Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 07/08/2008
Run Time: 54:07
The latter part of 1975 was a remarkably creative period for
Brian Eno. With his masterpiece
Another Green World,
Eno began moving away from the structure and sound of
pop music toward a more static instrumental model, influenced in part by
Erik Satie and strongly informed by his prior collaborations with
Robert Fripp. Recorded just a month after
Another Green World,
Discreet Music is his first full foray into what has become known as
ambient music. Using the same system of two reel-to-reel tape recorders as
No Pussyfooting and
Evening Star,
Eno was able to layer simple parts atop one another, resulting in a beautiful piece of music that never really changes but constantly evolves with the addition and decay of different parts. And while there were elements of noise and dissonance on the albums with
Fripp, all the sounds here are calming and serene. The second half of the album deals with the same ideas of recurring themes and evolution but uses a different approach. Here, members of
the Cockpit Ensemble use pieces of the score of
Pachelbel's
Canon in D Major, but the relation of these elements changes over time by having the parts slow at differing intervals or using different lengths of the musical score. The same notions of theme and constant variation appear, but without the aid of the tape delay system. The tones of the strings are vastly different from the synth tones of the title track, but the effect on the listener is the same, with the pieces delicately unfolding over time.
Discreet Music's reputation as a groundbreaking and influential work is surpassed only by its placid beauty. Highly recommended.
~Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide
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