With the final chapter of an albeit interesting 2016 finally finished, Brian Eno has begun the start of the new year with his 19th studio album, appropriately named Reflections. Released on January 1, Eno’s latest collection of instrumental ambient music is only available via the usual media (CD, Vinyl, Streaming) in a 54 minute, one track excerpt. This is because Reflections in fact exists as a fluid entity, that doesn’t end and evolves depending on any number of environmental and temporal factors.

Eno has pushed the genre of ambience to a whole new level with this endless composition. The composer has collaborated on iOS and Apple TV to feature an “endless and endlessly changing version of the piece of music”. There’s technically no definitive version of ‘Reflections’. The album can be purchased via the app store in the form of a generative programme that only ends when the user wants. “My original intention with ambient music was to make endless music, music that would be there as long as you wanted it to be,” he writes. “I wanted also that this music would unfold differently all the time – like sitting by a river”. The endless piece of work is based around algorithms that are manipulated by Eno until he is satisfied. The result is an ambitious and immersive track that escapes being overworked or detached.

The 54-minute excerpt that is available outside of the app brings Eno’s manipulation of these said algorithms forward. Deep, melancholic tones trail in and out of glowing bell tones and the piece easily promotes relaxation at moments. Vibrating oscillations fade in and out of each other, in slow, hushed swells. The piece is minimal, resigned and has the ability to be equally as eerie as it is tranquil.

What is most fascinating about Reflections is Eno’s choice to prioritise silence. Every gentle sound that trickles in and out uses silence as its foundation. It is as though Eno has used silence as a bassline, and every other sound exists as an accompaniment. The piece rarely layers more than a few sounds on top of each other, yet still manages to capture the listener in what feels like a frolic with nothingness. This, at times, can be discomforting but there is an art in Eno’s ability to create that emotion with so little noise.

Reflections is undoubtedly an album that weaves its way into the conscience of the listener, be them willing or not. It is noiselessly moving, and for this alone its excellence can be appreciated. Perhaps it is Eno’s outstanding ability to captivate with quiet that makes his ambient experiments so fantastic.
Sian Blewitt

Website: brian-eno.net
Facebook: facebook.com/brianenomusic
Twitter: twitter.com/dark_shark