Brian Eno is MORE DARK THAN SHARK

INTERVIEWS, REVIEWS & RELATED ARTICLES

Now JUNE 30, 2011 - by Joanne Huffa

BRIAN ENO & RICK HOLLAND: DRUMS BETWEEN THE BELLS

Brian Eno started working with poet Rick Holland when they met in the late '90s. On Drums Between The Bells, the result of this long-standing relationship, Holland provides the lyrics, Eno plays the lion's share of instruments, and both, with many collaborators, do the vocals.

We hear Eno first, on Bless This Space, though it's the heavily accented, synthesised voice of Poland's Grazyna Goworek on Glitch that grounds the album. The lyrics combine images of nature and technology (a reoccurring theme), mirrored perfectly by the computerised voice and Eno's spacious soundscape.

Eno sometimes chooses nothing more than a piano to frame the voice, and other times layers orchestration into a dense thicket of sound. The record, lacking choruses or pop hooks, isn't one to turn to for instant gratification. Instead, it's an engaging marriage of words and music.