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Brian Eno and Rick Holland : Panic of Looking

Warp

The best (and all too rare) moments of Drums Between the Bells, Brian Eno’s recent collaboration with poet Rick Holland, was when the veteran British producer transformed readings of Holland’s words into performances that not only resembled actual melodies but ones that sounded uncannily like sparkling mid ‘70s Eno (see: “Cloud 4”). Thankfully, Panic of Looking, a six-song companion EP, leaves Eno’s treated ambience mostly in the background and focuses on subtly transforming spoken cadences into actual song. The opening “In The Future” does it best, and Holland’s visions of the modern city find themselves on firm musical footing. It is a giddy and near-magical effect, especially as Eno swoops in with harmony parts. Elsewhere, it is a subtler effect— the melodies vaporous and trailing away. Despite the music’s quietness, Eno’s rich beats demand to be listened to loudly, and suddenly—like the words—ambience might become song.