Back catalogue: Ambient/Drone

Review: A true enigma, an artist that represents all that was fascinating and romantic and alluring and intriguing about 20th Century sounds, Brian Eno was always going to need a feature length documentary, when the time was right. Premiering at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Eno, Gary Hustwit's ode to the man, myth and legend, wowed critics and blew audiences away. Not least because it uses a computer programme which selects footage and edits the movie so a different version is shown at every screening. Innovation befitting Eno, removing the visuals and focusing on the sounds readjusts our vision to bring Eno into greater focus. The breadth of what's on this soundtrack is remarkable, from upfront indie on 'Stiff' and the weird folk-pop of 'Spinning Away', a John Cale collaboration, the ghostly post-rave of 'Cmon' with Fred Again, spectacular pianos of 'Motion In The Field', ethereal ambient vocals on 'There Were Bells', the angular punk dominating 'Third Uncle' - we could go on, and on, and on.

Review: When The Ship was released in 2016, Brian Eno was comfortably settled into a rhythm with Warp Records which had yielded multiple albums with Karl Hyde amongst other projects. The Ship was notable in that it was Eno's first solo record with vocals since 2005's Another Day On Earth and its widespread acclaim saw it make an impression on the UK charts. Loosely based around the rich thematic thread of the Titanic, but it's as much an exploration of Eno's older, lower register vocal. There's also a choice cover of The Velvet Underground's 'I'm Set Free', which brings this majestic album to a close. Now it's seeing a re-release via UMR pressed on Coke bottle green vinyl.