Gigomaphone

Cool cover

There was a time post 2000 or thereabouts when a plethora of tedious ambient chill out compilations came pouring out of every achey breaky nook and cranny; regurgitated twaddle like early -90s Enigma, endless, sapping pourings of the Art of Noise classic ‘Moments in Love’ and a host of William Orbit and Endorphin styled offerings whereby classical music was dressed up with icy synths and post-Oxygene beats. All very depressing.

Around that time, I saw the name ‘Lemon Jelly’ appear on some of this stuff too and largely wrote it off as more of the same crap. Turns out I was only partly right.

‘Lost Horizons’ is actually quite good, like the pre-teen duxette of the school is actually quite good. It’s overwhelmingly pleasant and quite samey. It’s a handy thing, though that the samey is not loud,obnoxious, dissonant samey but after eight tracks of lush, melodic, guitar inflected electronica with all knowing studio vocals (made to sound like cool samples but in fact not that at all), I could have done with a bit of obnoxious.

Of course, there are some highlights: ‘Ramblin’ Man’, the meat-in-the-sandwich of which involves a wise old travelling sage recounting all the places he’s been surely owes a debt to the grimy KLF classic ‘It’s Grim Up North’ and it’s amusing to this reviewer at least, that one of the places he’s been is ‘Adelaide’, intoned with a particular note of finality.

With ominous segueway, we’re led into ‘Spacewalk’, which is also nice, but the inclusion of a fake astronaut sample, again, mars it somewhat, pun or thereabouts excused. ‘Nice Weather for Ducks’, evidently a hit of sorts in its time, is however, not so strong, being reliant as it is on a cheap children’s UK TV broadcast sample (that old chestnut) with a groove structured around it, to a snug fit. I got tired of the sample (the Prodigy’s ‘Charly’ anyone?) and was too busy tooth gnashing and fidgeting to enjoy the rhythmic bass and drums flowering around it.

All that said though, this is a good album - it’s solid, dependable and technically sound but ultimately a bit forgettable too. Maybe ‘lame’ would be too strong a word. Music for invalids, like warmed curdy milk or, erm lemon jelly.

‘The Staunton Lick’,  used to wonderful effect in the dying minutes of the cult serial ‘Spaced’ and quite probably Lemon Jelly’s greatest track, is not to be found on this album. That’s a shame as it could have done with at least a Staunton Lick or two extra.

3/5