Prior to becoming an award-winning film composer of note, and alongside his work with global musicians like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on records for Real World, in 1992 guitarist and composer Michael Brook released Cobalt Blue, followed by a promotional live album the next year. Though derided by some critics as merely the next wave of new age music (a stance since re-evaluated and discarded), both records would go on to become landmarks in ambient music, and inspiration for similar artists to come. Almost thirty-five years after their original release, the albums (which had been paired together once before in 1999) have been reissued as a double LP set on clear vinyl.
Don’t let the term “ambient” fool you – there’s a lot going on with Cobalt Blue. While the textures produced by Brook’s guitars – including his self-invented infinite guitar, capable of never-ending sustain – take center stage, he’s not simply adding layers of shimmer on top of each other. Rhythms derived from African and Middle Eastern sources percolate beneath the tracks, adding real groove. Previous Brook compadres Daniel Lanois and the Eno brothers (Brian and Roger) provide bass, drums, keys, accordion, and overall guidance to the pieces as well, with Brian also contributing string arrangements. As noted, Brook himself doesn’t just overdub strums and arpeggios – his sonics sound carefully chosen, as infinite soundwaves contrast with keening background solos and actual riffs to imbue each tune with genuine substance. Songs like “Urbana,” “Ultramarine,” and “Red Shift” aren’t just aural wallpaper hanging prettily, noticed only out of the corner of your eye – they’re full-bodied songs that reveal new things with every spin.
Though the decision to record was made at the last minute, Live at the Aquarium – indeed captured at the London Zoo – is no mere afterthought. Performing alone with his infinite guitar and a loopstation, Brook compensates for the lack of support musicians by substituting some good old rock & roll energy. “Shona Bridge” and “Lakbossa” feature down and dirty riffing atop a looped rhythm, while the Pink Floyd-esque bass rhythm of “Ultramarine” moves forward relentlessly. Distorted guitar tones give “Urbana” and “Red Shift” muscle, while a pair of new tunes, the ethereal “After Image” and the heavily electronic “Cascade,” add fresh textures to Brook’s repertoire. While Aquarium doesn’t have the painterly atmosphere of Cobalt Blue, it makes up for it with sheer energy.
Despite overlapping tracks, both albums are essential, two sides of an ambient rock coin that would appeal to Brook fanatics, ambient music fans, and adventurous rock listeners, and one that shines ever brighter over time.
