With every passing year, Brian Eno seems to grow more ubiquitous. And why not? The one-time Roxy Music keyboardist, U2/Bowie producer and general musical boffin collaborated with Damon Albarn on his new single ‘Heavy Seas Of Love’; he’s essentially a studio member of Coldplay; plus, he’s also been involved with a plethora of recent albums, including new ones from David Byrne, Robert Fripp and John Cale.
His latest partner in crime is Underworld’s charismatic singer Karl Hyde, with whom Eno worked briefly in the past. Hyde is best known for his demented dancing, stream of consciousness lyrics and, of course, for chanting “lager, lager, lager” during ‘Born Slippy’.
It’s already obvious from the opening two tracks, ‘The Satellites’ and ‘Daddy’s Car’, that teaming up with Eno makes brilliant, beautiful sense. Initially, the vocals don’t quite sound like Hyde’s voice, but that’s part of the appeal: there are plently of moments during Someday World where the listener is pleasantly thrown.
Eno was assisted in sculpturing the sound of the album by young producer Fred Gibson. For his part, meanwhile, Hyde has said that making the album was “a bit like being nine years old again.” Whatever the secret of the dynamic between them, the odd-couple have delivered an introspective album that also sounds gloriously like a street carnival. It’s an absolute treat.