Brian Eno – Another Green World – 1975
From the very outset I think I’m in trouble. Everything I don’t like about Talking Heads can be found in the first few minutes of the opening track, “Sky Saw”. The tribal rhythms mashing up against wailing, minimalist viola. It doesn’t last long but it’s pretty ugly while it’s around. But once I settle in to the album’s sensibilities and it’s deliberately Dada-ist intentions I find I can relax. At least I know what I’m listening to. I like this better when it’s poppified by Penguin Cafe Orchestra, however. (Go Figure: Just read that Eno was exec producer of that album. Wow)
In an attempt to fall over themselves fellating Brian Eno, Pitchfork had this to say about this album: “No one could mistake Another Green World for anything other than a pop album, but at the same time, it is unrecognizable as such.”
Um…what? That’s sort of…a contradiction, no? It’s fairly certain that 9/10 if Pitchfork loves it, I’m a gonna hate it (exceptions, The Hold Stead and the recent Kanye West).
But I don’t hate AGW. I just…well…you really gotta be in the mood for this one. If you’ve ever heard Gary Numan’s Dance then you’ve heard this, cause Numan owes Eno royalties. Also on “Everything Merges with the Night”, it is most obviously the influence for Telekon’s “Please Push No More”. I would wager Radiohead could ship a few pence off to Brian as well.
-Halfway through the first listen-
Nothing clocks in at over 4 minutes and many of the tracks are much shorter, as if Eno knows that he’s asking much of you to sit through these experiments and if they go on too long they will crumble. They are each, however, the precise length they need to be.
I want so to hate Another Green World. Instead, it’s my favorite Eno record so far.
Extraordinary
Grade: A+
ASide: In Dark Trees, I’ll Come Running
BlindSide: St. Elmo’s Fire (much better than the movie), Zawinul/Lava
