Lost Horizons

Lemon Jelly

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 22, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Xl Recordings
• ASIN: B00006C77O
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #62,257 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

As anyone who's heard their exuberant first album will tell you, Lemon Jelly are no ordinary chill-out act. Here, the eccentric duo present their second full-length outing, Lost Horizons, and it's every bit as good as their acclaimed debut, Lemonjelly.ky. Inhabiting a world of almost limitless playfulness, Nick Franglen and Fred Deakin make the sort of brassy, beautiful downtempo music that leaves the listener desperately trying to suppress a goofy grin. You see, Lost Horizons is that rarest of things: a focused, humorous, and exciting chill-out album that stands up to repeat listening. Often, this kind of tongue-in-cheek chillage can sound dull and contrived (or, worse, sickly and overbearing), but Lost Horizons is anything but tedious. It bristles with shimmering, sunny instrumentation (jaunty acoustic guitars, skippy beats, tinkling pianos, oh-so-English brass band fanfares--even the odd harp), while quirky, oddball samples lurk 'round every turn ("Nice Weather for Ducks," for example, is a country-funk shakedown based on a sample from a nursery rhyme). From the percussive space jazz of "Return to Patagonia" to the seductive, sleepy closer, "Curse of Ka'zar," Lost Horizons doesn't so much glimmer as positively shine. Is it 2002's best downtempo album? Almost certainly. --Matt Anniss

Product Description

Following their last amazing journey, this 2002 release on XL Recordings goes around the world in 80 ways. Dive in and lose yourself. Unique & colorful gatefold miniature LP style packaging.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aural Sunshine, October 24, 2002

By	Nowhereman "mediaddict" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

It's not often i'd use the word "whimsy" to describe a disc, but it's particularly apt here. Much like the Lemonjelly.ky single compilation, Lost Horizons is filled with a laid-back sense of joy. The one-two opening punch of "Elements" and "Space Walk" is guaranteed to put a smile on your face, and "Nice Weather For Ducks" will keep it there.

People who get this expecting a laid-back 'chill' or 'lounge' disc are going to be in for a big suprise. The music is actually quite complex, and stands up to close listening very well. The mixing of real insturments (accoustic guitars show up on a number of tracks) with the digital is done amazingly well. While tracks like "Rambling Man" or "Closer" might call to mind the music of Blue States, Zero 7, or Four Tet, the vocal snippets Lemon Jelly lays on top give them a feel all their own and keep the generally light and upbeat theme of the album.

In short, if you loved Lemonjelly.ky, you'll be glad to know this is at least as good as that brilliant collection. And if you don't own Lemonjelly.ky, you can't go wrong getting either of these great albums.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Granola-tech? Or just plain good music?, March 12, 2003

By	M. Hilton "so eclectic it hurts" (Indianapolis, IN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

According to the sticker on my promo copy of this CD, Rolling Stone likes it (even though I heard they hated Aphex Twin's twisted masterpiece Drukqs), and it's not hard to tell why. This is techno even baby boomers would love, full of folksy acoustic instruments and gentle, childlike humor - Boards Of Canada vs. the Soggy Bottom Boys.

The album is conceived as a piece with an inner logic, unlike Lemonjelly.ky, which was compiled from previously released EP's. Just as things reach a giddy peak with "Nice Weather for Ducks," doubt is introduced with the creepy "Experiment No. 6." It's deliberately jarring. The rest of the CD seems to accept doubt as part of life and finds reason to resume celebrating anyway. A lot of classical composers don't pull that type of thing off, let alone electronic artists.

Lemon Jelly don't hop genres, they transcend them. This is good music, whether you're a rocker, an IDM'er, or whatever.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A different type of chill out, July 22, 2004

By	Alex (Australia) - See all my reviews

I was introduced to Lemon Jelly a couple of years ago through the brilliant 'Staunton Lick' yet it was only recently that I finally got my act together and bought Lost Horizons. It is such a fantastic album, and in a world where chill out music is becoming bland and homogenous, Lemon Jelly is a breath of fresh air. Actually, more like a gust that blows all the other mediocrity away. Their sound is a difficult one to describe - the best one I can come up with and have used before is the great production of Moby crossed with the eclectic sampling of The Avalanches crossed with the unique sound of children's music. Elements, Ramblin' Man and Nice Weather For Ducks are my favourites. But to get a true appreciation you must hear Lemon Jelly for yourself. Take a risk and buy this cd.