Review Summary: An incredible and interesting piece crafted by the ambient mastermind, Brian Eno.
Simplicity. What would you define it as? For many it is tagged as boring , and just doesn’t give a good feel. But what if there was something so simple yet beautifully crafted it actually gave a name for itself? Brian Eno's near perfect release, Ambient 1: Music for Airports falls heavily into this area. The continuous atmospheric textures are what you would call minimal, added onto bright piano lines that are extremely simple. What plays an important role in this album is the fact that there is so much accomplished given so little. The main elements are just a simple piano, very few synths, and atmosphere.
The overall sound is based solely on being at an Airport. The sound loops are a portion that is staged upon the Airports atmosphere. It gives you the overall vibe for what is encountered upon traveling in the Airport. The very delicate placed pianos and melody patterns are what mainly drive this album by actually soaking up the main atmosphere. At times the course and flow of the sequences begin to feel a little recurring, but it doesn't destroy how the track actually evolves. It honestly sets on for a pretty relaxing and enjoyable journey.
There are 4 tracks, each done by spreading out a few instruments or two. The first track, "1/1" matures by fading the piano melody in and out repeatedly into sounding luscious and simply gorgeous. "2/1" and "1/2" contain an interesting vocal play through. The words "aaaah" are heard throughout, in which they consistently interact and play around with each other. A few quiet synths and pianos lurk as well, and the two songs brilliantly progress and deliver much ambition. The last track, "2/2" is basically a synth that changes as the piece sets in, and continues like this for about 5 minutes or so.
But honestly, I think this album is centered to be on a mixed bag. People who aren't exactly profound to simplicity, ambient, and minimalism may find this release to downright tedious. However for some listeners, they may feel like they are set on an expedition, or carried away by beautiful pianos, and cloudy atmosphere. Sometimes, simplicity can actually be done right.
