Album: Small Craft on a Milk Sea
Artist: Brian Eno
Label: Warp Records
Release Date: Nov. 2
Grade: A
Brian Eno, legendary producer of Coldplay, U2 and Talking Heads, has graced the Warp record label with a brand new solo outing entitled Small Craft on a Milk Sea.
Excitement for the album will hit hardest for fans of the electronic/ambient genre that he helped create, and for good reason. After so many years, Eno proves quite able to deliver a gorgeous, moody and occasionally fearsome listening experience.
The album begins with an ambient suite that spans the first three tracks. "Emerald and Lime" sets the slow, emotional pace with warm piano and ringing guitar notes, which are further mutated into a dark, sad place by "Complex Heaven" and the title track.
From there, the album picks up into a dark, energetic and claustrophobic section of songs, beginning with "Flint March." The electronic swells and tribal percussion sets the stage for the album's most impressive highlight – the one-two punch of "Horse" and "2 Forms of Anger."
The former works with dirty, organic sound effects and IDM beats, sounding at times like an update of Pink Floyd's "On the Run." Meanwhile, "2 Forms of Anger" spends time building up like an old, unpredictable machine until finally bursting into an all-out rock and roll release, steadily going out of control.
"Paleosonic" signals the end of Small Craft's middle section with a bang. It's a propulsive, schizophrenic piece that qualifies as the most interesting track.
The album's third section brings a return to dark, chilly ambience, save "Emerald Stone," an endearing reprise of the album opener.
The finale, "Late Anthropocene," is the longest track, at 8:09, and closes the album with a soothing ambient mood. With four tracks of a similar sound before it, fans may wish Eno had saved something more special for the ending.
Though it is no Another Green World, Small Craft is sure to satisfy fans of the genre and of Eno. While some of the tracks seem to end too soon and the last third closes the album with more of a whimper than a bang, Small Craft on a Milk Sea is an essential listen for 2010.
