FSOL* – Music From Calendars

this is a compilation of monthly calender tracks, but it works perfectly as a whole album, which i love very much.
the music is not sample driven and is made mostly of modular synths and drum machines, some moments reminds me of tipper, but there is the special fsol vibe of course.
it became one of my favourite fsol releases and that means a lot for me.
outstanding listening electronica from the masters.

Since 2017, FSOLDigital.com has offered a yearly subscription for a track to be delivered to listeners each month, creating a new album at the end of each year. These 'Calendar Albums' are fascinating insights into what's going on over in 9LW, Brian Dougans's studio where modern FSOL records are finalised. Each album contains a selection of newly discovered tracks from the band's extensive archives, alternate mixes of known pieces, one-off experiments, newly recorded jams and previews for forthcoming releases, not only from The Future Sound of London, but numerous side-projects, solo pieces and aliases. Not every track is top drawer material, but that's to be expected with this kind of project. It's a hardcore fan's wet dream, and FSOL have enough of these to make the releases viable. However, due to the niche nature of some material, not to mention the under-the-radar nature of the releases, the kind of fans who just pick up the main albums when they come out on CD and LP may avoid the Calendar Albums, or be totally unaware of them. And that's where this album comes in.

Music from Calendars 2017-2020 compiles eleven pieces from the 50 released during the period, focusing on the strongest, most direct and most contemporary sounding pieces. The archive material, one-off experiments and more abstract side-projects are all absent, with only Humanoid and Synthi A present from the band's various offshoots. The compilation opens on three very well received melodic and melancholic pieces, tapping into the band's classic sound, before heading off into darker territory. 'Blacked Out Windows', 'Near Field' and 'Obscured by Dark Intervals' are all pitch-black, almost confrontational IDM pieces, a side of the band previously unheard before the Calendar Albums. 'Alertions', meanwhile, is a surprise foray into techno, and the first FSOL piece with a four-to-the-floor kick in over two decades. The set closes on a couple of tracks that combine the two approaches, with combining the earlier haunting melodics with the later glitchy production.

While the tracks are stitched together with typical FSOL linking sections, only 'Riverbed' is a properly ambient piece, meaning as an album it's slightly lower on atmospherics and worldbuilding than your typical Dougans/Cobain album. But that's to be expected from what is, effectively, a 'best of' compilation. The most important thing here is the quality, and there are no weak links on Music from Calendars: all 11 pieces are excellent; indeed, track-for-track, it's arguably one of the strongest releases in the band's catalogue. And that's enough to recommend it alone.

Disclaimer: I'm credited with 'data input' on the album, with the final tracklist a slightly amended version of a 14 track version I submitted to the band when asked what should go on a potential 'Best of Calendar Albums' release. My version omitted both 'Riverbeds' and 'Propagate', as they are both available on Archived 9, and I still think Rainy Third St. and 303HF5 would have been better suited. But there we go.

Outstanding, under the radar, 2021 release, where is the love for this one? Like a lot of FSOL lp's this is a quiet pressing but has a very low noise floor so I have the gain cranked with relatively little to no surface noise. Sound is awesome and the music is mind-blowing.

Dark, sinister and engaging, more beat oriented than ambient flavor. Some of these tracks remind me of ISDN (see Blacked Out Windows). Highly recommended.