Brian Eno - Music for Installations

Of course then, there are stand out tracks. From the glittering birth-rite of ‘Kazakhstan’, which welcomes you not only to the record but to Eno’s world itself, with its pulse and deep inhale of our first moments in the world - to the tribal rain-dance faux-deity worship of ‘Needle Click’; this collection shows that ambient music can take you on the most rollercoaster of journeys. Each piece then, sums up a specific place, and time. Sometimes these places and times are not of this world. ‘Light Legs’ hums with the giddy excitement the Human Race’s first communications with aloof alien beings, where ‘Liquidambar’ offers a more intimate affair. The unravel and tame of that eternal serpent in your spine, entangled in your energy points, ready to bite.

And like this unravel sits Eno’s music itself. For those familiar with Kundalini and Transcendental Meditation philosophies, Eno’s Music For Installations sits somewhere comfortably between the two. It has the sweet parallel of both styles of mindfulness; the ability to quiet and centre yourself in the most crowded of situations - and the unravel of power in thy true creative self; to set off fireworks of inspiration in your liminal mind.

Here we have then, the beauty of these expansive six volumes. The track choices are as at home in your ears to calm-your-nerves-on-the-tube-on-a-busy-Friday night as they would be in an Ashram. Its ambience, but for everyday life, and who better than Eno to usher you into these generative landscapes? No-one better, that’s who.

Those with AMSR may find it sets off the tingle-in-the-spine sensation - but unlike other, more wildcard records of ambience, Eno manages this all somehow with the sense your hand is being firmly held. That if you fall on your journey through the volumes, a slender arm might reach down from the heavens, dust you off, and sit you carefully back on your feet. This is music to expand your consciousness, but here, in the comfort of Mister Cool, it is very much safe to do so.