Dead Cities (album)
Encyclopedia
Dead Cities is a 1996 album by electronic music
group The Future Sound of London
.
to speak of, most of the first half of the album (with the exception of "Her Face Forms In Summertime") is dark and full of well structured malevolence in that its songs combine synthetic sounds with samples
to create an apocalyptic, dystopian atmosphere, the second half of the disc is rather more relaxed however and FSOL combine the darkness with more of their now familiar complex, ambient techniques to create an odd, peaceful yet intriguing atmosphere.
The album art consisted of 3D graphics
, photography
, and writing complementing the album's themes, combined via digital image editing. This was created primarily by the band and then-frequent artistic collaborator Buggy G. Riphead. A limited edition release of the album included a 196-page book, containing additional artwork and writing in the same style.
"My Kingdom" and "We Have Explosive" were released as single
s. The "My Kingdom" music video
was directed by the same artistic collaboration, whereas the "We Have Explosive" music video was directed by 2D-animator Run Wrake.
, the track listing on the back insert of the CD is ambiguous, as 15 song titles are listed, with most of the second half of songs not numbered. The common interpretation, confirmed by the promo edition of the CD, is listed here:
Singles - UK Singles Chart
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
group The Future Sound of London
The Future Sound of London
The Future Sound of London is a prolific British electronic music band composed of Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans. The duo are often credited with pushing the boundaries of electronic music experimentation and of pioneering a new era of dance music...
.
Overview
Though almost without lyricsLyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
to speak of, most of the first half of the album (with the exception of "Her Face Forms In Summertime") is dark and full of well structured malevolence in that its songs combine synthetic sounds with samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
to create an apocalyptic, dystopian atmosphere, the second half of the disc is rather more relaxed however and FSOL combine the darkness with more of their now familiar complex, ambient techniques to create an odd, peaceful yet intriguing atmosphere.
The album art consisted of 3D graphics
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
, photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, and writing complementing the album's themes, combined via digital image editing. This was created primarily by the band and then-frequent artistic collaborator Buggy G. Riphead. A limited edition release of the album included a 196-page book, containing additional artwork and writing in the same style.
"My Kingdom" and "We Have Explosive" were released as single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
s. The "My Kingdom" music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was directed by the same artistic collaboration, whereas the "We Have Explosive" music video was directed by 2D-animator Run Wrake.
Track listing
Though the album contains 13 tracksTrack (CD)
On an optical disc, a track or title is a subdivision of its content. Specifically, it is a consecutive set of sectors on the disc containing a block of data. One session may contain one or more tracks of the same or different types...
, the track listing on the back insert of the CD is ambiguous, as 15 song titles are listed, with most of the second half of songs not numbered. The common interpretation, confirmed by the promo edition of the CD, is listed here:
- "Herd Killing" – 2:37
- "Dead Cities" – 6:37
- "Her Face Forms in Summertime" – 5:38
- "We Have ExplosiveWe Have Explosive"We Have Explosive" is a song by The Future Sound of London, released in 1997. It is a digitised mix of big beat drums, mono-tone basslines, aggressive guitar stabs, robotic voices and clinical electric beeps. So far it is the bands most successful single, getting to number 12 in the UK Singles...
" – 6:19 - "Everyone in the World Is Doing Something Without Me" – 4:10
- "My KingdomMy Kingdom"My Kingdom" is the first single from Future Sound of London's 1996 release Dead Cities. It is written in a theme and variation format on the song "My Kingdom", but Part 4 returns to the original theme...
" – 5:47 - "Max" – 2:48
- "Antique Toy" – 5:43
- – 6:57
- "Quagmire" – 5:13
- "In a State of Permanent Abyss" – 1:44
- "Glass" – 5:38
- "Yage" – 7:32
- – 5:32
- "Vit Drowning" – 4:48
- "Through Your Gills I Breathe" – 0:44
- – 4:46
- "First Death in the Family" – 2:18
- silence – 1:00
- "Dead Cities Reprise" (hidden track by Headstone Lane) – 1:28
Samples and Trivia
- Track 1, "Herd Killing", is a remixRemixA remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
of track 4; it is also titled "We Have Explosive (Herd Killing mix)" on a single. Both feature several samples from the Run DMC album Tougher Than LeatherTougher Than LeatherTougher Than Leather is a 1988 studio album for American rap group Run–D.M.C. and a follow-up to their hit Raising Hell. While the new record did not maintain the same popularity as its predecessor, it obtained platinum status and spawned the favorites "Run's House" and "Mary, Mary" .Tougher Than...
. - Track 2, "Dead Cities", contains a vocal sample at the beginning of Laurence FishburneLaurence FishburneLaurence John Fishburne III is an American film and stage actor, playwright, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Morpheus in the Matrix science fiction film trilogy, as Cowboy Curtis on the 1980's television show Pee-wee's Playhouse, and as singer-musician Ike Turner...
from the film Deep CoverDeep CoverDeep Cover is a 1992 crime thriller film starring Laurence Fishburne and Jeff Goldblum and directed by veteran actor Bill Duke. It is also notable for its theme song of the same name, composed by Dr...
. - Track 4, "We Have Explosive" was used in the second game in the "wipE'out"" series, wipE'out" 2097Wipeout 2097Track listing Saturn/Windows versions * CoLD SToRAGE: "Canada"* CoLD SToRAGE: "Body in Motion"* CoLD SToRAGE: "Kinkong"* CoLD SToRAGE: "Plasticity"* CoLD SToRAGE: "Messij Xtnd"* CoLD SToRAGE: "Tenation"* CoLD SToRAGE: "Surgeon"...
, for the original PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
. - Track 6, "My Kingdom" prominently features:
- A vocal sample of "Rachael's Song" (aka "Rachel's Song") by VangelisVangelisEvangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
, from the Blade Runner soundtrackBlade Runner (soundtracks)The Blade Runner soundtrack was composed by Vangelis for Ridley Scott's 1982 film Blade Runner. It is mostly a dark, melodic combination of classical composition and synthesizers which mirrors the futuristic film noir envisioned by Scott. Several different albums have been made, some including...
(1982). - A sample of the intro to "Cockeye's Song", and rearranged samples of Gheorghe ZamfirGheorghe ZamfirGheorghe Zamfir is a Romanian pan flute musician.Zamfir is known for playing an expanded version of the traditional Romanian-style pan flute of 20 pipes to 22, 25, 28 and 30 pipes to increase its range, and obtaining as many as eight overtones from each pipe by changing the embouchure.He is...
's pan flutePan fluteThe pan flute or pan pipe is an ancient musical instrument based on the principle of the closed tube, consisting usually of five or more pipes of gradually increasing length...
riffRIFFThe Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
in "Cockeye's Song" and "Childhood Memories", taken from Ennio MorriconeEnnio MorriconeEnnio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
's soundtrack for Once Upon a Time in AmericaOnce Upon a Time in AmericaOnce Upon a Time in America is a 1984 Italian epic crime film co-written and directed by Sergio Leone and starring Robert De Niro and James Woods. The story chronicles the lives of Jewish ghetto youths who rise to prominence in New York City's world of organized crime...
(1984). - A guitar sample taken from Ozric TentaclesOzric TentaclesOzric Tentacles are an instrumental rock band from Somerset, England, whose music can loosely be described as psychedelic or space rock. Formed in 1983, the band has released 28 albums as of 2011, and become a cottage industry selling over a million albums worldwide despite never having major...
's album Pungent EffulgentPungent EffulgentPungent Effulgent is an album by psychedelic rockers Ozric Tentacles. Released in 1989 to wide acclaim, it followed the many cassette-only albums they released in the 1980s.-Track listing:All songs by Ozric Tentacles unless otherwise stated....
(1989).
- A vocal sample of "Rachael's Song" (aka "Rachel's Song") by Vangelis
- The title of track 11 "Yage" was one the previous aliases of FSOL, and still their alias for their own sound engineering credits.
- The title of track 12 "Vit Drowning" refers to Vit, a Chinese restaurant owner friend with the artists. His face appears on the "Far-out Son Of Lung" cover, and he appears in the "Teachings From The Electronic Brain II" and "My Kingdom" videos" http://www.futuresoundoflondon.fsnet.co.uk/faq.htm#vit.
Charts
Album - UK Albums ChartUK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | UK Albums Chart | 22 |
Singles - UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "My Kingdom My Kingdom "My Kingdom" is the first single from Future Sound of London's 1996 release Dead Cities. It is written in a theme and variation format on the song "My Kingdom", but Part 4 returns to the original theme... " |
UK Singles Chart | 13 |
| 1997 | "We Have Explosive We Have Explosive "We Have Explosive" is a song by The Future Sound of London, released in 1997. It is a digitised mix of big beat drums, mono-tone basslines, aggressive guitar stabs, robotic voices and clinical electric beeps. So far it is the bands most successful single, getting to number 12 in the UK Singles... " |
UK Singles Chart | 12 |
External links
- Complete track listing of Dead Cities (from the limited edition) at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- An alleged 1996 answer from FSOL about the track listing