The Future Sound of London

The Isness (Hypnotic)
by Lex Marburger

First album in five years, and the trip-hoppy Future Sound of London boys have strayed from the path, which is fine by me. From the music that made them electronica wunderkinds, they’ve gone to acoustic guitars, stadium rock ballads (ELO, anyone?), and psychedelia sitar whanging. Turning away from the ambient, approaching the cluttered, The Isness references Chemical Brothers, The Beatles, um… Supertramp, and even throws together what could be called “classic” freak-outs, Zappa-style. Pink Floyd keeps raising its head throughout, and while this isn’t always a bad thing, the 15-minute “The Galaxical Pharmaceutical” goes on a bit too long for my tastes. As a whole, The Isness is a nice step to the side, but they’ve got to stop taking so much acid and remembering what happened 30-40 years ago. Future Sound Of London, remember?
(13428 Maxella Ave #251 Marina del Rey, CA 90292)