After Eno worked with Talking Heads, producing Fear Of Music, and before Remain In Light was released, Eno and Byrne snook off down their experimental rabbit hole to produce this collaboration. I'd seen it recommended on so many occasions that I bit the bullet and bought it on line, not really knowing what to expect.
I haven't listened to it enough, and I'm still not sure what to expect. It starts with America Is Waiting, a heavily percussive beat over repeated spoken word samples. Mea Culpa has similar African style percussion over a spoken theme and a droning chant. On Regiment there's a more traditionally Western drum and bass, with a vocal sample from Lebanese singer Dunya Younes, while on Help Me Somebody, and The Jezebel Spirit, it's back to the African beat, mixed with sampled speech and a delicate guitar sound. Help Me Somebody is less African in percussion, but the clipped guitar sounds straight from Zimbabwe or South Africa, over the more electric feel. And the impression at the halfway point is that it's interesting and imaginative, but doesn't really make for memorable listening. And the formula continues - African beat, electronic instrumentation, sampled speech/song. The Carrier departs from this as a lovely Lebanese mountain song is sampled with a more gentle accompaniment, while A Secret Life is much more minimal, but still delightful.
It's an interesting album, clearly influenced by Eno's work with experimenter / trumpeter Jon Hassell, and reminds me of (and probably influenced heavily) XTC's Homo Safari series of songs. But it feels like an exercise more for the benefit of those producing, than those consuming.
3* - Much that's interesting to listen to, much that's enchanting, but it doesn't really make the impact I'd hoped.
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