Brian Eno – The Ship review: music that is dour and distant

The Ship is Brian Eno's first solo record since 2012's Grammy-nominated Lux; it was originally created from investigations with 3D recording techniques and then shaped into interconnected sections that referenced thematic written word and Eno's continuous expeditions into electronic music.

Thematically, the album veers towards the gloomy – topics touched upon include the first World War (Eno: "the triumph of will and steel over humanity"), the sinking of the Titanic ("the apex of human technical power"), and the subsequent political and technological correlation between the two.

It’s all very ruminative, with little space for any colour beyond black and grey. Similarly, the music is dour and distant – a collage-style soundscape hums with an ominous undertow.

brian-eno.net