Who’s super-psyched for primarily instrumental music from Brian Eno? So, ok, that sounds less fun than I think it’s gonna be. Look, if readers have been taught anything by this, it should be that preconceived notions about an album’s quality should be abandoned. So, set aside all your doubts, and open your mind as we move into Another Green World.
If you had any fear this album wasn’t gonna be some interesting, fun compositional brilliance, the opening track “Sky Saw” should set you straight. From Eno’s free form lyrics to the distorted sliding notes, the opening song sets the tone for an album that’s genius should be recognized from the outset (despite being panned by some critics in it’s early days). Each track s a unique soundscape, with Eno using notes to create an impressionist painting on your ears. The album cover does a lot to set the tone of the album. This is the kind of album that should be accompanied by Rothkos or Magrittes. It’s true modern art, without being pretentious. Each track, from the fun, colorful, upbeat “St. Elmo’s Fire” to the bleak, damp, brooding Francis-Bacon-esque “In Dark Trees”, Eno crafts universes of sound that exist within these tracks, and the instrumentals conjure more images in the mind than even the finest poet’s lyrics.
There is not a track out of place on this album. It is a masterpiece to whom modern day bands like Grandaddy and Sigur Ros owe a remarkable debt. This is an album to lay down on the stereo, turn of the lights, lie back and dream. The world Brian Eno builds within your mind will shine so beautifully you’ll never want the album to end. Definitely worth a listen.
-Mike
Next up, #111: Court and Spark by Joni Mitchell
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