Optimize With Brian Johnson

The mid-'80s proved to be a prolific and exploratory time for the producer/performer team of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who this time out take guitarist Michael Brook under their ambient wing to create an album of considerable beauty and restraint. Taking a "less is more" approach to the project, Brook adapts quite easily as a group member in co-creating these organic pieces (although composer credits go to him alone), and within a few minutes one forgets that he is a guitar player. Hybrid is not an especially dynamic or exciting album, but its depth is nonetheless rewarding. There is substance within the shadows, and the musicians take the necessary time to properly explore them…

A collaboration between an improvising pianist and the ambient icon yields an unusual fusion of acoustic and electronic ideas - a meeting of minds that is full of rewarding surprises.
On the resulting album, Finding Shore, Rogerson is simply credited with "notes" and Eno with "sounds," with no further explanation, leaving it up to the listener to guess what went on in the studio. Like Ryuichi Sakamoto's async, Finding Shore seems to find magic in everyday objects and scenes. The pieces have scenic titles like "Idea of Order at Kyson Point" and "Marsh Chorus," and they all serve as simple yet surreal sound paintings, exploring minimal melodies and atmospheric elements…