BRIAN ENO: THE DROP (1997)
1) Slip, Dip; 2) But If; 3)
Belgian Drop; 4) Cornered; 5) Block Drop; 6) Out Out; 7) Swanky; 8) Coasters;
9) Blissed; 10) M. C. Organ; 11) Boomcubist; 12) Hazard; 13) Rayonism; 14) Dutch
Blur; 15) Back Clack; 16) Dear World; 17) Iced World.
True to its name, I believe that all of this
album, except for the last track, is about «the drop». Since gravity causes
different effects depending on the nature of the object subjected to gravity,
things, you know, tend to drop at different rates with different sonic
repercussions, and this is exactly the subject that Brian Eno explores on this
album. And if you think the subject is slight, well, think again — can you even
imagine a world without dropping?
It's not every second, mind you, that a starving child dies in Africa — but
every second, millions and billions of objects around the world effectuate The
Drop. And has anyone in the history
of music ever made a work of art about that? Absolutely nobody, not even The
Fall.
On the down side, when you dig deep into the
art of dropping, it shows little potential for fascination. If you emphasize
it and make tricky electronic interlocking patterns, like Autechre, it can have
some crazy appeal — but if you treat it minimalistically, like Brian does here,
it doesn't do all that much. Sixteen short tracks — snippets, really — that
range from rhythm-less atmospheric textures to (theoretically) danceable tracks
with drum-'n'-bass support, and most of them just float by without awakening
any unusual thoughts or feelings. There is little here that wasn't already done
better on Nerve Net or Spinner, and those, too, weren't
exactly huge artistic successes. At best, this music feels like a collection of
moody intros to potentially gripping songs — some mildly intriguing groove is
set up, you subconsciously expect it to develop / transition into something
more exciting, it never does, and you walk away... dissatisfied. Maybe you will
get an idea of what a ʽBelgian Dropʼ really is, but how exactly is that going
to help you develop your spirituality and keep in touch with The Eternal?
Since the tracks are so frustratingly
non-descript, I believe that the only thing that remains is to point out that
the last track, called ʽIced Worldʼ
and stretching out for more than thirty minutes, is actually just an extended
version of the second part of the last track from Spinner, and that nothing particularly different happens in those
25 minutes of it that were not
included on Spinner. I do wonder if
there's a skyscraper high enough anywhere in the world that would require a
32-minute ride with ʽIced Worldʼ as the soundtrack. If there is, they should be
waiting for you with a straitjacket at the top, just for the purpose of extra
security — or, at the very least, you might never ever want to hear a piano
again as long as you live.
It is so ironic, of course, that the worst of
Eno's ambient albums seem to be those on which something actually happens — at least Music For Airports, with its Zen-Spartan poise, entrances you with
its superficially humble arrogance, but this «unwelcome jazz» thing that Brian
got going in the late Nineties is just yawn-inducing. Never even mind that
these albums put him at a total disadvantage with all the experimentation and
innovation that was happening at the same time on the electronic scene — it's
just a bunch of bland sonic collages by itself, in and out of any context. I
can understand that the man was bored, but rubbing your boredom off on others
is simply impolite, especially for such a great artist.
"things, you know, tend to drop at different rates"
ReplyDeleteThis is a satire, right? :)
Earth's atmosphere is not a vacuum.
DeleteI can almost taste those 'C' reviews. Do look into Captain Beyond.
ReplyDeleteYes, do!
Delete