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39 of 41 found the following review helpful:
 a flawless, beautiful work of art Jan 22, 2000
By Gwac
This is probably my favorite "electronica" album. FSOL really have a way of finding great melodies and rhythms to work with. If you're wondering whether you'll like this or not, there are a couple things you should consider:1)What other kind of electronica do you like? If you're a big fan of the fast, rhythmic songs of Dead Cities, but not the slower ones, this might not be for you. Also, this is by no means similar to Accelerator. 2)You should be able to appreciate quiet, yet complex music. Lifeforms isn't very loud. It speaks to you very serenely. These samples really don't tell you a lot about the music, since they're so short. You'll need to hear some full songs to get a better idea. I recommend this album to anyone with an open mind who's looking for something different.
21 of 21 found the following review helpful:
An ambient techno masterpiece, more than 'papua new guinea' Aug 09, 2000
By Pete
For anyone who is absolutely new to FSOL or ambient techno, I should first say that it really is a viable, meaningful form of music that goes beyond the long-standing stereotype of being lifeless and computer-generated. FSOL is the perfect example of really great ambient techno, for its music seems to send you on an endless journey with every song. However, it can be hard to get into music like this, and people are often quick to dismiss it as boring, uninspired, or slow. This is a typical reaction of people used to mainstream pop or techno, and even FSOL fans who have only been exposed to the widely-known 'Papua New Guinea'. To put it concisely: don't expect a cd full of beat-driven club hits like Papua New Guinea. Most FSOL music goes far beyond that. Lifeforms, like other FSOL albums such as ISDN, Cascade, Lifeforms (Paths 1-7), Amorphous Androgynous' Tales of Ephidrina, and to some extent Dead Cities, is more of a musical experience, going beyond the typical musical beats found in most techno and absorbing the listener in a collage of extraordinary sounds. Each disc of lifeforms is really one, long, extended musical masterpiece, as you could listen to the entire disc and not realized you listened to eight or eleven different 'songs'. This is truly an album you pop in the cd player and sit back and experience, as all FSOL albums are. One minute you may imagine yourself at the edge of the earth, the next floating in space, the next at a crowded airport with FSOL playing over the loudspeakers. As far as 'songs' go, the ones that come closest to your typical songs would be cascade, vertical pig, vit, omnipresence, room 208, and flak. Lifeforms (or any FSOL cd for that matter) is definitely worth your attention. However, for those only familiar with Papua New Guinea, be prepared for music that goes far beyond one club smash. Sure the music may be hard to warm up to, but once it does you will find yourself listening to the beautiful sounds over and over again. And for the new techno fan, try lifeforms first and let your mind float away. Then acquaint yourselves with the more 'mainstream' likes of Papua New Guinea.
19 of 19 found the following review helpful:
Landmark Album Nov 21, 2003
By Martin Veilleux
"melkior"
I discovered Electronic Music about 5 years ago and I've been studying this strange world since then. The world of Pure Electronic Ambient Music was born at the end of the '70s with artists such as Brian Eno, Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze. As the '80s faded, the style was being experimented by some people from the Techno side of Electronic. The Ambient-Techno was born. This album was conceived in 1994 a few years after others like The Orb and Aphex Twin had released some masterpieces. Nowadays, this album stand as one of the essential work that set the style from it's dawn. The sampling is excellent, unique and there are absolutely no clips in the loops. The Sequences are melding perfectly and the production is very good. Most importantly...., It sounds as good today as it was. Essentiel!
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 Both serene and driving, one of the best ambient releases Apr 13, 2001
By Christopher Culver
Future Sound of London's LIFEFORMS double LP is an exquisite exploration of two CDs of ambient and organic sounds. While the opening track, "Cascade," may be the most recognizable, due to its place in Sasha and John Digweed's NORTHERN EXPOSURE collaboration, it is will "Ill Flower" that the album begins to truly unfold. The first disc ends with the shocking (because of the first vocals of the whole album) "Among Myselves." The second disc is certain the more active of the two, with its threatening "Vertical Pig" and beautiful "Elaborate Burn." The musical structure of LIFEFORMS is ever elusive and the listener who tries to consciously grasp it all will miss the attractiveness of the album. It is as background music or drift-off-to-sleep sounds that the true emotional power comes forth.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
In a Class of Its Own Feb 03, 2000
By Matt Wilson
Of the various criticisms I have heard (in my realm of existence) on the subject of "electronic" music, the foremost challenges its imagination. The point is semi-valid. After hearing the likes of Brian Eno and early era Tangerine Dream, it seemed that electronic music would open up new frontiers in an increasingly assembly line musical industry. Instead, it has largely spiralled into an assembly line industry of its own right..fueled on samplers and monotonous dance beats. On Lifeforms, FSOL gives us a taste of the potential electronic music can exhibit. Full of shifting beats, shimmering and haunting ambient sound and alien texture, it creates a near-tangible world throughout its two-disc span. In this world, you will find some things familiar, and some things hardly imagined. It's a refreshing shift. Lifeforms is a practice not in cultural servitude, but rather in creativity and artistry. Pick it up and jump in! You'll thank yourself for it. It's difficult for this listener to imagine otherwise.
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