They have released works under numerous aliases like The Future Sound of London (main moniker), Amorphous Androgynous, Yage, Humanoid, Amorphous Androgynous, Mental Cube, Q, Zeebox, Heads Of Agreement, Semtex, The Far-out Son Of Lung, Part-Sub-Merged, Art Science Technology, and many more.
Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans met in the mid 80s while studying electronics at university in Manchester, England. Dougans had already been making electronic music for some time, working between Glasgow and Manchester, when they first began working in various local clubs. In 1988, Dougans embarked on a project for the Stakker graphics company. The result was the club hit "Stakker Humanoid", issued under Humanoid alias. In the following three years the pair produced music under a variety of aliases, releasing a plethora of singles and EPs, including the successful bleep techno singles "Q" and "Metropolis".
The band achieved commercial success in 1991 with the seminal breakthrough ambient-dub track "Papua New Guinea", featuring a looping Lisa Gerrard (of Dead Can Dance) vocal sample and a bassline from Meat Beat Manifesto's "Radio Babylon". Other singles issued include Cascade, Expander, Lifeforms EP, The Far-Out Son of Lung and the Ramblings of a Madman, My Kingdom, We Have Explosive, Stakker Humanoid 2001, Papua New Guinea 2001, Papua New Guinea Translations.
FSOL's main studio albums are: the techno-influenced Accelerator (1991), the jazz-influenced ISDN (1994), the ambiental Lifeforms (1994), the experimental Dead Cities (1996), and the ambient tetralogy Environments (2007), Environments II (2008), Environments 3 (2010), Environments 4 (2012).
They released in 2006 a Best Of album entitled Teachings from the Electronic Brain, followed by a series of compilations with pieces recorded in the 90s, like From the Archives Vol.1 (2007), From the Archives Vol.2 (2007), From the Archives Vol.3 (2007), From the Archives Vol.4 (2008), From the Archives Vol.5 (2008), From the Archives Vol.6 (2010).
Under the moniker Amorphous Androgynous, Cobain and Dougans released the highly experimental Tales of Ephidrina (1993) and the psychedelic rock influenced albums The Isness (as FSOL in USA, 2002), Alice in Ultraland (2005), The Peppermint Tree and Seeds of Superconsciousness (2008), A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding in Your Mind: Volume 1 (2008), A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding in Your Mind: Volume 2 (2009), A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding in Your Mind: Volume 3 (2010).
The pair also grew in repute as remixers, obliterating tracks by Curve, The Shamen, Robert Fripp/David Sylvian, Oasis, Massive Attack, Jon Anderson, Apollo 440, and rebuilding pieces of almost majestic complexity with the remnants. FSOL collaborated with Robert Fripp on "Flak", with Talvin Singh on "Life Form Ends", with Toni Halliday (of Curve) on "Cerebral", with Elizabeth Fraser (of Cocteau Twins) on the single version of "Lifeforms".
Official site: http://www.futuresoundoflondon.com
Dead Cities
The Future Sound of London Lyrics
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Faces milling round like cars
Look across the tables, they're there in the piss-stained bars
Faces milling round like cars
Look across the tables, they're there in the piss-stained bars
Make me believe I'm not going to die, for that I'd gladly give you something
Familiar faces milling around like cars on the slimey street
The lyrics of The Future Sound of London's song "Dead Cities" are dark and contemplative, reflecting a society that has crumbled and is on the brink of destruction. The singer of the song reflects on a heinous act that they committed and seem to be haunted by it. The line "I had killed a man... a man who looked like me" may suggest that the singer feels as though they have taken out their own frustrations on someone who they felt was similar to them in some way. Perhaps they see this person as a symbol of their own inner demons or flaws.
The rest of the lyrics describe a world that has become harsh and unforgiving. The faces of people around them are described as "milling round like cars," indicating a sense of chaos and confusion. The repeated lines "Look across the tables, they're there in the piss-stained bars" suggest that the singer is in a dive bar, surrounded by people who are also struggling in this world. They ask for something that will make them believe they won't die, perhaps an escape from the despair that surrounds them.
Overall, the lyrics of "Dead Cities" paint a picture of a world that is crumbling and desperate, where people are resorting to desperate acts and searching for any semblance of hope or escape.
Line by Line Meaning
I had killed a man... a man who looked like me
I committed a murder, and the victim resembled me
Faces milling round like cars
People moving about aimlessly and without purpose
Look across the tables, they're there in the piss-stained bars
The same people can be found in rundown bars and cafes
Faces milling round like cars
People moving about aimlessly and without purpose
Look across the tables, they're there in the piss-stained bars
The same people can be found in rundown bars and cafes
Make me believe I'm not going to die, for that I'd gladly give you something
I am willing to offer anything to avoid facing my own mortality
Contributed by Caleb I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.