CURIOSITIES VOL. 2

The next set of assorted outtakes, dead-ends, and other sonic flotsam from the studio dustbin of Brian Eno continues more or less where "Volume 1' left off, in the spirit of his famous set of oracle cards presenting a dozen oblique strategies and worthwhile musical dilemmas. But keep in mind these are second-round draft picks, and may not have the immediate appeal of the first edition.

At their best the selections resemble instrumental backing tracks from an unfinished song project ('Watch the World' needs only a few verses to complete it), or another chapter in the author's periodic 'Music for Films' cycle, minus only whatever passes for celluloid these days. Now in his mid- sixties, Eno remains an artist who insists, first and foremost, that every sound he generates has to be interesting, even when consigned to his discard pile. This collection is no different, although it may help to have an ear for ambient music: the set grows quieter as it continues, reaching an arctic climax in the aptly named ten-minute drift study 'Fields of Ice'.

The inner sleeve of the CD includes a long list of 'future curiosities', at this date already long overdue. The first two installments in the series were released within a year of each other, but the project seems to be stalled, with no further entries in the decade since then. Maybe someday we'll be able to hear exactly what inspired such evocative titles like 'Drums with Quack', or 'Sordid Purple Death Sausage', or (a personal favorite) 'Ten Undervalued Female Assets'. Until then, do what Eno himself so often does, and use your imagination.