Eno & Hyde – High Life

The father of ambient music Brian Eno and Underworld’s own Karl Hyde joined forces dubbing themselves “Eno and Hyde” to collaborate musical prowess in their sophomore album effort, High Life. The record is only six songs long, but is so engulfing that the listener cannot help but get lost within each track, making the whole an complete success.

First track Return features dissonant and ambient vocal harmonies that pan from ear to ear behind steady, percussive guitar. This complements the overall atmosphere and production of the song, and is something Brian Eno has patented and yet avoided overdoing. The next, DBF looks back 30 plus years to the disco era with a twist of ambiance and spacey funk. Time to Waste is very eccentric but groovy, with dub elements, featuring a church-like female vocal, haunting reverb and stuttering effect in the recording. Lilac goes to the 80s new wave era with some awesome folky guitar, flutters of ambient sounds and sweet vocal harmonies. Moulded Life is probably the most eclectic song on the album and plays like something you’d hear in a video game; it has a Kashmir-esque style but features jazzy guitar alongside it. The dissonance and ambient elements recall the soundtrack to a sci-fi action movie. The final track Cells & Bells is melancholy and soft, featuring vocals with robotic effects. It ties the record together perfectly and is an ideal conclusion to what is a stellar album.

The production of High Life could not be more flawless; with Eno’s expertise it is as eccentric and artistic as it was meant to be, and more. Eno and Hyde have patented themselves as gods in the art and ambient music genre, eminently showcasing their skills in this second record. An absolute joy to listen to and experience.

Joe Hoffman

High Life was released on 30^th June 2014, to order the album visit here.

Watch the video for Lilac here: