ALBUM OF THE WEEK : BRIAN ENO The Ship
BRIAN ENO The Ship
Warp
An album that began life as an installation piece; whose lyrics feature the spewings of a text generator, into which had been fed excerpts of ribald First World War songs, an eyewitness account of the sinking of the Titanic and the lifeless wording of email disclaimers; whose songs in some cases drift comfortably past the 15-minute mark. Yes, it’s the new Sam Smith record... or not. I’m not suggesting all artists should do as Eno does, and voyage out to the wilder shores. Pop comes in all shapes and sizes, and so it should. Nor could I argue that such voyages always yield musical missives that prove worth the journey. But... oh, for signs of a greater willingness to give it a go, if only once. Because then other bands might produce work like the closing section of the title track here, where icy beeps and crepuscular creaks of who knows what provenance conjure up the giant, unforgiving ocean, swallowing its vast but hapless prize, as the disgorged lyrics cohere and twist the knife.
The Ship is Eno's first solo record since 2012's Grammy-nominated LUX. Originally conceived from experiments with three dimensional recording techniques and formed in two, interconnected parts, The Ship is almost as much musical novel as traditional album. Eno brings together beautiful songs, minimalist ambience, physical electronics omniscient narratives and technical innovation into a single, cinematic suite. The result is the very best of Eno, a record without parallel in his catalogue
1. The Ship
2. Fickle Sun (I)
3. Fickle Sun (II) the Hour Is Thin
4. Fickle Sun (III) I'm Set Free
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