Eno (left) with Bryan Ferry (centre) in Roxy Music.
In 1979, Brian Eno sat down with a can of fizzy pop and a packet of Hula Hoops to idly watch an episode of Mork and Mindy. It was the last uncreative thing he ever did. Since then, he’s been forever doing something.
My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts.
After leaving Roxy Music and inventing ambient music, he worked on Bowie’s seminal Berlin trilogy, produced three of Talking Heads’ best albums, all of the best U2 albums, and pioneered sampling with David Byrne with My Life in The Bush Of Ghosts back in 1981.
He’s worked on soundtracks, installations and albums with Gavin Bryars, Michael Nyman, Daniel Lanois, Robert Fripp, John Cale, Laurie Anderson, Robert Wyatt and James Blake, as well as Dido, Coldplay and Microsoft. Despite the fact that he only works on a Mac.
In other words, he’s both intimidatingly prolific, and consciously catholic in his choice of collaborators. His last two albums are happily more of the same.
His latest offering is Someday World, which he produced with Underworld’s Karl Hyde. It’s an infectiously upbeat, anthemic album that will provide the perfect backdrop for your next trip in a car or on a train. But truth be told, even though it’s a little bit better than the 6.2 it gets from Pitchfork here, it is just a little underwhelming.
Bowie, Bono and Eno in ’02.
Much more satisfying is his 2012 offering, Lux. Harking back to his earlier, purely ambient work such as Music for Airports in 1978, or Apollo, the piece he did with his brother Roger and Daniel Lanois in 1983, Lux as its title suggests is both calm and intimate, yet warm and expansive. Somehow, even monumental.
It is yet another remarkable addition to a staggering back catalogue. You can hear a sample from Lux here.
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