CD: Brian Eno - Lux | reviews, news & interviews
CD: Brian Eno - Lux
CD: Brian Eno - Lux
Latest from the ambient pioneer is the musical equivalent of slow food
Brian Eno’s latest is the musical equivalent of slow food: something to savour in a state of quietude and away from the stresses of accelerated time. The ambient genre of which he was a pioneer has, in other hands, drifted into a kind of quality Muzak, background music to soothe the nerves of restless devotees of speed.
Brian Eno avoids the cosy syrup of New Age doodlings – the stuff masseurs use to help soften overwrought muscle tissue. And yet, the music on Lux is never less than sweet, but a cool sweetness, well-dosed and never plunging into excess.
There is, in a sense, never anything new in a music which focuses so clearly on texture and timbre rather than unfolding drama or melody. The idea is to stop rather than be drawn into the tension and goal-driven script of musical story-telling – the laws of harmony or the structure of the 12-bar blues, for instance. So Lux is in many ways very similar to No Pussyfooting, Eno’s 1975 excursion into similar territory with Robert Fripp, or any of the other famous ambient albums from Music for Airports to his collaborations with pianist Harold Budd.
As antidote to the stresses of constantly accelerated time, a process whereby increased speed, paradoxically, reduces the time we have available, Lux is both political statement and healing tool. It makes you feel good while drawing you away from the pace imposed by the constant stimulation of desire and expectations. Don’t expect the excitement that Eno as producer coaxes out of Coldplay or U2. Neither is Lux ideal background music: it demands the kind of attention that slows the heart and opens the mind.
rating
Share this article
The future of Arts Journalism
You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!
We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d
And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.
Subscribe to theartsdesk.com
Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.
To take a subscription now simply click here.
And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?
Add comment