The Ambient Series: Roger Eno

I was going to go a different direction on this installment but decided a little detour would be better.  Besides, this is a wide open topic.  There’s plenty of time to go in any direction.  Today, I’m going to explore the works of an Eno not named Brian.

Roger Eno, younger brother to the inimitable Brian Eno, first worked his ambient approach with Daniel Lanois, and Brian Eno on the collaborative album, Apollo: Atmospheres And Soundtracks.  Apollo is a beautiful album exploring multiple styles in a single setting.  Much of the music is dark, but is richly textured in the expected Brian Eno fashion.

Roger Eno‘s first step out was a brilliant one.  His debut album, Voices, was released via Brian Eno’s boutique label, EG Records in 1985.  I’ll be the first to say that the treated piano work found on Voices is mesmerizing.  Honestly, I could listen to this album forever.  It is relaxing, unique, and highly memorable.  It’s so good that if you started with this one, you would be encouraged to start working through his catalog.

Roger Eno followed Voices with Between Tides in 1988.  It upped the ante with Eno finding his own niche using a more classical style incorporating his multi-instrumental talents with dreamy washes of atmospheric piano weaving throughout his compositions.

There are many albums in Eno‘s catalog, some of it film soundtracks.  He has also further collaborated with Kate St John (from The Dream Academy band whose big hit was “Life In A Northern Town”, an under appreciated gem of a song), Peter Hammill (Van der Graaf Generator), Bill Nelson (Be Bop Deluxe), Harold Budd, and other notables.

Roger Eno‘s work is vast.  We could go on all day about where his music has evolved to, and evolved it has.  From church music, to orchestral works, to whispered strains in softly played music, Roger Eno has yet to stop reinventing his styles.  Eno still performs the occasional one-off. On July 2 of 2013, he released a new album, Plumbline.

Most importantly, some of his classic albums including Voices are being reissued via Warp Records (label home to Grizzly Bear, Boards Of Canada, Brian Eno, and others).