Fripp & Eno: Beyond Even
There's something heartwarming about the occasional duo productions of Robert Fripp and Brian Eno. Their meldings of guitars and synthesisers aren't particularly polished or structured, so the impression is more that of two old friends messing around an electronic potting shed. Not that there isn't room for individual craft: Fripp's guitar figures, crystalline and clothed in an electronic shimmer, make up Timean Sparkles. His razor-sharp lead lines dominate Sneering Loop and The Idea of Decline.
The rhythms are less satisfying, with loops like something left over from a U2 demo session; and the synth-drenched atmospheres occasionally sound more like low-budget science documentary soundtracks. The best moments occur when Eno gives Fripp a timbral frame from which he can break free.
The initial run contains two CDs, one in which all tracks run together in a continuous 54-minute mix, and a second with gaps. A treat for fans and completists.
