May 1994[1]
Genre
Length92:33
Label
ProducerThe Future Sound of London
The Future Sound of London chronology
Tales of Ephidrina
(1993) 		Lifeforms
(1994) 		ISDN
(1995)
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 23 May 1994 by Virgin Records and later by Astralwerks.

Background

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.[2] 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
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
NME8/10[5]
Resident Advisor4.3/5[6]
Sputnikmusic5/5[3]
Tom Hull – on the WebB+[7]

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.

AllMusic called it "one of the best experimental techno releases of the '90s" and "an inventive, fascinating aural experience, as rich and detailed as the Orb's best work."[4]

The Swedish band Carbon Based Lifeforms got the idea of its name partly from this album.[8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by The Future Sound of London (Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans), except where noted

Disc one
No.TitleLength
1."Cascade"5:59
2."Ill Flower"3:24
3."Flak" (Cobain, Dougans, Robert Fripp, Andrew Grossart, Trevor Nightingale, William Thomson, Paul Williams)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.TitleLength
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" (Cobain, Dougans, Klaus Schulze)6:39
9."Room 208"6:12
10."Elaborate Burn"3:15
11."Little Brother"5:13

Personnel

Additional musicians
Additional personnel

Charts

Chart (1994) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[9] 6

References

  1. ^ "The Future Sound of London – Lifeforms (1994, CD)". Discogs.
  2. ^ a b "Future Sound of London". Clash. 2 September 2006. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  3. ^ a b Mikesn (7 February 2009). "The Future Sound of London – Lifeforms". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  4. ^ a b c Raggett, Ned. "Lifeforms – The Future Sound of London". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  5. ^ Mulvey, John (28 May 1994). "Long Play". NME. p. 33. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  6. ^ Muggs, Joe (6 March 2018). "Future Sound Of London – Lifeforms". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  7. ^ Tom Hull, Hull (12 November 2023). "Grade List: Future Sound Of London". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  8. ^ "In Darkness Dreaming: Another Carbon Based Lifeforms Interview!". Archived from the original on 17 June 2020.
  9. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 January 2018.

External links

The Future Sound of London
Authority control databases
Categories