“Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks” by Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois & Roger Eno
80s Week continues with a gorgeous slice of ethereal, ambient electronica.
Programming note: It’s 80s week! I'm spotlighting some of my favorite records released between 1980 and 1989. Like previous decade-themed newsletter posts, I've selected albums that cover multiple genres and deliberately avoided the well-worn titles that top all "best of" lists for this decade. In other words, no Thriller, Purple Rain, and so on.
Hope you enjoy it!
Hello! 😊👋
Welcome to a new edition of the Daily Music Picks newsletter!
Today’s 80s music pick is a gorgeous slice of ethereal, ambient electronica, courtesy of some of the decade’s most forward-thinking producers.
Genre: Ambient, Electronic
Label: EG
Release Date: July 29, 1983
Vibe: 🌌
Few listening experiences are as completely otherworldly as Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks. Originally conceived as the musical accompaniment to the NASA documentary that would eventually become For All Mankind, it’s since taken on a life of its own as one of the most evocative and celebrated works in Brian Eno’s considerable canon. Working with his brother Roger and super-producer Daniel Lanois, the latter of whom is best known for collaborations with U2 and Bob Dylan, they create a richly detailed soundscape of what most of us imagine being in space feels like. And that’s the real trick of Eno’s much-imitated method for music-making, in the end. It cuts through all the sci-fi stereotypes and burrows into your soul to the point where, if you close your eyes, you can actually imagine yourself floating there, among the stars.
What’s incredible is how much emotional ground the trio covers with deft layering and effects usage. There’s excitement and intrigue (" Under the Stars”), uncertainty and eeriness (" Matta,” “Signals”), awe and wonder (" Drift”), and euphoria (" An Ending (Ascent)”). There’s also a distinctly American flavor in the LP’s second half, bringing in elements of country and R&B—seriously, the keys on “Weightless” sound like they belong in an Anita Baker track—that shouldn’t work but somehow adds to the mystique. It’s a piece of sonic mythmaking that reinforces the notion that NASA and the United States won the Space Race, back when coming out ahead in that regard was the ultimate symbol of human ingenuity. Eno and Co. manage to pack all these ideas into a pristine, accessible package, one that belongs in any serious music enthusiast’s collection.
👉 Don’t forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platform 👈