Lightness: Music for the Marble Palace

AMG Review of Lightness: Music for the Marble Palace

Ted Mills
All Music Guide

For a short sabbatical of sorts after the release of The Drop, Brian Eno relocated to St. Petersburg, Russia, and began working on music specifically for installations. Lightness was one of these pieces -- two long ambient tracks, about 30 minutes each, reminiscent of Thursday Afternoon, but with more shine and less glitter. The first track, "Atmospheric ^Lightness," has a few more elements, including a high, brittle tone that breaks apart as it gets louder. As this was meant to accompany visuals, it is minimal in the extreme. The original print run was only 500 -- those not bought by gallery attendees were sold privately by Opal Records. However, demand was such that a second run was produced, and may still be tracked down.