Product description CD-2001-EAN 724381014820-VIRGIN .co.uk Ambient pioneer Brian Eno has devoted much of his time to producing and making art than to his own music in recent years. Drawn From Life, his first album since 1997's The Drop is a collaboration with German percussionist and hip-hop DJ J. Peter Schwalm. The resultant sound is distinguished not by any move into the territory of urban beats but diverse, syncopated but determinedly downtempo, spatial rhythms. The 11 tracks all fall into the category of moody soundscapes--film scores for arthouse projects, but they're far from unapproachable--"Like Pictures Part 2" recalls "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" with minimal spoken word from Laurie Anderson over a sighing handclap rhythm, tinkling vibes and eastern strings, "Rising Dust" twinkles to a warm fuzz of electronica and vocodored piano. Meditative and absorbing, Drawn From Life is a counterpoint to silence. --Mike Pattenden
N**N
cool, clear and bright, like early springtime
This seems to be a bit of a forgotten classic in the Eno catalogue. It's a lovely blend of melodic pop and mellow ambient. It's accessible enough to be instantly likeable and hummable; laid-back and spacious enough to serve as discreet mood music; and substantial enough to reward repeated listening. In other words, it perfectly fits Eno's own 'ignorable but interesting' dictum for ambient music.Overall, the album has the cool pleasantness of a sunny morning sometime in early spring, with just a hint of darkness underneath to keep you paying attention. There's the vaguely sinister 'Intenser', with an underwater piano sound (the best way I can describe it) combining well with a haunting violin. There's the Tangerine Dream-like 'Night Traffic', all smooth surfaces and relentless forward movement. Then there's the opposite of that, the wistful beauty-in-stasis of 'More Dust', which reminds me a little of Eno's atmospheric 1980s work with Daniel Lanois.Best of all, there's the Laurie Anderson collaboration 'Like Pictures', a lovely piece that tinkles and sparkles like sunshine in your back garden. There's a playful element in this tune ("Don't look now, I'm right behind you") and also in the later 'Bloom', complete with childrens' voices, that gives the whole album a warm, human feel that you don't always get with music like this. Highly recommended.
S**T
Different!
A real mixture of textures, from chilled out "Nerve Net" to classical trance with a touch of avant garde thrown in for good measure. Certainly different in the approach, it makes for interesting listening. The whole album has a laid back feel to it, ambient music with drums could be one way to describe it. One thing's for certain, Eno hasn't lost his touch, I was beginning to doubt whether he lost it after the clinical Koan based album "The Drop", its great to hear Eno using his mind to compose soundscapes, maybe he works better when collaborating? Not too sure about 'Bloom', the incidental voice's seem to distract from the music, luckily its made up for by the inclusion of the instrumental version.Definitely worth adding to your Eno collection.
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