Review Summary: Whether it'll be pop hooks, experimentation or plain entertainment you want, this multi-faceted release from Brian Eno has it all...
Brian Eno is an underrated genius. Sure, the word “genius” is one of the most overused, clichéd ways to praise people who are “just” capable of making great music when in reality it should be used for, like, 20 people per century. However, I’ll be a sheep and give him the accolade; how else could you describe a man who collaborated the famous Berlin Trilogy, pushed electronic music to center of popular music and
still had enough songwriting talent to make accessible music for everyone? Oh, he also dropped
Before And After Science sometime during 1977, if the above weren’t enough.
What makes this record such a treat is the mood swings found throughout; it’s goofy, funky, rocking, dark, brooding, hopeful and more, all in just under 40 minutes. Take a
good peak at the g-r-o-o-v-y paradise of
No One Receiving. Then dive into the pop sea of the passionate
Backwater and once you get to the nearest shore, free your animalistic tendencies through the insane drum sequence of
Kurt’s Rejoinder. After that, you can meditate in darkness with
Energy Fools The Magician before getting up and exploding your brains with
King’s Lead Hat. And this is only the first side, mind you.
Naturally, this stylistic diversity will not and cannot be apparent from the first listen. Eno may have included a lot of different vibes here, but they are all held together from the synth-driven, rich production which dresses everything in a cloak of quirkiness. It is this steadiness in production that makes the album a cohesive, satisfying whole, though. Thus, busy synthesizers may be the primary way of arranging a song here, but that won’t take away from the pianos, metallics, chimes or timbales that make their appearance throughout and will shatter any image regarding the “robotic” or “cold nature” one might associate the album with on first listen.
Arguably, the gel that holds everything from collapsing like a tower of cards is the excellent songwriting. Of course, one might successfully argue that ambient and thus, Brian Eno, is not about melodies, but atmosphere and texture. The truth, however, is that
Before And After Science’s structure is that of a pop album; short tunes, plenty of singing, rich instrumentation and your standard song structure do not an ambient album make, despite the inclusion of two instrumentals (which are way too structured to be called “true” ambient, anyway).
Whatever the nature of the album, the melodies are too irresistible to be ignored. Brian writes songs with the catchiness of a seasoned pop songwriter and the texture of a classical composer. Piano, guitar or bass motifs are fleshed out under the attention-grabbing choruses and verses, creating numerous layers of sonic and melodic beauty, but nothing ever feels overdone. Case in point, the tender dreamscape of
Here He Comes. Another case in point, the depressing isolation called
By This River. Plus, you get two magnificent instrumentals in the form of the melancholic
Through Hollow Lands and the aforementioned dark
Energy Fools The Magician that rival the finest instrumentals found on David Bowie’s
Low.
To summarize, this is one of the finest electronic-meets-pop-meets-ambient albums in existence. Layered production, stellar songwriting, vivid emotions and varied moods cannot disappoint any listener, can they? It is recommended for every Bowie fan, listeners who search for accessible ambient albums in vain as well as pop lovers. But most importantly, it is an album recommended for everyone who craves for an entertaining and moving 40 minute ride. Be sure to get on board on time.
