Eno
,
Gary Hustwit
's documentary about
Brian Eno
, premiered at Sundance in January of 2024, and the film subsequently played in several cities around the world. Using generative software which determines the sequencing and transitions, the film is never shown the same way twice, similar to
's 2017 ambient album
Reflection
, which can play infinitely through an app. The soundtrack to
is a set-in-stone collection of tracks from throughout the man's career as a recording artist, including three previously unreleased selections. Much like the soundtrack to
The Velvet Underground: A Documentary Film by Todd Haynes
is not at all meant to be a definitive best-of collection, but it does provide a well-rounded view of the artist's work, and considering how massive
's discography is, there's bound to be material here that many fans have missed or overlooked. All of the tracks are credited to
as a solo artist or collaborator, not as a producer for other artists. On paper, the track listing looks like it might've been generated by a shuffle feature, with cuts from albums with
Fred again..
and
Cluster
sitting next to each other near the beginning of the set, but the sequencing feels more deliberate and makes more sense when one actually listens. Appropriately, the set opens with "All I Remember," a gentle pop ballad about looking back through the past. The edgy art-funk of "Sky Saw" from
Another Green World
precedes "Spinning Away," a surprisingly radio-friendly tune from
's album with
John Cale
Wrong Way Up
. Songs from both of
's vastly different albums with
David Byrne
are present, along with the simultaneously proto-punk and post-punk "Third Uncle" (1974) and more rock-ish early-'90s tracks from both the unreleased (until much later)
My Squelchy Life
and the 1992-issued
Nerve Net
. The album ends with two more previously unreleased selections: an abstract drift with horns, scratches, and glitches titled "Lighthouse #429," and a live recording of the sublime "By This River," featuring
Roger Eno
. Balancing
's rock, pop, and ambient sides, the soundtrack does an effective job of boiling a 50-year solo career down to an adventurous 74-minute overview. ~ Paul Simpson