 = Lost Horizons ( Lemon Jelly album ) = 
 
 Lost Horizons is the second studio album from the British electronic duo Lemon Jelly , released on 7 October 2002 . Released by XL Recordings and produced by Nick Franglen , the album generated two charting singles in the UK , " Space Walk " and " Nice Weather for Ducks " ; the latter has often been called the album 's stand @-@ out track . The album , which is built around a mix of organic instrumentation and idiosyncratic samples , was met with largely positive reviews by music critics , although it was somewhat critiqued due to its near @-@ constant mellowness . 
 In the United Kingdom , Lost Horizons peaked at number 20 on the Official Albums Chart , whereas in the United States , it peaked at number 24 on Billboard 's Top Electronic Albums component chart . The album 's two singles , " Space Walk " and " Nice Weather for Ducks " , were also successful , peaking on the UK Singles Chart , at number 36 and 16 respectively . The album , was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2003 , was eventually certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry for shipments exceeding 100 @,@ 000 copies . 
 
 = = Music = = 
 
 Lost Horizons opens with " Elements " , which " blends acoustic guitars , flugelhorns , synths , skittering breakbeat rhythms , a folksy harmonica , and ... a falsetto ' doo @-@ doo ' chorus " . Overlaying the music is a voiceover , courtesy of English actor John Standing , that lists the basic ' elements ' that make up the world : ash , metal , water , wood , fire , and ( eventually , later in the song ) sky . The second track , " Space Walk " , is set to a recording of Ed White 's 1965 space walk on the Gemini 4 mission . Franglen and Deakin chose to use the sample after listening to an album called Flight to the Moon ( 1969 ) ; the two were struck by how moving and emotive many of the tracks were . Deakin later said , " ' One small step ' leaves me cold , because it was so obviously scripted . But the spacewalk … even after hearing it so many times , it 's so vivid . " 
 " Ramblin ' Man " features a conversation between an interviewer ( the voice of Michael Deakin — father of Lemon Jelly 's Fred Deakin ) and " John the Ramblin ' Man " ( the voice of Standing ) , during which he lists various places from around the world , ranging from " from small Sussex villages to major world capitals . " When listed in the order in which the locations are narrated , the message " Bagpuss Sees All Things " is spelled out midway through the song ( from Brixton at four minutes ten seconds , to San José at four minutes 31 seconds ) using the first letter of each location . The fourth track , " Return to Patagonia " , features several jazz @-@ inspired elements . 
 The song " Nice Weather for Ducks " is built around a sample inspired by John Langstaff 's song " All the Ducks " . This song was based on the popular Dutch children 's song , " Alle eendjes zwemmen in het water " ( translated : " All the ducks are swimming in the water " ) . Franglen later said that he and Deakin were drawn to Langstaff 's recording because it " had a gentle madness to it , slightly unhinged " . The duo had attempted to clear Langstaff 's version for sampling , but were unable to . In the end , they had Enn Reitel re @-@ record the vocal snippet . Franglen , while noting that Reitel 's performance was good , said that once the sample was re @-@ recorded , its " edge disappeared " . " Experimental Number 6 " , arguably the album 's darkest track , features a faux field recording of a doctor documenting the side effects of an unnamed drug administered to a patient ; the recording tells how the patient progresses from normalcy , to an " overwhelming sense of well @-@ being and euphoria " , before eventually expiring . The album closes with " The Curse of Ka 'Zar " , which features " a two @-@ part harmony chorus and jazzy drum loop " . 
 
 = = Reception = = 
 
 
 = = = Critical Reviews = = = 
 
 Lost Horizons received mostly positive reviews from music critics , although several critics critiqued the album 's near @-@ constant mellowness . Stuart Mason of AllMusic called the album " a delightful but slightly faceless blend of lounge pop , subtle beats , found sound , with mellow jazz influences . " A reviewer for Entertainment.ie praised the band for approaching electronica from a new angle , writing , " this London @-@ based duo employ Playschool pianos , acoustic guitars and sprightly beats to create laid @-@ back instrumentals guaranteed to sooth even the most restless of souls . [ ... ] What really marks Lemon Jelly as exciting new talents is their quirky sense of humour , which they use to brighten up their sound with skilful [ sic ] use of nursery rhymes , brass bands and offbeat samples . Pascal Wyse of The Guardian wrote , " Everything is approachable and purely crafted , but Lost Horizons cheats banality with some choice quirks : Magnificent Seven strings , astronauts chatting , panoramic sound effects . " Chris Dahlen of Pitchfork Media felt that the album was a little too saccharine at times , but that it is " the perfect disc to throw on after your four @-@ disc Ultrachill Dub Groove Mix has put the whole party to sleep . It 's like eight flavors of ribbon candy , beach balls hitting the ground like hail , and a big plastic clown face that blows helium . " 
 Many reviews singled out " Nice Weather for Ducks " as the album 's stand @-@ out track . Mason selected the " dreamy , acoustic guitar @-@ based " song as one of the album 's highlights in his review . Dahlen described it as " the most likeable " on the album , and concluded that it is " a happy @-@ slappy lollipop of a song that nicely sums this record up : Sunny , bright , and vaguely irritating . " Wysel wrote , " When the flugelhorn arrives on ' Nice Weather for Ducks ' it is impossible to believe there is any evil in the world . " Conversely , several critics felt that " Experiment Number Six " did not fit with the mood of the rest of the album . Wysel called it a " pool of darkness " that " comes as quite a shock . " Dahlen felt that the song is " is the only break in the [ album 's ] mood . " While he enjoyed the song 's concept , calling it " so different and sinister that it 's more intriguing than the rest of the album " , he felt that it was " annoyingly displaced . " Hermann , on the other hand , called the track " clever " and " spooky " with " music ... so well crafted that [ the concept ] works " . 
 
 = = = Sales and accolades = = = 
 
 In the UK , the album charted at number 20 on the Albums Chart . In the US , it peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Top Electronic Albums chart . In both cases , it was the first Lemon Jelly album to do so . The album 's two singles , " Space Walk " and " Nice Weather for Ducks " , also managed to chart on the UK Singles Chart , at number 36 and 16 respectively . Again , this was a first for the band . On 20 December 2002 the album was certified Silver . Almost six months later , on 22 July 2013 , it was certified gold , denoting shipments of over 100 @,@ 000 . In 2003 , the album was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize , although the album lost to Dizzee Rascal 's Boy in da Corner . 
 
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