Search - Brian Eno :: Nerve Net

Unbalanced, but deserving reevaluation.

Michael Stack | North Chelmsford, MA USA | 07/05/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"An album much maligned for what it is not rather than what it is, Eno's "Nerve Net" is a record deserving reevaluation. Admittedly not a masterpiece per se, it is a good record deserving of reevaluation. Certainly its reissue is as good a time as ever.



The history of the album is what drives opinion of it-- evidentally Eno had planned a vocal record, his first since 1977's "Before and After Science" (this year's "Another Day on Earth" is the album that eventually filled that criteria) to be called "My Squelchy Life". At some point, Eno determined this was a mistake, and "Nerve Net" appeared reusing some of this material. Far from an ambient album, the record is a foray into sort of looped rock music, and presages much of the late '90s techno/rock fusion.



The material on here works best when Eno coaxes great playing out of the musicians involved-- there's no doubt he knows how to construct a piece, but working in collaboration requires strong performance. Pieces like opener "Fractal Zoom" (with its upbeat drum loop and great bass under the synth driven wash), "Juju Space Jazz" (precisely what its name says it is) and "Distributed Being" (featuring an absolutely jaw dropping solo from Robert Fripp) are all among the best of Eno's non-ambient material. And yet, its quite an uneven album, for every great song, there's a less than intriguing piece like "What Actually Happened?" (with its irritatingly overprocessed vocal), spectacular misfire "Ali Click" (what sounds like a bad attempt at a rap) and the seemingly endless Lascaux Mix of "Web", which removes the Fripp guitar solo that was the highlight of the original track.



The remaster sound is superb (although admittedly the record is only thirteen years old, so this is a little necessary) and crisp, with a good balance. The liner notes include the lyrics and the CD includes two remixes. The "Fractal Zoom" remix brings drum loops and Eno's vocals up to the fore, making a much more enjoyable experience. The remix of "Ali Click" doesn't really do anything for me, but I really don't care for the piece at all, so this might not be fair. The reissue is packaged in a standard jewel case-- too bad, it would've been nice if it had matched the Astralwerks reissues.



Again, its not a masterpiece, its not ambient, and its not the pop album people were hoping for, but its well worth careful listening, there's quite a bit to get out of this one."