To Space and Back Again

Brian Eno, the man who blazed a trail for avant-garde pop, post-punk, and ambient music in the mid-70s, is back with his first “vocal” album in over 20 years. Another Day On Earth recalls the meticulous nature of Eno’s ambient-pop opus Another Green World. “Going Unconscious” drifts like an ocean of electronic sound, while the vocals, spoken by a mysterious female voice, struggle to remain above the surface. An unusual and circular structure makes up the wonderful “How Many Worlds.” It begins as an ethereal folk ditty, then slowly launches into orbit with serene, kaleidoscopic sounds, and finally lands down safely on earth in its original form.

The opening track, “This,” is the album’s only semi-upbeat pop song. The music seems to fall in line with the likes of Boards of Canada or Lali Puna. It’s a great song, but it feels detached from the rest of the album’s slow and undulating vibe.

“Bottomliners” and “Bonebomb” are the album’s greatest achievements. The former is a peaceful and minimal piece with a humble melody and elegantly arranged choral overdubs. On “Bonebomb” Eno disguises his voice and simply speaks from what seems to be the diary of a young girl facing her mortality in the midst of war. The glitchy track ends with the chilling words: “Everything stolen, except my bones/Now I am only bone/I waited for peace, and here is my peace. Here in this still last moment of my life.”

Brian Eno’s sweepingly progressive Another Day on Earth is an example of a man who not only continues to discover new musical worlds, but is also becoming more conscious of this one.